Managing & Motivation Tips to Achieve High Performance (Part IV)

As managers we all want highly motivated individuals to contribute to our high-performing teams. Motivation is a strange beast. When you expect it, welcome it, look after it, nourish it and remind it how much you value it, it gets stronger and more powerful, so the results keep getting better and better.

So what is this thing we call “motivation”? Basically, it’s an inner, personal drive. Sometimes it appears to be cheerful and positive, sometimes quiet and diligent, and sometimes it comes across as negative and depressing – what we call “demotivation”. When we, as managers and team players, understand the basics of what makes motivation work, we are well on our way to harnessing its positive power, and removing its negative power.

Motivation is driven by knowledge, skill, purpose and attitude. That's it; that's the basis. To help to build motivation, and to keep that force working, a manager must put certain basics in place. As we said in a previous article, those basics affect the individual, the team, and the tasks they perform. This managing & motivation tip deals with how you make it happen.

The Basics of Motivation

Everyone – manager, team member and the team as a whole must know the answer to these 6 questions:

1. What do my manager, team members, clients, etc, expect me to do for them? This is where “knowledge” comes in. How well does each person know the company's and project’s goals, their own job description, their role in the team, etc? Cover these and you have the basis for motivated performance. People who don’t really “know” can’t really “do” so they feel inadequate, and they become “demotivated.”
2. Why do they want me to do those things? Again, this deals with knowledge. In order for someone to work well (without constant supervision) they have to know the reasons behind what they do.
3. Do I agree? Knowing it is one thing, believing it and agreeing with it is another. Agreeing with the purpose and the tasks they must perform encourages a person to want to perform well. Not agreeing affects attitude. A so-called poor attitude will not enable positive motivation.
4. Can I do what I am supposed to do? This is where skill comes in. Anyone who constantly succeeds at what they want to do is motivated. Most people who constantly fail or just keep falling short, get fed up, come up with excuses, they blame the equipment, the communication, the technology, the management, etc, etc.
5. How am I doing? Communication is a great motivator. When managers and team members recognize good work, good attempts to improve, etc, in others, they want to keep trying and succeeding. If there are obstacles, communication can nip them in the bud or can get everyone working together to fix the problem.
6. How am I being rewarded? Again, this affects attitude. Rewards include everything from salary levels and bonuses, to personal recognition and enjoying being part of a good team.

The Take-Away

The basics of motivation are knowledge, skill and attitude. Managers who establish SMARTER goals – both for the job in hand, and for the team itself, can more easily work with their team to answer these 6 questions. Managers must also keep checking on those 6 questions with individuals and the team. When they do – and when the team does the same, they will stay motivated.

In Part V we will look at the two types of motivation, and how they help to build an A-team. In Part VI we will look at how to actually build a team.