Two motivational tactics that produce fleeting results
The first motivational tactic, and perhaps the most often discussed and dissected in the business world, is the use of rewards. Whether it's achieved with a raise, a bonus, an incentive scheme or a prize – anything with tangible value – everyone seems to want to know how to use rewards to increase their people's motivation. What is so often overlooked, however, is that today's rewards become tomorrow's rights. In other words, managers who attempt to motivate with rewards may see a short-term increase in motivation and productivity, but eventually employees regress to the mean and they have to find something new. Good luck sustaining that!
The second tactic managers use to motivate their staff, not discussed as openly as rewards but employed with disturbing frequency, is the use of threat or fear. Imagine the boss who demands that a task be completed "or else" – with the implied threat of a sacking or formal reprimand hanging over the employee's head. We've all dealt with managers like this, so we also know how it usually ends: perhaps you comply with their demands at first but eventually it becomes a DE-motivator and you leave. It's why we so frequently hear that employees quit managers, not companies.
The key to producing long-lasting motivation in the workplace
The alternate approach to motivation that truly effective leaders and managers employ, and the only one that has any chance of producing long-run productivity, is belief building.
Now, while no one has all the answers, as leaders, we'd better have the questions! To understand why building people's belief is so effective, we must first understand the two questions that every person asks of themselves before performing any task or engaging in any activity long enough, consistently enough, for it to become a habit.
The first question is: What are my chances of success? If the answer is "none" or "very little" people will not try. Intelligent people do not engage in acts of futility or apparent impossibility. People must believe that their abilities at least meet or exceed the degree of difficulty of the task facing them.
If the first question is answered favourably, the second question they will ask themselves is this: Where is the value to me? If there is no value in it for them, people will not try – and by value, we do not mean money. People do not work for money (except when they have none!). By value, we mean where is the self-esteem? If I do this task, will I feel better about ME?
If an employee doesn't believe they can successfully engage in an activity or if they don't believe that it's worthy of their effort, then they will not really try.
How to build internal belief amongst employees
When an employee is reluctant to attempt a task, a manager can draw out internal motivation more effectively by building that person's belief. First, to instill confidence in the employee that they can successfully complete tasks, managers need to develop people's internal belief by clearly structuring their role, ensuring they know how they will be measured, providing training and coaching and consistently recognising good performance. And second, to make completion of the task worthy in the employee's mind, managers must build belief in the company by communicating what it stands for and represents, its integrity, what it is trying to achieve and exactly how the employee is contributing to that so they don't see their role in isolation.
When employees have belief in themselves and the company, managers don't need to resort to using rewards or fear in an attempt to motivate. Instead, building belief allows them to develop and draw out people's internal motivation. Because when it's all said and done, managers cannot directly motivate their employees. But by building belief, management creates a motivational climate or environment in which their people will find their own drive to succeed. No other motivational framework is more sustainable.
Brett Morris is chief executive of The Fortune Group – transforming leadership and sales effectiveness with unique training solutions. Brett founded three strategy and business development firms and has over thirty years of experience in leadership facilitation and training. Learn more about how to motivate staff and Fortune's management training program, Leadership In Action, at www.fortunegroup.com.au.
