How Leaders Can Influence Team Motivation Every Day
I love my job! I can’t believe this is what I get to do for work!’, said through sighs and with big eyes, was the recurring chorus at a team workshop I ran a few weeks ago.
And no, it wasn’t coming from the team, but from the staff at the hosting venue.
(I won’t share where the venue was here, but if you’re curious to know, let me know and I’m happy to share it privately).
And I have to say, it was contagious. Everyone wanted a piece of feeling like that about this large chunk of their life – work. Of course the good vibes, the inspiration, spilled into our conversations and into the work we did that week.
It’s no wonder. Motivation is a big sore point for leaders and teams everywhere.
And it’s no wonder, because have you noticed how joyful your day is when you’re surrounded by people who are motivated to do the work, and when you yourself feel motivated?
As leaders, we really need our teams to feel motivated, otherwise everything takes longer, projects go off-track, team culture starts collapsing, and frankly, it’s no way to spend your working life.
I was dying to get the team on that same page, and feeling similarly great about their work. So I took out my magical potion kit…
I’m just kidding. Like most things, motivation is not as easy to summon as an enthusiastic ‘Everyone, let’s get motivated!’
But it’s also not a magical thinking, elusive concept. We absolutely can influence motivation. We can help our teams get motivated, and we can also summon it in ourselves.
Yes, but HOW, Juliet?
A Simple Reframe: Understanding What Really Motivates People
It requires a different lens. A reframe. Five that come to mind immediately.
You will notice, if you download my motivation checklist (just click on that link above), that none of my advice is about salary increases, big bonuses, or huge perks. Research has shown over and over again that, while all those benefits are nice, they are not what gets us humans motivated and deeply in love with our jobs.
The solutions are much simpler, and much more…human. We can all feel better about, and more engaged in our work.
All good things,
Juliet Robinson
Leadership and Change Specialist
