Developing
and maintaining the motivation of members of your team is perhaps one of the
most important skills of leaders and managers.
After
all, leaders and managers only achieve through the efforts of others. And (we)
know from our own experiences that the level of performance we achieve depends
on our inner drive each day to overcome the obstacles that get between us and
our goals. This is as true for the new starter in the mailroom as it is for the
CEO of a global corporation.
We
may have personal experience of both great motivational leadership and
not-so-great leadership – or worse. So, what is it that great motivators do?
While a lot has been written on the subject and there are many acclaimed gurus,
here are a few simple ideas that can help any leader unlock the power of
motivation.
2
Key starting points to staff motivation and how to capitalize on it
These ideas flow from two starting points:
Firstly,
there are a range of different factors that determine how someone is motivated.
They can be grouped broadly into three areas: rational factors, emotional
factors and fundamental work related needs
Secondly,
every person is unique. So the specific factor or group of factors that
determine how an individual is motivated have to be understood – and these can
change over time.
Rational
factors in employee motivation
The
main group of motivating factors are rational. Essentially these are the
individual’s needs and preferences. They are often considered more tangible and
objective than emotional factors.
Rational
factors include:
Money
– the individual considers that they are well-paid. Money may simply be the
hourly or weekly wage, the availability of regular over-time, or the total
remuneration including bonus, superannuation and other benefits.
