The irony of my lack of motivation is not lost on me.
As I sat to write this post about motivating yourself and the team around you…I felt…well…apathetic about it!
As I chuckled off the irony, I reached down into my core to apply the very concepts I share in today’s episode of Isogo TV | Live and Work Your Strengths Video Podcast.
I remind myself—I am motivated by mission & impact and by completion, so the words begin to flow and work begins to get done as I align my work with mission and see the end in sight.
I see these motivations CLEARLY in my most natural StrengthsFinder Talents. My Belief Talent suggests that my best work comes when I can see the mission and vision of a project. My Achiever Talent needs a goal and task to complete. When I have those things and can channel them into the front of my consciousness, my motivation soars.
Motivation is required for every single activity of life and work.
Yet, often times, it is grossly misused. It is misunderstood. Its application lands somewhere between a marshmallow team building exercise and a steam-blowing authoritarian.
A close colleague and friend of mine had an experience with misguided motivation early on in her career. She worked in sales and was hitting it out of the park. She was among the top producing sales people among nation-wide peers. She was thriving in her role and meeting each day with energy and enthusiasm for success.
One day, after the quarterly numbers came in, she was ecstatic to see her place as the #6 sales person for the third quarter in a row. She went into her 1-on-1 meeting with her manager with a sense of pride and confidence. She was soaring.
She expected the meeting to be filled with congratulations, kudos, and a revitalization for what was next.
Instead, her manager showed up with a pep talk.
Being #6 was great, he said, BUT he saw so much more potential in her. He saw that she should rise to #1. He painted a picture of competition against her peers. He emphasized the rise to the pinnacle as an ultimate destination.
He was “motivating” her.
Only, instead of motivating, it crushed her.
Her energized spirit quickly deflated to conflicted and confused. Her desire to set out for the next goal was tempered by the sense that her natural wiring was not aligned to her manager’s definition of success.
Instead of the motivating pep talk, their meeting became a demotivating milestone.
Her manager was onto something key. Motivation absolutely does matter.
However, he was misguided in his {inaccurate!} assumptions about what would best motivate her. He assumed that she was motivated by competition. Maybe that was his experience or his filter. Others certainly ARE compelled by competing against their peers.
For this friend of mine however, who has a natural drive to connect with others, win them over, and make it all fun in the process, her success was not about winning or about beating her peers. It was about the opportunity to build relationships, meet new people and share her thoughts about what their product could really do for them.
As is true of all great leaders and managers, success is largely about individualizing.
Motivation is no exception.
In Episode 22 of Isogo TV | Live and Work Your Strengths Video Podcast, I address this issue head on and help you as a manager {or for yourself!} see how people’s most compelling motivators are married to their natural talents and Strengths. I also share detailed insight into a tangible tool I have found extremely valuable in exploring the tricky world of individualized motivation.
{AND, I’m offering that same tool as a FREE download below. Scroll to the bottom to be sure you get your Motivation Matters activity download.}
I’ve experienced it {just now as I was writing!} and I’ve seen it, so let’s dive in!
Motivation absolutely starts with identifying and understanding the natural talents and filters of the people around you. If you or your team have not yet clearly identified your Strengths, you can do it today.
In 35 minutes, you’ll have a clear picture of your Top 5 Strengths from the most reliable and tested psychometric tool on the market.
You can do it right here in a bundle that includes the Gallup StrengthsFinder® AND Strengths Startup directly from me. StrengthsFinder zeros in on your natural talents and Strengths Startup is a 6-week customized email series that helps you begin to put Your Top 5 Strengths to work. If you’ve already done the StrengthsFinder assessment, you can get Strengths Startup all by itself {click here and scroll to the bottom to get access!}
So click on the infographic below to get started.
AND, as promised in today’s Isogo TV Episode, I have put together the Motivation Matters activity to help you identify your own motivations OR to use in your next team or 1-on-1 meeting to uncover the individualized motivations of the people on your team.
It comes complete with a list of motivators and a printable worksheet, so click here to get your FREE download delivered to your email today.
LINKS | RESOURCES | a LITTLE ASK
Links & Resources from Today’s Episode
Motivation Matters FREE tool
StrengthsFinder + Strengths Startup
The ONE Thing Great Managers Do | Isogo TV Episode 3
My little ask?
If you loved this Episode and think others would benefit from it, please rate and review over at iTunes. It helps get the word out to others just like you! And I really appreciate it.
As always, one of the best places to join the Strengths conversation is over at our Facebook Group — Energy Up Frustration Down by Strengths. Join us for weekly chatting, complaining and commending, as we all try to figure out just how to use our Strengths to impact the most important things around us—in our work and life.
In the meantime and beyond, I would love to hear from you and help you. So, if you’re thinking about the way a Strengths-perspective could impact your marriage or your family or you’re just not so sure about it all, reach out, and let’s connect about it. You can catch me at Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, all @isogostrong, or by this handy contact form.
Enjoy your day, and {be strong}!
