Motivation

Natural motivation is the outcome of doing something you really like to do. You can stay motivated for long periods of time, and time passes by very quickly.

Each of us has our own passions and interests, we don’t need encouragement to get motivated as we are energised naturally.

For me, I don’t need to be motivated to be energetic when facilitating a group of people, that’s who I am and I’m passionate about the work that I do. I love this aspect of my work and can do this day in and day out, it’s my passion and it comes from my heart.

In the workplace, employers don’t need to motivate their staff in the areas they are already motivated in. You can acknowledge the areas employees are naturally motivated in and you should, but they do not need to be reminded. 

An example of this is an employee that is always on time, I can appreciate and thank them for always being on time, but I do not need to motivate the employee to be on time. If I did start reminding the employee to be on time, I would create unnecessary confusion and leave them feeling frustrated that I’m asking them to do something they are naturally motivated in.

There are of course other areas that require willpower and forced motivation. We all have them and they’re the things that we don’t enjoy doing, time seems to stand still. It doesn’t mean the task is not important, its something you don’t enjoy doing as much and this is where your employer can put structures in place to help motivate and support you.

Employers are certainly not exempt from needing motivation, and staff can also put structures in place to support their employers and motivate in the areas they’re not as strong in.

I travel overseas frequently and there are many business transactions I make while I am away. I admit that keeping receipts has not been a strength for me, I am better and naturally motivated in other areas, of course keeping receipts is important to the business but I am focused on the work I am doing while overseas. My staff are aware of this and have put structures in place to remind me to store all of my receipts together. I now carry an envelope everywhere I go and keep all of the receipts there and hand the envelope in as soon as I return back to the office. I also receive frequent reminders while I am away. 

This is an example of putting in structures to support in the areas I am not very strong in and creating less of a headache when my staff are reconciling the accounts. 

When you start to get to this kind of place with your employees, you’re in a strong place with your people. I am grateful my staff are able to support me in the areas I need to be motivated in.

How are you motivating your staff?