Leadership: Motivation

Of the three things that effective leaders provide when helping others become more—purpose, direction and motivation—motivation is probably the most misunderstood.

Each of us possesses an intrinsic drive that causes us to do things for their own sake, to pursue activities for no other reason than the activity itself. This unseen drive fuels what we do—our motivation. For more information, read my previous articles on purpose and communicating direction.

Mistaken Motivation   

In their pursuit to encourage behavior they want from employees, managers often adopt programs that standardize incentives across their organizations. A common example is a commission-based compensation system for sales teams intended to directly connect pay to what team members sell. However, the mistake we often make is believing that the commission is what motivates sales and that the manager can use it to motivate salespeople.  

If you ask salespeople what motivates them, especially long-term professionals, they will say things like: the excitement of the buyer when they recognize value, overcoming objections to close the deal, or being contacted by a satisfied, returning customer. The commission is the way they are paid.   

The mistake we often make is thinking that motivation is something leaders do, rather than something that each of us possesses. Good leaders understand and illuminate the motivations of others and align them with outcomes that their organization needs. Here is some advice to get started.

Understanding Motivations

Invest some time into learning what motivates the people you manage or with whom you work closely. You might consider meeting with each of them to intentionally learn their intrinsic drive.  

Think through the questions in advance of engaging them and keep in mind that your outcome is to understand their motivations. Avoid the natural first question—what motivates you? Instead ask the deeper questions that will reveal their motivations. What is it about their job that they especially like and why? Are they involved in volunteer work and who benefits from it? What are their most valuable relationships and why?

Maintain objectivity, especially if they are direct reports. There are no right and wrong answers. Do your best to avoid turning it into an interrogation. Approach it with a sincere curiosity to learn more about them. Resist the inclination to categorize them and summarize your thoughts.        

Illuminating Motivations

The ability of leaders to shine light on the motivations of others naturally is more art than science. Be present and focused when around your team members—no multitasking on your laptop during group meetings. Look for opportunities to connect the various motivations of the team into routine discussions and meetings.   

Perhaps you learned that an employee from accounting volunteers as the project manager for an annual clothing drive, coordinating used clothing collections across the city by partnering with hundreds of churches and community centers. She enjoys synchronizing activities of organizations that do not usually work together—organizing the disorganized.    

During a weekly meeting, members of the team express their challenges in completing work on time because the tasks supporting multiple clients had become confusing due to the volume and variety. While asking questions to better understand the challenges, you look to the employee from accounting for confirmation. Recalling her project management abilities, you invite her to ask questions to help understand the problem, shining light on her intrinsic drive.     

Aligning Motivations

Aligning one’s motivations with things that you want them to do is more tangible than the art of illuminating motivations.

Let’s again use the example of the accounting employee who enjoys project management and apply it to work not being completed on time due to confusion. After socializing the idea with the team, at the next meeting you suggest that a project team be formed by several of the team members and led by the employee from accounting. Their assignment is to determine if a project management tracking system would help resolve the on-time work problem, recommend tools that would help, and be prepared to brief the team on their findings and implementation.

This solution offers several positives. Those closest to the problem are involved in solving it which will lead to efficient implementation. Someone whose intrinsic drive is to make sense of confusion is leading the effort. And finally, the problem of late projects is solved.

Good leaders understand and illuminate the motivations of others and align them with activities to support the organization’s needs. When done effectively, these leaders will drive extraordinary results for their organizations.      

At Mungadai, we help organizations develop leaders who invest in understanding the motivations of others, illuminate motivations naturally, and connect assignments with motivations, creating highly effective teams that accomplish the amazing. Contact us—we would love to speak with you!