MOTIVATION

MOTIVATION

Motivating yourself 

  and others everyday 

“Good things come to those who wait, but only those things left by those who hustle.”

                                                                              –Abraham Lincoln

I believe in two premises: (a) most people are good people, but they can do better, and (b) most people already know what to do to improve their lives. But the question is why aren’t they doing it? (how to get motivated mentally)

   What is missing is the spark– motivation. Some self-help books adopt the approach of teaching what to do; I take a different approach. I ask, “Why don’t you do it?” If you ask people on the street what should be done, they will give you all the correct answers. But ask them whether they are doing it and the answer will be no. What is lacking is motivation. (how to increase motivation psychology)

   The most powerful motivation comes from within our belief system. To move into action, we need to believe in what we do and accept responsibility for our life. When we accept responsibility for our behavior and actions, our attitudes toward life become positive. We become more productive, both personally and professionally. Our relationships improve both at home and at work. Life becomes more meaningful and fulfilling. (What can motivation mean?)

   After a person’s basic physical needs are met, emotional needs become a bigger motivator. Every behavior comes out of the “pain or gain” principle. If the pain is greater than the fain, that is a deterrent to action. If the gain is greater than the pain, that is a motivator. Gains can be tangible, such as monetary rewards, vacations and gifts. They can also be intangible, such as recognition, appreciation, sense of achievement, accomplishment, and belief.

LET'S DEFINE MOTIVATION

The next logical question is: What is motivation? Motivation is a drive that encourages action or feeling. To motivate means to encourage and inspire. Motivation can also mean igniting the spark for action. (what is motivation)

   Motivation is powerful. It can persuade, convince and propel you into action. In other words, motivation can be defined as motive for action. It is a force that can literally change your life. (How do you develop motivation?)

Why do we need to get motivated?

Motivation is the driving force in our lives. It comes from a desire to succeed. Without success there is little pride in life; no enjoyment or excitement at work and at home. Life becomes like a lopsided wheel giving a bumpy ride.  (motivation theory)

   The greatest enemy of motivation is complacency. Complacency leads to lack of effort, and when people are complacent they don’t grow because they cannot identify what is needed in their lives. (how to get motivated when depressed)

MOTIVATION–HOW DOES IT WORK?

Once you understand what causes motivation, you can motivate yourself and achieve your goals–and you can motivate others too. (what keeps you motivated in life)

   Your internal motivation is your drive and attitude. It is contagious. Your attitudes are the key to getting the response you want from others.

   How does a person stay motivated and focused? One important tool that has been used by athletes for a long time is auto-suggestion. Auto-suggestions are positive statements made in the present tense and repeated regularly. In other words, it is positive self-talk. For example, let’s say you’re just starting a new job. (importance of motivation)

   Several times each day you might say to yourself, “I feel more and more confident every day.” Or let’s say your teenage son is going through a stage where everything he says seems to irritate you. You might repeat to yourself, “I will be calm and patient when I talk to John.”

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INSPIRATION AND MOTIVATION?

I conduct seminars internationally and people often ask me if I can motivate themselves. What I can do, however, is inspire them to motivate themselves. People can create an environment that is motivating. (What is the importance of motivation in an organization?)

   Inspiration is thought; motivation is action. When thinking changes it reflects in behavior. In order to inspire people to motivate themselves we need to understand their needs and wants. 

   What is the greatest motivator? Is it money? Recognition? Improvement in our quality of life? Acceptance by those we love? All of these can be motivating forces. (What is motivation and its benefits?)

   People will do a lot for money, more for a good leader, but do the most for a belief. People die for their beliefs. This happens every day, all over the world. When we believe that we are responsible for our lives and our behaviors, our outlook towards life changes for the better.  (introduction of motivation)

   Motivation is life fire–unless you keep adding fuel to it, it dies. Your fuel is your belief in your inner values. 

   When this belief in inner values feeds your motivation, your motivation becomes long lasting. (importance of motivation in psychology)

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MOTIVATION

  

Motivation is classified into two types: external and internal.

External Motivation

External motivation comes from outside. Examples of external motivators are money, societal approval, fame or fear.(For example, fear of getting spanked by parents or fear of getting fired at work) (What are internal and external motivations?)

Fear Motivation

A company wanted to set up a pension plan. In order for the plan to be implemented, it needed 100% participation. Everyone signed up except John. The plan made sense and was in the best interest of everyone. John’s refusal to sign was the only obstacle. John’s supervisor and other coworkers had tried, without success, to persuade him to sign. (What are external motivations?)

    The owner of the company called John into his office and said, “John, here is a pen and these are the papers for you to sign to enroll into the pension plan. If you don’t enroll, you are fired this minute.” John signed. The owner asked John why he hadn’t signed earlier. John replied, “No one explained the plan quite as clearly as you did.” (external and internal motivation examples)

It is not uncommon to see the prey outsmarting the predator, because one is running for its food and the other for its life. The advantages of fear motivation are :

• It gets the job done quickly.

• It prevents losses by meeting deadlines.

• In the short run, the person’s performance may improve.

We learn from history that the pyramids were built by slaves. They had to be constantly watched and reprimanded for nonperformance. The disadvantages of fear motivation are:

• It is external, which means the motivation is there while the motivator is there. When the motivator goes, the motivation also goes. 

• It causes stress.

• Performance is limited to compliance.

• In the long run, performance goes down. 

• It destroys creativity.

• People get used to “the stick” and then a bigger stick is needed.

People who do just enough to get by so they don’t get fired will never be valuable to any organization.

   A customer asked an employee, “When did you start working here?” He replied, “Ever since they threatened to fire me.” (what does it mean to inspire and motivate employees)

Incentive Motivation

External motivation can also take the form of incentives., bonuses, commission, recognition and so forth.

   The major advantage of incentive motivation is that it works very well as long as the incentive is strong enough. Think of a donkey with a carrot dangling in front and pulling a cart behind. Incentive motivation will work if the donkey is hungry enough, the carrot is sweet enough, and the load light enough. (difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation)

   From time to time, you have to let the donkey take a bite of the carrot; otherwise it is going to get discouraged. After the donkey takes a bite, its stomach is full, and you need to wait for the donkey to get hungry again before it will pull the cart. This same cycle is typically seen in our business environment. The moment sales people meet their quotas, they stop working. This is because their motivation is limited to meeting their quotas. That is external motivation, not internal. (intrinsic motivation examples in the workplace)

Internal Motivation

There was a young boy who came regularly to soccer practice but never made it to the starting team. While he was practicing, his father would sit at the far end of the field, waiting for him. The matches began and for four days, the boy didn’t show up for practice or the quarter or semi-finals. He appeared for the final game, went to the coach and said, “Coach, you have always kept me in the reserves and never let me play in the games. But today, please let me play.” The coach said, “Son, I’m sorry, I can’t let you. There are better players than you and besides, it is the finals; the reputation of the school is at stake and I cannot take a chance on you.” The boy pleaded, “Coach, I promise I will not let you down. I beg of you, Please let me play.” The coach had never seen the boy plead like this before. He said, “Okay son, go play. But remember , I am going against my better judgment and the reputation of the school is at stake. Don’t let me down.” (internal motivation)

   The game started and the boy played like a house on fire. Every time he got the ball, he shot a goal. Needless to say, he was the star of the game. His team had a spectacular win. (What is the difference between positive and motivation?)

   When the game finished, the coach went up to him and said, “Son, how could’ I have been so wrong? I have never seen you play like this before. What happened? How did you play so well? The boy replied, “Coach, my father is watching me today.” The coach turned around and looked at the place where the boy’s father used to sit. There was no one there. He said, “Son, your father used to sit there when you came for practice, but I don't see anyone there today.” The boy replied, “Coach, there is something I never told you. My father was blind. Just four days ago, he died. Today is the first day he is watching me from above.” (What is the positive motivation?)

   Internal motivation comes from within, such as pride, a sense of achievement, responsibility and belief.

   Internal motivation is the inner gratification, not for success or winning, but for the fulfillment that comes from having done it. It is a feeling of accomplishment, rather than just achieving a goal. Reaching an unworthy goal does not produce a gratifying feeling. Internal motivation is lasting, because it comes from within and translates into self-motivation.

   Motivation needs to be identified and constantly strengthened to succeed. Write down your goals. Keep them in front of you and read them morning and evening. (Is positive or negative motivation better?)

   The two most important internal motivators are recognition and responsibility.

   Recognition means being appreciated; being treated with respect and dignity; and feeling a sense of belonging.

   Responsibility gives a person a feeling of belonging and ownership. He then becomes part of the bigger picture. Lack of responsibility is demotivating. (difference between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation)

   Recognition is external because it originates from outside, through its manifestations (feelings) are internal.

   Responsibility is internal as it originates from within. 

Take the case of Jill, a customer service representative who had been on the job for six years, a relatively long time in a job that had a high turnover rate. Jill liked her job –she liked talking with customers and being a problem solver. What she didn’t like was the fact that most of the other customer service reps, who had been there less than two years, were on equal footing with her. Jill was frustrated and discouraged that many of the other reps were not willing to listen to her suggestions. When they did have a problem, they’d go to the manager for help even though the manager didn’t have the front-line experience that Jill did. (What are internal and external motivations?)

   The manager began to notice that while Jill’s performance wasn’t bad, it wasn’t as good as it had been, and Jill no longer seemed to be happy with her job. Not wanting to lose such a valuable employee, the manager gave Jill a raise. But Jill’s attitude about the job did not change. While more money is always nice, what Jill was looking for was respect. When the manager finally spent some time talking with Jill and discovered the title of supervisor and told the other reps that all problems were to go through Jill. Jill’s increased responsibility fueled her need for respect and her performance immediately improved. (difference between motivation and inspiration)

   Monetary rewards are temporary and short-lived; they are not gratifying in the long run. In contrast, seeing an idea being implemented can be emotionally ratifying by itself. People feel that they are not being treated like objects. They feel part of a worthwhile team. The reward of doing the right thing by itself is motivating. (what is motivation in business)

WE ARE ALL MOTIVATED–EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY

When I was in Toronto, I heard a story about two brothers. One was a drug addict and a drunk who frequently beat up his family. The other was a very successful businessman who was respected in society and had a wonderful family. How could two brothers raised by the same parents, brought up in the same environment, be so different? (internal motivation)

   The first brother was asked, “What makes you do what you do? What motivates you”? He answered, “My father. My father was a drug addict, a drunk and he beat his family. What do you expect me to be? That is what I am.” (how to motivate a demotivated person)

   The second brother was asked, “How come you are doing everything right? What is your source of motivation?” And guess what he said? “My father. When I was a little boy, I used to see my dad drunk and doing all the wrong things. I made up my mind that this is not what I wanted to be.”

   Both brothers derived their motivation from the same source, but one was using it positively and the other negatively. Negative motivation brings the desire to take the easier way which ends up being the tougher way. (How do you develop self motivation?)

  

ON THE JOB: THE FOUR STAGES FROM MOTIVATION TO DEMOTIVATION

When people start a job, they often move through stages of motivation and competence.

1. Motivated Ineffective

When is an employee most motivated in the cycle of employment? When he joins an organization. Why?  Because he wants to prove that by hiring him, the employer made the right decision. He is motivated but because he is new to the environment. But he does not know what to do, so he is ineffective. (difference between motivation and demotivation)

   This is the stage when the employee is most open minded, receptive and easy to mold to the culture of the organization programs. The first day at the job, the supervisor shows the new employee his place of work and tells him what to do and leaves. He teaches all the bad along with the good that he is doing. The new employee quickly learns all the mistakes the supervisor is making because that is what he has been taught. The organization loses the opportunity to mold the individual to its culture.  (What can demotivate students?)

   Professional organizations, on the other hand, take special care to indirect people into their organizations. They explain to them, among other things, the following: 

• The hierarchy 

• Expectations of each other 

• Do’s and don’ts 

• Parameters and guidelines 

• What is acceptable and what is not

• The resources

How can one expect performance unless expectations are made clear up front? If induction and orientation are done well, many potential problems would not surface at all. (demotivated ineffective)

 

2. Motivated Effective

This is the stage when the employee has learned what to do and does it with drive and energy. He has learned the trade and it reflects in his performance. Then he moves on to the next stage.

3. Demotivated Effective

After some time the motivation level goes down and the employee starts learning the tricks of the trade. This is the stage when the employee is not motivated. He continues doing just enough so that the employer has no reason to fire him but he is really not motivated. (motivating and demotivating factors)

   This stage is detrimental to growth–most people in organizations fall into this third stage. A motivated professional learns the trade and leaves the tricks to cheats and crooks, but a demotivated employee starts sabotaging the company. His performance is marginal. He makes fun of the good performers. He rejects new ideas and spreads negativity all around.

   Our objective is to bring them back to the second stage of motivation effective through training. An employee ought not to stay in the third stage too long; because from her either they move back to the second stage, which is being motivated and effective, or they move into the fourth stage.

4. Demotivated Ineffective

At this stage, the employee does not have much choice but to fire the employee, which may be the most appropriate thing to do anyway at this point. (how to motivate a demotivated person)

   Remember employers want the same thing as employees do. They want to succeed and improve business, and if employees help in this objective, then they make themselves valuable and achieve their own success.

DEMOTIVATING FACTORS

Why do people move from an initially motivated stage to demotivated? Some of the demotivating factors are: 

• Unfair criticism

• Negative criticism

• Public humiliation

• Rewarding the non-performers (which can be demotivating for the performers)

• Failure or fear of failure

• Success(which leads to complacence)

• Lack of direction

• Lack of measurable objectives

• Low self-esteem

• Lack of priorities 

• Negative self-talk

• Office politics 

• Unfair treatment

• Hypocrisy 

• Poor standards 

• Frequent change 

• Responsibility without authority

A satisfied person is not necessarily a motivated person. Some people are satisfied with very little. In this case, satisfaction may lead to complacency. Motivation comes from excitement and excitement does not come unless there is full commitment. (motivating and demotivating factors)

   New methods of motivation will not work till the demotivating factors are removed. Many times, just removing the demotivating factors can spark motivation. 

Motivators

What we really want to accomplish is self-motivation. When people do things for their own reasons and not yours. That is lasting motivation.

   Remember the greatest motivator is belief. We have to inculcate in ourselves the belief that we are responsible for our actions and behavior. When people accept responsibility, everything improves: quality, productivity, relationships and teamwork. (how to motivate a demotivated person)

   A few steps to motivate others:

• Give recognition 

• Give respect 

• Make work interesting 

• Be a good listener 

• Encourage goal setting 

• Provide opportunities for growth 

• Provide training 

• Throw a challenge 

• Help, but don’t do for others what they should do for themselves.

Conclusion

People do things for their own reasons, not yours. This is illustrated by a story about Ralph Waldo Emerson. He and his son once were struggling to get a calf into the barn. Both father and son were exhausted, pulling and pushing. A little girl was passing by. She put her little finger into the calf’s mouth, allowing it to suck, and the calf lovingly followed her to the barn.

(demotivating factors in learning)