Motivation

Session by A.Selvaraj CIT Mumbai

Motivation
A great man is one who can make a small man feel great, and perform great.

The hierarchy of needs

Self actualization needs Esteem needs Social needs Security needs Physiological needs

Motivation
is setting audacious objectives & getting people to own & achieve them. is getting someone else to do what you want done because he wants to do it. is making people feel & take pride that they have done it. is letting go while retaining the right to know what is going on. is the art of accomplishing more than what scientific mgt says is possible.

What I hate about my boss..

He lacks enthusiasm. He is insecure. He doesnt accept responsibility. He lacks people skills. He is unwilling to guide. He doesnt inspire us to perform. He doesnt appreciate good work. He doesnt discuss new strategies or ideas with us. His communication is negative & de-motivating.

Men, not machines.

Think of them as individuals. Meet them face to face. Listen. Talk straight. Give clear instructions. Accept only after weighing the pros & cons. Dont put on airs. Never stand on ceremony. Take the rap yourself. A promise is a promise. Turn down in the first place (rather than withdraw it later). Spot talent, creativity & promote. Encourage initiative. Tolerate mistakes. Learn from them. No mistakes, no initiative. Set an example.

Give the right touch.

Keep channels open. Why argue? Understand. To err is human. Listen to complaints. Dont shout. Explain. Never hold out threats. Blow your top, but constructively. Soften the blow. Allow them to let off steam. Dont accuse. Investigate.

Seniority cum fitness!

From a cartoon by R K Laxman
A well-dressed chimpanzee is sitting in an office, wearing spectacles and poring into a file in all seriousness. Two persons stand at some distance away. One of them, probably an insider, to the other:

Prospects here are very good. Just 20 years back he was brought here for experiments. By seniority he has become the head of the department now.

Punishment doesnt reward!

Gets only temporary redn in unacceptable behaviour. Constant presence of punisher necessary. Doesnt teach appropriate behaviour. Produces increased fear (less effectiveness in work). Produces emotional side-effects. Produces rigid & inflexible behaviour patterns. Suppresses more behaviour than that punished. Can result in counter-aggression. Passed on down the line.

The secret to motivation(M) is to understand your people

Not all employees are alike, nor all situations. There is no single best way for M. People are different in their needs & hence in their Ms. Individuals change their aspirations & needs frequently, changing their Ms. A single goal can be reached in a no. of ways or Ms. A single goal can satisfy a host of needs & Ms. You cannot really motivate anyone. But you can provide the environment in which he grows.

The rules of motivation

The four Rs - respect, recognition, responsibility & recreation Motivate yourself to motivate others. Participate in order to motivate. Motivation, even when estd., does not last forever. Motivation requires lots of individual recognition. Progress & success motivate. Challenge motivates only if you succeed. Team membership motivates. Motivation is not appeasing. The formula for failure: Try to please everybody!

How to motivate?
Allow them to develop their job, to continually improve. Set targets for them to get a sense of achievement. Give them variety & interest. Show trust. Be open. Keep them in the picture. Empower. Allow them control over what they do. Tell them: a work ill-done must be done twice. Give regular feedback to prevent misdirection. Give praise. Show appreciation. Encourage teamwork, sense of belonging, synergy. Ensure conducive work environment.

Motivation the basics

What gets asked for gets done. What gets measured gets done better. What gets rewarded gets done best of all. People do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it. Motivation requires a SMART goal.
Motivational instructions are always SMART Specific Measurable Agreed Realistic Time-bound

What gets asked for .

Know what you want. Decide on the performance level you require. If you dont know what you want, you cannot convey it to them.

What gets measured gets done

End results to be specific & quantifiable. Mere urgings - do better, work harder, etc. - are not motivational. Let employee know what is expected of him and when it is to be completed. Specify the stages. Ensure he knows how he has performed and when he has completed it.

What gets rewarded

Reward! Given after the desired behaviour or performance. Given as soon as possible. Specific to the accomplishment. Personal in impact. Valued by the recipient. Delivered consistently. Predictable by the recipient.

On rewards
Ensure correct feedback. Keep changing rewards to get improved behaviour. Do not reward them all alike. Base it on their performance. Continue to tell them what they should do to deserve it. Be consistent in your rewards. Have a firm link: for this performance, this reward. No need to continue reward after the behaviour is established. Be fair. The size of the reward must match the effort. Reward necessary for continued good performance. Reward them in other ways than just money.

The outstanding reward!

However outstanding you may be, you can hope to get an outstanding report only from an outstanding superior.

Delivering high performance is a journey rather than a destination.

Show appreciation for good work. Involve them in as many work decisions as possible. Show real care & help in personal problems. Hawthorne effect: if you treat people as special their performance would improve. Constantly upgrade the notion of what is acceptable.

Tell them what to do, not how to do.

Know the extent up to which to give detailed instructions. Know when to cut off debate & initiate action. Seek & take responsibility in the workplace. Ensure that tasks are understood & accomplished. Know which is more important in a given context details or the wider viewpoint. Set an example.

Setting goals
Set targets that stretch them. Make them believe in themselves. They can only succeed in targets they believe they can achieve. Achieving goals is a motivating force in itself. When realistic, they enhance performance due to less anxiety and more motivation. Goals are within individuals control & hence are flexible. They should be - specific, measurable & behavioural. - challenging, but realistic.

Goals work.
The goals enable employee to orientate himself to what is required. direct attention & activity towards the task. direct efforts towards achievement. build persistence. devise new learning strategies. The harder the goal, and/ or the more important the goal, the more is the effort put in. When more specific, they are more achievable.

Coupling of something not valued with something that is valued.

Try the mothers rule!

When you have finished your dance lessons, you can have your ice cream.

Employee satisfaction (to) motivation (to) performance Minimum controls Maximum personal accountability Work in complete entities Employee to have control over -which task & when Feedback on performance & quality directly to employee Opportunity to do new jobs Individuals to choose their jobs with the rest of their team Opportunity to discuss & comment on changes in work Job rotation instead of one single short cycle job. Ensure variety, personal autonomy and scope for personality development.

Job enrichment

Praise in public. Criticize in private.

Make them break through!

Make people think in a breakthrough fashion. Motivate. Create enthusiasm & passion. Create a dream & make the team go towards it. The ability to get the message across is what ignites people to act as one person. Mine more value.