How to motivate yourself and others …?

 Are you choosing pain or power?

There are times in our life when pain might be preventable however if mentally you make a choice of pain everyday you will eventually where yourself down. The word power is all about releasing energy and going for it.

Pain to power can be recorded on a daily or a weekly basis have an audit as to how you are choosing to start your day.

Teresa Amabile says that motivation is all about progress moving forward and we need nourishers to support us and also eliminate toxins. Nourishers can be the right diet, supportive individuals and a clear direction of what you want yourself. Toxins are those people who are negative, meetings that are unnecessary and not looking after ourselves. Progress principle and work that is meaningful.

The motivational theory of Maslow hierarchy of needs is a good check to see if you have everything in place. To explain the model on workshops I often use the story of Robinson Crusoe. He was marooned on an island and needed to live, he met one person on the island who he called Man Friday, and then realised his own self worth by surviving and by being rescued. The list below shows the levels in Maslow’s theory with Robinson’s achievements and what they would look like in blue from a work perspective.

1. Basic survival  = food and water/pay 
2. Security = shelter/office & chairs & computers etc…
3. Social = Man Friday/colleagues 
4. What others think of me? = Feedback and interaction with Man Friday/feedback & appraisals & reviews 
5. Self Actualisation = Robinson leaving the island and acknowledging himself for what he has achieved/you recognised your own work 
6. 
   

Controversy surrounds Maslow as to whether the pyramid should be upside down, do you need to have self actualisation in place first before you satisfy the other levels. Whichever way you want the pyramid do you have any gaps or any elements unfulfilled. If you are not paid the right amount for self worth it is quite hard to accept feedback.

Hertzberg made it even simpler than Maslow and said that there are only two areas to consider Hygiene factors or Motivation/Satisfaction factors.



Hygiene Factors

• Company policy and administration
• Wages, salaries and other financial remuneration
• Quality of supervision
• Quality of inter-personal relations
• Working conditions
• Biscuits
• Coffee

Motivational Factors 

• Opportunity for advancement
• Gaining recognition
• Responsibility
• Challenging / stimulating work
• Sense of personal achievement & personal growth in a job

When you are working with a team, be really careful of messing with the hygiene factors. A short term change can have a longer term effect in terms of demotivation. If you take away the biscuits they will never forgive you.

Look at Hertzberg’s list and decide which are long term and short term and manage them as you would your own motivation.

For a workshop on motivation please contact bev@nuggetsoflearning.co.uk

Book 90 minutes of learning on any management/personal development area – 6 – 12 delegates for £600. http://www.nuggetsoflearning.co.uk