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What are the most important ways a leader can motivate other people?
I, too share the idea of managing to outcomes, rather than managing the 'heat of the moment'. Motivation is an internal source of drive each individual on the team needs to possess; a manager cannot instill motivation over extended periods of time without the buy in from all employees on the KPI's of the organization and/or department. To combat this, ensuring that instilling a sense of purpose and showing positive results can lead a motivated employee to maintain said motivated action(s). This is the manager's role in the ability to motivate a staff.
Margaret, You said passion is important when motivating other people. What is your passion and how do you use your passion to motivate?
Dr. Jean Norris
You need have a passion for what you are trying to accomplish. Work with faculty to help them understand where you are going and how you are going to get there.
Hello Kevin!
I would agree; a leader or manager that is willing to roll their sleeves up and do the work themselves is a great way to motivate.
Dr. Jean Norris
Hello Dr. Norris,
It has been my experience that painting a very positive picture and showing the followers that you are able and willing to put in the work is a good place to start.
Audrey,
Oh don't be too hard on yourself! The fact you care enough to engage them is powerful!
Dr. Jean Norris
Dr. Norris,
I always try to keep the staff up to date as to why change is occurring. However, the feedback I am receiving is that they want to be more a part of the change process, so I think I have room for improvement!
Audrey,
Great insights into what is important to you. It's equally interesting that you model the same traits to help those around you. I'm curious, do you find that even if change isn't popular that people react more positively if they understand the WHY behind the change?
Dr. Jean Norris
I have always appreciated candor from my leaders and the willingness to listen to my input. I try to model these same traits. Another way to motivate staff is to keep them updated on changes along the way. This helps them to not feel left out of the change process.
All good points Alonzo. Could you provide an example of when you have seen this work successfully?
Dr. Jean Norris
Excellent insights Pamela. I get the sense that you have had the opportunity to experience this first hand and can appreciate a leader that motivates through their passion and honesty. Thank you so much for sharing!
Dr. Jean Norris
get thier buy-in. Make them feel like they have some some important role in the reaching thier goal - make it fun - challenging and rewrading
A good leader can motivate others by showing their own honesty, trustworthiness and that they believe their staff are competent to do their jobs. A good leader motivates others by letting them make mistakes and encourages them to learn from their mistakes. A good leader will motivate others to see how they play a role in the big picture no matter how small their role is. I believe a good leader will also use their own passion for success as a tool to motivate other to succeed.
I agree that everyone is not motivated by the same things that are taught in he classroom. I believe students learn and get motivated if there is some visual and hand on experience in the classroom. Instead of instructors talking the whole class time it needs to be switched up to where students will get more interested in the subject. This is also how we retain Retention in the classroom. Students will find learning being fun.
How effective was the training? The training is effective as we have the same system for every new staff joining. Are the materials sufficient to achieve the goal? They are very clear and gets to the point. How do relationships with co-workers and supervisors impact the goal? The person has a great relationship with everyone and is a great team player. I gave this person another opportunity and assured that will receive any support that would be needed throw out the process of achieving the goal. I think your suggestion is the best for the next step. I will try this for sure. Thank you
You bring up some interesting questions Mehrzad. First off, you are correct that providing proper training, materials, and support are imperative for helping or leading an individual to achieve department goals. It's difficult to say what might prevent a person from making changes after receiving all of the above. Motivation could be part of the equation, but there could be so many factors influencing the motivation. How effective was the training? Are the materials sufficient to achieve the goal? How do relationships with co-workers and supervisors impact the the goal? The list of questions can be quite long. Asking the person what might be standing in the way could be a next step, but I'm curious what you and others think?
I agree with Lynn that successful individuals have a high level of self-motivation, and that is one of the factors which make them successful. Also Matthew mentioned that the best ways to motivate someone is to let that person know what the end result of a job is and then to have that person be involved in the process of how to get to that end result. One can't allow that person to try to achieve the goal without any guidance at all.
My questions are: If you guide also provide the proper training, materials, and support, but the person does not try to make any changes, is it because that person is not motivated enough?
What would be the next step?
James, that is a great point. Not everyone is motivated by the same things and so it sounds like you appreciate when a leader has different ways to motivate others in order to meet the needs of the entire team. I'm curious, what are some examples that you have found successful?
Dr. Jean Norris
I believe there are many factors to motivating people and that not everyone is motivated by the same things. But essentially, one must see the need to accomplishing what he or she is being asked to do before we can expect optimal poerformance. In addition to seeing the need, they must also be provided the proper training, materials, and support to perform at the highest level possible. Motivation is a complex process, and the leader must possess a multi-faceted skill set to be successful.