You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘Motivation’ tag.
Humans are social creatures; witness how important it is for us to maintain connections to family and friends during holidays and other celebrations.
This is true in the workplace as well.
I’m usually an introvert, which means I build my energy more by being alone than in a group. But even for me, some of the highlights of my career were when we accomplished something as a team. Together.
Read the rest of this entry »Humans, like all animals, have survived because we look for signals of danger.
This is a deep-seated tendency. It helps survival, but it’s not so good for rational thinking and empathy. It’s part of that lizard brain back there.
What’s the problem? Well, a sense of fear pushes you toward reactive thinking rather than thoughtful planning. Which is great when you have just seconds to respond, but not so great in most situations in modern life.
Read the rest of this entry »I’ve found that this is the kind of attitude you’re trying to nurture in leading a group: Let’s do this!
It captures precisely the kind of energy that we’re going to need to do some hard work while having fun. And it conveys a sense of personal commitment to achieving the group’s result.
Even pride.
Read the rest of this entry »This is often the time that we move into a positive, energizing, forward-looking mindset.
This is a powerful leadership tool, because it connects to your team’s desire to do something which makes a difference. Together.
I often see organizations which have goals which boil down to “do what we did last year, but 10% more.” That can have some value for certain kinds of people, but only if they believe that they have a direct impact on the team’s result.
Read the rest of this entry »Last week I talked about giving in and bringing things to a close. But most of the time we don’t want to do that, right?
We want to be the cheerleader to bring everyone to that wonderful vision of the future. That’s such an important part of your role as leader, to help bring everyone together, align their actions, and help them commit to doing all the hard work.
The challenge may be that the team isn’t emotionally there yet.
Read the rest of this entry »Are you ever happy in your job?
I’m often shocked by the number of people who are hating their work every day, slogging through the grind. As a leader, wouldn’t you like to do better than that for your people?
Are our lives really just about surviving?
Read the rest of this entry »Goals are wonderful! It feels amazing to accomplish something important and to celebrate when that happens.
But you have to realize that 99% of the time is not spent AT the goal, but on the hard work to get there. And that can be a slog.
Your team can get worn down by all the hard work, and lose their inspiration.
Read the rest of this entry »Even if your workers are working for a paycheck, it’s wise to learn from those who are leading volunteers.
I’ve learned a whole lot from volunteer-driven organizations, and am currently involved with several myself. In that environment, if people aren’t getting their needs met, they can simply walk away. This is one of the natural things about leading these kinds of groups.
When you’re giving someone their pay every week or two, it’s easy to fall into the trap that their loyalty will continue as long as the pay and benefits are good.
Not true.
Read the rest of this entry »Everybody wants to be loved, to be recognized, to be appreciated. We don’t often use the word “love” in business, but it’s still in our nature.
It’s especially crucial for a place where you spend about a quarter of every week.
If you’re an effective leader, you know this. But it’s difficult to figure out what your team needs, both as a group and individually.
Read the rest of this entry »Sometimes we think our job is about just doing our job.
But if that’s the case, I’m going to quickly become bored and uninspired. Even with the prospect of pulling in a paycheck, I’m going to lose interest. Sure, I’ll do the job – I have integrity – but I’m not going to be inspired by it.
As a leader, your job is to help people become inspired.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Values-Based Business 