Make Motivation Stick

Motivation is the elusive elixir. Not only does it help people do good work, and do it faster, but it also helps them feel good about it while they're doing it. Yet motivation always seems temporary, fleeting. We call a meeting, bring in a motivational speaker, and fire up the team. Yet, we know it won't last.

What if we could make it last? What if we could make it easy for everyone on your team to stay motivated day in and day out, regardless of what was going on around them? You could expect higher levels of performance from everyone and create a team with an unstoppable can-do attitude.

Despite its elusive nature, motivation is rather simple to understand. Motivation can be defined as a concerted effort to produce a desired result. So let's think about that for a moment. Why would anyone make a concerted effort to produce a result?

Underlying all motivation must be a belief that winning is possible, that the result is attainable. When people stop believing that they can win, that they have little chance for success, their efforts directed at achieving that success fade. However, people can remain motivated day after day when they are playing a game they believe they can win.

Motivation can be made a permanent part of your organization's environment when you provide the three keys that will allow your team members to believe that they can win, that they are unstoppable.

What's the Plan?

The first key is a strategy. A strategy is a best-guess plan that expedites the accomplishment of desired goals. Motivation depends on having a clear path to accomplishing a desired result. It's OK if every detail is not in place and a few variables exist, but the path to success must not be shrouded in fog. However, the plan must be complete enough to permit the belief in a successful end result.

When the plan is in doubt, motivation is ruled out.

While desire is a powerful motivator, so is anger. When Osama bin Laden was linked to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the wrath of angry Americans was focused on him. Emotions were high, and it would have been easy to fill an airplane bound for Afghanistan to hunt him down.

If you were on that plane, imagine how your excitement and motivation would soon fade when you learned that the "plan" was to drop you into Afghanistan and let you figure out how to find Osama. Without a clear path for getting past the enemy and finding bin Laden, your early determination would soon turn to despair. We all need a plan that we believe can work.

It's Tool Time!

The second key to motivation is tools. To stay motivated, individuals must believe that they have access to the tools they need to execute the plan. No matter how wonderful the plan, excitement will fade as soon as people discover that resources are inadequate to permit delivery of the goods.

This is the common de-motivator present in the "do more with less" admonition. Expectations of employees are raised and more is expected while resources are systematically removed. Left to their own cleverness, employees can often find ways to get more done with fewer resources if they are allowed to substitute a more productive resource for a more costly one. Unfortunately these "do more with less" initiatives often remove tools and resources without permitting for their replacement by the necessary cost efficient tools to get the higher expectations accomplished.

When tools don't exist, motivation is at risk.

Let's go back to Afghanistan. I'm betting you'd like some tools, and I'm not talking about a shovel or nice power saw. A gun would be good for starters. And bullets. While we're making a list, let's add grenades, two-way radio, Kevlar vest, and a rocket launcher. Oh, food and a canteen would be really good. And a map to get us back home.

"Do more with less" rings hollow when the stakes are high, like when your life is on the line. Make sure your team has the proper tools to tackle the tasks ahead of them and dispatch them productively and with confidence.

No Training? No Can-Do!

The third key to maintaining motivation is skills. Individuals must be trained on the skills that allow them to use the tools in the context of execution of the plan. It's not enough to have the resources if their application is left to question.

Skills training still may not accomplish the desired result if it is delivered outside of the context of the plan. A hammer can be used for both driving nails and pulling them out, and it's important to know what needs to be accomplished so that its application supports our desired outcome.

Without skills and training, motivation will be waning.

Forget the guns, Kevlar, and rocket launcher for a moment. Let's suppose we drop you into a tank, such as the magnificently sophisticated Bradley Fighting Vehicle. Without training on how to operate it, you'd be a sitting duck. Maybe you could figure out how to operate it, but possibly at great danger to yourself. What if you loaded the cannon improperly and caused a misfire? How far could you drive without running out of fuel in enemy territory?

At least the tank is firmly planted on solid ground. If put behind the controls of an Apache helicopter without adequate training, the risk to you goes through the roof! Without proper training, motivation is quickly replaced by frustration and fear.

The same things happen every day in workplaces all around us. People show up to work in the morning without a clear idea of how they contribute to the big picture, and without the tools and training to get the job done. Deliver the keys of strategy, tools, and skills, and your people will understand where they're going and how they're going to get there. Those keys will maintain motivation, excitement and enthusiasm by establishing confidence. They assure a successful outcome and are reason enough for employees to stay engaged and fervently work toward the big, bodacious goal you're ultimately after.

With the keys of strategy, tools, and skills, making motivation stick won't seem so elusive after all.

© 2004 Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.

Note: This article is available for reprint at no charge. We only ask that you include our copyright notice in your reprint, along with the About the Author (byline) information we provide at the end of the article.

Paul Johnson of Panache and Systems LLC consults and speaks on business strategy for systematically boosting sales performance using Shortcuts to Yes?. Check out more salesforce development tips at http://panache-yes.com/tips.html. Call Paul direct in Atlanta, Georgia, USA at (770) 271-7719.

---

DAMAGED

On the J-O-B. That's where I met him. Quentin Cole was his name. Everyone called him Q for short. Q was an extremely attractive man. He was... Read More

Step Out

Living your successful life requires you to step out. I remember as a teenager, right out of high school, learning this valuable lesson. Now - 15 years... Read More

A Formula For Improved Achievement

Your ability to perform in life is determined by a number of factors:(1)The package you received when you were born (i.e. whether you are in a male... Read More

Selective Perspective

Picture this: A mother and daughter are looking at the snowfall from the front widow of their home. The daughter thinks: "Great, No school tomorrow." While Mom... Read More

We Are Trying To

How many times have you heard this in your life? Perhaps you have said it yourself. We are trying to accomplish something here. We are trying to... Read More

What Is Failing Forward?

What an absurd statement! Absurd or not, progress is not possible without failure. It is part of being an evolving and growing human being.Failing forward is about... Read More

Resolution Revolution: 3 Tips For Creating Real Change in the New Year

'Tis the season once again for parties, champagne, noisemakers...and of course, New Year's resolutions. Every year, millions of people go through the same ritual of making optimistic... Read More

Mr. Smith, Please Enter the Dream Room - Dream Big Dreams to Do Big Things!

Enjoy a great quote to start off this fantastic week!"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds... Read More

5 Ways to Fight Pessimism

Some people are naturally pessimistic and are happy being so. They view themselves as pragmatic and as having a better sense of reality. Then there... Read More

Mid-Year Success Check: Are You Halfway There?

In a couple weeks, we'll be heading into the second half of 2005. How are you doing on those New Year's resolutions?What were they?Think back for a... Read More

Secrets to Motivating Yourself and Others

There is hardly anything more personal that what motivates each of us to perform in a work environment. Here's some insight into how to choose the best... Read More

Words That Inspire - CHOICE

What CHOICE do you want to make?Dictionary* says:the act of choosing, power of choosing, a person or thing chosen, the best part, care in selecting.What it REALLY... Read More

Are Your Dreams A Day Late And A Dollar Short?

One of the greatest challenges facing our ever intensive quest for the impossible dream is to make it across the finish line even if it's only by... Read More

7 Hot Tips for Self Improvement Part 1

Have you ever imagined that life could be a lot better and more fulfilling than yours is right now? Are you eager to learn a self improvement... Read More

Action vs. Apathy - Feeling Powerless? Get Moving!

How many times have you felt truly defeated by the circumstances in your life? You know, the "I don't know why I bother to keep trying, I'm... Read More

Understanding What Motivates People to Take Action

So I wanted to buy a car. It was a tough choice but I decided that my next new car would be a Volvo. So I drove... Read More

The Art of Wastebasketry

Are your filing cabinets stuffed so full that it's difficult to retrieve and file papers? If you're like 80% of the people in the audiences to whom... Read More

Life Is About Taking

"Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new." Brian TracyHave you... Read More

Success: 10 Easy Success Tips To Help You Achieve Your Ambitions In Life

I want to wish you good health, long life, success and happiness.Most people are capable of setting up goals for them to achieve.That is the easy part.The... Read More

ABCs for High Achievers

A im for what you want by focusing clearly on priorities.B elieve in yourself and your goals, and then begin to strive for them.C ount your blessings,... Read More

5 Ways To Feel Super-Optimistic: Tips for Your Health, Wealth, & Career Success

Optimism is the hidden key to your personal and business success. Optimists possess a clear vision of an exciting life, confidently work on goals to achieve their... Read More

Information Age: Knowledge is King

In our information age, having the right knowledge at the right time can make the difference between failure and success. Knowledge, gained through experience makes one an... Read More

Get Started! Do Something!

This is about getting started. Taking that first step. It is so easy to moan about our lives and complain that things aren't how we want them... Read More

Success Through The Power Of Daily Action

Daily actions to achieve your goals means daily progress and daily excitement as you start to feel your dreams are actually coming true.As you take action daily,... Read More

Wherever you Go - There you Are

Wherever you go, there you are. This is the title of a fantastic book by Jon Kabat Zinn. Often when going through a difficult time, some think... Read More

How Are You Feeling? Its More Of A Brain Question Than You Think

How you respond to How are You reveals a great deal about you."Hi! How are you?""Not bad, you?"How many times have you started a conversation this way?... Read More