Motivation is an Inside Job.
It’s up to You.
The Magic of Motivation
M – Making up your mind to be happy
A – Attitude is everything
G – Goal setting and “go getting” and gratitude
I – Inspiration and perspiration
C – Celebrating yourself and your successes
- Tricks for being happy.
- Making those blues disappear.
- Waving the magic wand to create what you want.
- Coping… using a mixed bag of tricks.
- Overcoming illusions and defining reality.
Employee Motivation
You can not motivate your employees… but you can help them motivate themselves.
Create a Motivating Environment
You are sitting in a restaurant at lunch time. All around you can be heard conversations revolving around the topic of the workplace and jobs. As you listen, you can hear the familiar strains of “I hate my job, but I can’t quit because I need the money and benefits.” “I am just going through the motions and being fearful that I will be caught.” “I hate getting out of bed in the morning driving to a job that I like, but a boss that I hate.”
These are all signs and symptoms of employees whose motivation has moved on. The costs associated with employee turnover can be staggering.
How do you motivate employees? The answer is both simple and complex. You can’t motivate employees. You can only create an environment where employees can remain or become motivated. The very word motivation means having a motive or reason.
Motivation is an inside job, but can be influenced greatly by outside factors. The motivating force can be internal… “I want to feel good about what I do. Doing a good job and getting recognition for it is important to my self esteem.” It can also be external… “If I don’t do my job, they might fire me and I wouldn’t be able to pay my bills or take care of my family.”
Remember the old adage “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” Not all employees are disciplined or desirous enough to be self-motivated. That is a decision that they must make. The decision that you, as a manager, must make will be whether their decision about self-motivation hinders or improves their performance and their ability to work with their peers.
Personal or Self Motivation
Personal motivation is an inside job. Others can help (if you let them), but you are ultimately responsible for your own happiness.
As Abe Lincoln reportedly said, “People are about as happy as they make up their mind to be.”