Kartik Jobanputra
Founder & CEO – Smartt Studio
Motivation, as many other resources, has a dynamic nature… as natural as the tide goes up and down. We know for sure that motivation will not always remain at its highest peak. Here I would like to consider two topics revolving around motivation: the first one has to do with fluctuation of our energy and the second one comprises my favorite 3 strategies to motivate my staff.
Several aspects can deter motivation and fluctuation of energy is precisely one of those. The well- known studies around Emotional Intelligence develop the understanding of four different stages where the flow of our energy transits1: the first stage describes the time when we exploit our energy and work capacity to the most; this is the survival zone. Here, motivation is what drives us to go the extra mile. Some situations demand our maximum capacity, yet when we stay there for long periods, we surely enter the burnout zone: our energy dramatically decreases as well as our motivation; what’s more, the poor bad energy we have left is not even productive.
Then, if we want to get out of that burnout zone, we must move to the recovery zone; in other words, high quality rest helps us get rid of bad low energy and gain back again the boost that we need to be productive and motivated once more. The best moment of our productivity is experienced in the performance zone; there, the energy feels nothing but in balance.
Unfortunately, this optimal state cannot last forever either.
How much we wish we could remain in the performance zone for longer! The same occurs with motivation; it may vary with circumstances. Here’s where I want to share a couple of strategies I have been incorporating in order to increase motivation in my team:
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1. Use the power of good and constant feedback
At the beginning of my career as a junior engineer, I remember experiencing episodes of frustration after receiving little help, poor instructions and feedback that criticized me. I wondered from time to time: “how come I get disqualified after making my best effort?”. Then, I discovered that feedback and follow-up go hand-in-hand as there is no way to see improvement when there are not consistent efforts and goals accomplished. But I also discovered that good feedback is as necessary as feedback that aims some kind of correction.
My team knows that I never hold my thoughts back. When I have to recognize their good job I do it gladly, and when I have spotted issues to be solved, I bring up the topic right away. This also nourishes this atmosphere in which people feel their good job is recognized, and that they are not alone when they are having difficulty with a task. And all this culture of constant feedback has helped my team learn when they are heading in the right direction.
On the contrary, people would certainly feel demotivated when they perceive that it is not their good job, but their failures instead the only thing under the spotlight. In fact, this aspect about feedback is closely related to the second place in my top.
2. Develop autonomy through coaching
Coaching can take good part of your time -that’s for sure-, but that is time that I invest, just as if I were planting a seed. In my opinion, the most productive results I get from this come when I meet my team and take the time to make sure instructions are clear and they have the tools they need to perform their duties. After several years of experience, it is easy to notice how much motivation decreases when people don’t understand where they are going or what is the point of certain task. I make an intentional effort on seeming approachable, making my team know I am very open and eager to help, explain and clarify. They know they can ask as many questions as necessary, and the good outcome of this is that I have helped develop team members that work more independently and feel comfortable enough to even help coach other people in the organization.
3. Help my staff develop self-realization
Finally, here is the strategy that represents the highest value to me. I love helping my team obtain self-realization. The essence of this relies on the fact that any other external project can offer the members of my team important motivation. And I acknowledge that extrinsic motivators are tantalizing and are easily found out there; nevertheless, personal satisfaction can be hardly offered as it is hardly achieved. Being able to feed my team’s self-realization supposes emotional salary that people will not negotiate easily.
Some important members with whom I work have confessed that aspects such as schedule flexibility, autonomy, and even the possibility to work from home, have no price for them, but a high value.
To wrap-up very briefly: do not blame yourself if your team cannot remain perpetually in their best peak of productivity; remember to congratulate and thank them more often, invest a little more time coaching your team and, finally, find ways to give them intrinsic motivation, that is personal satisfaction.
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