On Motivations
What motivates you? Recently, a good friend Craig Sutton asked me: “What gets you really motivated and excited?”
I thought it a valuable question.
Why?
Motivations matter - they matter to employees, managers and leaders. Great leaders understand what motivates their team and have the ability to drive the team in the same direction. When everyone works towards a common, understood outcome, the thinking is no longer “what are my tasks?” or “what is my job?” but rather “what can I do to get us closer to achieving the desired outcome?”
This thinking is one of the reasons why kanban systems work. This thinking also enables individuals to use (and/or develop) good judgement to make decisions that move a process forward, minimizing cycle time. Autonomy in knowledge work is necessary to value creation, as much of the value comes from integrating ideas in new, innovative ways to cut costs or drive revenue. Autonomy also drives trust. Without trust, the organzation’s environment is not about cutting costs or growing revenue - it can become about fear, an unsustainable motivator.
Sustainable motivations help teams build trust, execute, and learn from their mistakes.
I ask again - what motivates you?
March 2nd, 2009 at 4:10 am
What motivates me?
Knowing that if I am successful in what I do, that it can influence the successes that others have in there lives. I love to help others I am very fortunate in having the opportunity to do so in a way that allows me to make a living.
I am motivated by new ideas and the processes that put them into motion and by working with a group of people on a common goal.
I am motivated by people like An Bui, as she shares with her community for a common purpose.
March 2nd, 2009 at 7:28 pm
In business, I am motivated by setting goals to achieve success, and like Craig, to help others achieve success.
I set little goals all day long, and I challenge myself to achieve them. Even if it’s just as simple a goal as “I’ll reward myself with a coffee break as soon as I finish this blog post.” I get a sense of satisfaction when goals are complete — it’s like a rush of endorphins to me.
Anita
March 3rd, 2009 at 3:48 am
Anita, Craig - thanks for sharing. Goals and actionable next steps provide a positive feedback loop that helps you get what you want done.
June 9th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Have you ever considered adding more videos to your blog posts to keep the readers more entertained? I mean I just read through the entire article of yours and it was quite good but since I’m more of a visual learner,I found that to be more helpful. Just my my idea, Good luck
June 22nd, 2010 at 6:20 pm
Harvey - thanks for the feedback. I’ve been told to vlog, but haven’t gotten around to it… yet.
Hope all is well!