Motivating the individual

Each of us is motivated differently. Our values and personalities and culture shape what kind of work we find meaningful, how we respond to reward and recognition or even what we think about money. Many managers fail because they treat everyone the same or believe everyone is motivated by the same things they are. 

How can you, as a Manager, create the right environment where you have a team of motivated individuals who are also motivated to achieve the company’s purpose and mission? 

In one of the most popular theories of human motivation, Maslow grouped together the basic needs of a human in a pyramid. When our basic needs are met, we strive to achieve the next level. 

• Survival: Shelter, warm, water, food, air, sleep. 
• Security: Personal, emotional, financial and health. 
• Belonging: Friendships, Intimacy, Family, Acceptance, Connection. 
• Esteem: Recognition, status, feeling important and having self-respect. 
• Self – Actualisation: A person’s motivation to reach their full potential and give back. 

Security and Survival meet our basic needs, but we are not engaged. To access self-motivation, managers must focus on Belonging, Esteem and Self-Actualisation. If you, as a Manager, can create the right environment, you will achieve a workforce who are: fully productive and effective, fully occupied and focused, interested in their jobs, teams, and the business as a whole, and productive, engaged, higher morale, enthused and having fun. 

Another approach is Frederick Herzberg's Motivators and Hygiene Factors. He argued that people have two types of needs: hygiene needs (fundamental factors that must be in place before any motivational approaches will work) and motivational needs. Like in Maslow’s theory, there is a baseline that must be taken care of first before you can begin to focus on motivating and engaging your people. 

Understanding your own beliefs about why people work will directly influence your management style and the way people feel about the work they do. Eliminating dissatisfaction factors won’t make people more motivated, it just removes the basic blocks and barriers to success. Focus on those AND the satisfaction factors and you will be more likely to achieve a highly motivated workforce. Engage in conversations with your team about what really motivates them and adapt your style accordingly. 

A different approach belongs to Douglas McGregor who focused on understanding the motivations of people in the workplace. His theory proposed that management beliefs and attitudes directly impacted how they led their people, the culture and how they chose to “motivate” their workers.  

For example, if employees see the work as just a job, a means to an end, they are less likely to feel internally motivated to solve problems, go that extra mile or invest more time and energy than is necessary. They become externally motivated by pressure, financial rewards, lifestyle rewards or fear. 

The career minded individual has hope. They see a future for themselves and are self-motivated to achieve their personal goals. They may do well in X environments for short periods as a stepping stone towards their next move. Those who follow a calling are totally internally motivated. They follow their passions and feel in flow, energised and work towards a cause they believe in.  

A final approach is grounded in the theory of Deci and Ryan who talked about understanding the internal and external motivations of people. It wasn’t until the mid-1980’s saw a shift in our understanding of motivation which was adopted by occupational psychologists and educators. As the first world moved to more service-based work rather than physical, and longer hours and mental stress were causing knock on effects such as mental breakdowns, depression, executive burnout and stress. Experts wanted to understand why this was happening and what we could do about it. 

They formulated the self-determination theory which is simple and so powerful. We all need 3 psychological needs to be met to feel happy and content. Without all three in balance, one will feel stresses, lost or anxious. 

• Autonomy: The freedom to make decision and choose for oneself. 
• Competence: The ability to learn new skills, develop expertise and apply it to one’s life and work. Being recognised and receiving feedback on one’s competence is motivating – releases dopamine. 
• Relatedness: The feeling that you belong, fit in, welcomed and not rejected. This releases oxytocin which activates the prefrontal cortex and builds empathy, kindness and trust.

Now you understand that you have a huge part to play in the motivation of your team. In order to become a motivating leader, you will have to understand your leadership style, as well as different approaches to motivating your people. To find out more about your leadership style and delve deeper into understanding how to create environments that stimulate motivation, click on the link below.