September 2022 Volume 5 Issue 2

Motivation!!

Who am I now?!

Sharyl Madigan

Life has changed and so have we. Our wants and desires have changed. We are looking at ourselves and wondering who we have become and what really makes us happy.

Simon Sinek says “Start with your Why.” Most of us have no idea how to do that or how to discover what our why is. - Sharyl Madigan

So, let’s ask ourselves some questions:

• What really makes me get out of bed each morning, energized and ready to go?

• What makes me want to stay in bed and not face the world?

• Why do I enjoy doing this and my spouse/ friend/co-worker enjoys doing something else?

• What do I envision myself doing in the next 5, 10, 15 years?

• What really does get me excited enough to want to do it?

• What makes me feel like I am a part of something, contributing to something, making a difference?

• Can I really be the true me and not worry about what others think?

Simple questions. Hard answers. Most of us really don’t know the answers or how to get to them.

A solution; to finding answers to the questions:

Understanding Your Motivation!

But what is motivation?

Motivation is what drives people to success. True motivation is an inside job. We are all motivated and the more driven we are, the greater the success we achieve.

Motivation plays a critical role in our lives, personally and professionally. It is the internal reason which prompts us to act in certain ways. We all need motivation as it generates our energy. The more motivated we are the more energy we have. It is so easy to see the people who are motivated. They buzz! They are bursting with energy, stress seems to touch them less, their problems seem to be more manageable, the higher their self-esteem. We all want to live there!

Most people have the belief that motivation is external/extrinsic and not internal/intrinsic. And there are external motivators. Most of which are basic needs motivators such as; I need to keep my job to feed my family, pay for our home, keep everyone clothed. When those extrinsic motivators are engaged, they are temporary and do not produce a positive response. They do not create long term happiness or success.

Motivation is invariably correlated with the quality of our lives – with our energy levels, with our achievements, with our sense of satisfaction.

When we look internally for our motivation, it becomes something that drives us. We strive to satisfy that drive not the fear. We all know that we need to exercise, but how many of us do? And what exercise do you engage in? And why? Do you go to the gym to connect with others? Do you go to the gym because it is convenient? Do you walk because it can be done at any time, anywhere, alone or with someone? What gets you started? What keeps you going? Motivation!

Now let’s talk about our professional lives. Leaders today have a greater challenge than ever. We have learned that over 70% of people quit their managers/leaders and not their jobs. We have also learned that the average number of hours of actual hours of work in the office is 3 hours. However, most managers/leaders believe that if you are in the office, you are working a full 8 hours. Showing up to the job does not mean that you are motivated.

Our role as leaders today is to provide the right environment for productivity and engagement. This requires getting to know and understand our people and what motivates them. Our motivation is very closely aligned with our values. Our motivators are deep needs within us and when these are being met, we become inspired and engaged to perform at our peak.

We want successful, creative, and motivated organizations that are adding value to their communities and to the world that effectively experience longevity. And now we have the Great Resignation and even more recent, the Quiet Resignation. So how do we ensure business success by hiring the right people and retaining them.

The consequences for organizations of not paying attention to people motivation are severe and ultimately terminal.

We need new leadership, a leadership that embraces ambiguity and focuses on people and motivation. It is the people that perform the work, and they need to be motivated to produce the results the organization is looking for.

In Stephen M. Covey’s new book Trust and Inspire, he states that until the leadership shifts from the old Command and Control mindset to the new Trust and Inspire, businesses will have a difficult time recruiting and retaining the right people. And before trust and inspire can take place, you must have a motivated workforce. He also states that managers do not manage people, they manage things. Leaders lead people and to do that they need to know how to motivate them. They need to get to know their people and develop an understanding of them.

So how do you determine all this? How do you know what motivates an individual and why? How satisfied is that individual in their position in the organization?

The most successful leaders today are the most self-aware individuals in business. They have taken the time to understand themselves and what motivates them and then taken that knowledge and transferred into leadership qualities to take their businesses to the next level. They engage their people in the planning and decision-making process. They genuinely care what their people think and feel about the direction of the organization as well as their place in it. They ask questions to get to know their people and their strengths and motivations. They listen to them. And not superciliously.

They know their own motivations and understand that you need to meet the needs of the individual to ensure everyone is working at their optimum with enthusiasm and passion.

Understanding that motivation is not a personality trait that is hard wired. Motivation is dynamic and changes over time and life experience. Being able to identify what your motivational drivers are and the level of satisfaction you are experiencing is invaluable to each of us. Knowing our motivational drivers helps us understand ourselves on a deeper level and moves us forward to creating a better, happier, healthier, more productive life. Motivation is a core aspect of all people development. Motivation drives Success