Stay irresistibly motivated with these 3 ground rules.

We’ve known it for a long time: you’re not going to do it for the dough; it won’t directly motivate you. Sure, a bit of money make many things possible, but one thing is certain: it doesn’t keep you motivated as a professional. Research (Deci, 2006) shows that there is a telling difference between extrinsic (i.e., money) and intrinsic (meaning) motivation.

I have noticed time and again that motivation of professionals is the magic keyword. Connecting with what someone is good at or likes gives self-confidence and has, in my opinion, at least 1000 times more effect on professional development than whining about what someone is not as good at.

And what is that “intrinsic motivation”? And especially: how do you stimulate that in yourself, but also as a manager in a team. I have discovered (Pink, 2011) that there are three ground rules that together form the formula for good motivation. Applying these ground-rules creates drive, commitment and stimulates you to do your best.

1. Autonomy

Funny enough, self-direction is something that comes naturally to you as a child. Watch children play and explore and you can see it happening in front of you. So we are pretty much born with it. (I call it funny because money is now being spent in many organizations to encourage self-direction of people). Have we lost our self-direction down the road?)

A client (finance, his name is Michael) of mine recently conducted an interesting experiment. To create movement in his team, he decided to give some space to his people to see if that would improve the results. He discovered that he himself could do three things to stimulate the space offered:

These three things you can do to promote self-direction.

1. He (Michael) gave meaningful feedback to his people on the performance delivered
2. As a manager, Michael gave them choices time and again about how they wished to address issues
3. Michael encouraged them to make these choices

Tricky!
In all honesty, he found giving meaningful feedback the hardest part. On that bit, I helped him by emailing him some examples of how to do that. What I thought was cool about him is that he just “did” the experiment. To me, doing the experiment, is the passionate form of professional growth. So your supervisor does well to really give you the control and decision-making power to just do your job really well.

2. Mastery

You get better at your job, the more often you’ve done it and build up experience. Logical, isn’t it? You’ve probably also noticed that if you can’t do something (well) it frustrates you at first. Your interest, if you are unlucky, disappears like snow in the sun and you run the risk of dropping out. To avoid this, it is imperative that you experience some sort of sense of progression when you are working on something new. You then shout “YESSS” when something has succeeded. It causes your talent and drive to be further stimulated.

To bring about that feeling of “Yesss,” something important must be done. This can be summarized as the concept of the “Goldilocks zone’. The term ‘Goldilocks zone’ comes from space exploration. It is the spot between a star and the planets rotating around it that is exactly suitable for life.

Too close and everyone burns, too far away and everyone freezes. The same is true of your work. If it’s too easy, you get bored quickly; if it’s too hard, you give up because you don’t feel competent. So your work should be right in a Goldilocks zone: not too difficult, but certainly not too easy either. This is where motivation and drive come into their own best.

Small idea if you’re an executive

Don’t give your employee a task that exactly matches his/her skills and experience, but give an assignment that is a little above that. In doing so, offer space and support to reach a little further, so that improvement, mastery and growth are stimulated.

NOTE: As a supervisor, it does take some focus. You could have F.O.D.P. conversations (Finger On The Pulse). It is then more possible to see if Peter or Lisa are making progress in their “Goldilocks” assignment. Obviously, you want them to succeed in their assignment and make them feel that this interesting assignment is succeeding.

3. Finding meaning and staying motivated

Professionals who are able to discover meaning in their work truly promote their own motivation. Being able to commit to a purpose greater than yourself provides the deepest motivation for most people (Pink 2011). Meaningfulness is what lets you get out of bed in the morning without too much grumbling. It gives you that great job satisfaction.

I don’t feel like getting up

Professionals who have discovered meaning in their work are also better able to tackle the most difficult problems. In my research on motivation, I also came across the article by Elizabeth Moss Kanters (Harvard Business School). She came up with another word for meaning: significance.

Personally, I think that’s a wonderful combination when it comes to motivation: meaning and significance. ‘Meaning’ in work ensures that professionals do just that little bit more and, above all, stay engaged. If you care what results from your efforts (meaning), many professionals turn out to be inspired to bring the toughest challenges to a successful conclusion.

It can be very simple

In a hospital I sometimes visit, obviously a lot of research is done. All numbers and graphs. But we are talking about someone (the patient) of flesh and blood. What did they do there? In the tray with the blood to be examined, the lab technicians also find a photograph of the patient in question. Then these lab technicians know who it is about. That touches them and contributes to a better performance!

Presenting a carrot doesn’t work (anymore)

I second Pink’s argument that presenting a ‘carrot’ is not very conducive to motivation. There is a particularly simple reason for this and that is that most professionals are asked to “do that in their work which is necessary to achieve a good result.

Due to the multitude of interactions and the complexity of collaboration and work, the classic job profile has long since ceased to satisfy. Much more attention from management to (personal) motivation could well be a key factor in retaining and recruiting good professionals who remain motivated. It makes for engaged and happy employees.