Archives For Motivation

Motivation is difficult to master. It ebbs and flows with time and task. This category will focus on ways that you can find out what motivates your team and how to keep it going.

Trust Patience Persistance

Have you ever had a boss that didn’t trust you?  What about a co-worker that just can’t seem to cut you some slack?  I know I sure have.  I guess it’s pretty normal when you start a new job.  But what about after you’ve been in a position for 6 months or a year or more?  By that time, you’re probably hoping that the ‘cuffs will come off, right?

Well, they don’t always come off.  And that’s a real bummer!  Even if they do, you may still feel like there’s a lack of transparency holding you back.  You know, like the boss closes his door to talk to other people in the department, but you’re left in the dark.  Or what about the dinner meeting that you didn’t get invited to?  Maybe you just feel like you are always the last to know what’s going on.

So, what’s the deal?  How do you overcome this situation?  First, let’s identify the root of the problem…

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DEFEAT CAN BE A GREAT TEACHER

Sometimes we make decisions to move in a direction that we later regret. Unfortunately, pride can sometimes keep us from admitting a mistake has even been made. Worse yet, that delay in admitting our mistake can actually rob us from the opportunity to rectify the situation.

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GOAL SETTING FATIGUE IMAGE

If you read that headline, you probably thought that I was being a jerk. Well, I agree! 😉  However, I was also being honest and sometimes those two things just go hand in hand.  I promised myself one thing when I started this site…that I would always be honest, even if it was painful.  And honestly, I’m truly sick of hearing about goal setting!

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Do you ever struggle to understand what motivates some people?  I know I sure do.  Motivation is one of the topics that I get asked about the most when I speak with leaders.  Much like culture, there seems to be a mystery to this topic; probably because we are dealing with the biggest mystery of them all…people.

Here’s a quick video from the “Harvard Business Review” that may be able to help you understand more about yourself, your co-workers, your boss, or even the people you lead:

Resistance to change image

“People are set in their ways, closed minded, and are mostly unwilling to listen new ideas.  You just have to accept that and prove them wrong.”

These are the words that a consultant recently spoke to me.  Personally, I struggle with believing this.  I don’t like to pigeon hole people and make those kind of dangerous judgments.  I’d rather believe that people are smart, innovative, and unlimited in their approach, and mostly determined to be successful.

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Let’s face it, no matter what you do for a living, there are probably aspects of your job that are just plain monotonous and all out boring!  As a matter of fact, your entire job may be boring (hopefully not)…

Either way, the video I’m sharing below showcases something and someone that is very unique.  This person is turning his job (and a very boring part of it) into something special – art.  Watching this makes me ask myself how I could turn my less exciting activities into art.  Why settle for boring??  Check it out:

Question:  What about you; how can you turn your job into art?

BAKE IN THE WOW

Last week I went to my local coffee shop and ordered my typical morning starter…a medium decaf coffee.  I know what you are thinking…”what kind of man are you if you are drinking decaf?”.  Well, I do miss the caffeine, but it was affecting me in some pretty negative ways, so I had to switch.  🙁

Unfortunately, I’ve noticed that since I switched to decaf, it’s often a pain for the barista.  Depending on where I go, they either have to do something they call a pour over (which is literally them pouring hot water over a filter filled with grounds) or they have to make a whole pot of decaf just for little old me.

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It’s crazy to me how hard we all work; sometimes 40, 50, 60 hours a week and rarely do we get a chance to really get excited and celebrate our victories.  Yes, some of us may go have a beer occasionally or even buy lunch once in while for an accomplishment, but very rarely do we allow ourselves to show the excitement you’ll see in this one minute clip.  Check out this video and think about how you can bring this kind of joy into your workplace the next time you or someone on your team wins:

HOW TO GIVE SELF CONFIDENCE

Lately, I’ve noticed a trend.  I often interact with very smart people that have completely underestimated their capabilities.  I typically resort to the tactic of telling them how great they are and how much more they could do if they didn’t have this self-limiting belief.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t typically do more than give them a short-term ego boost.

What Can I Do Differently?

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Here’s a really cool concept that I came across recently.  If you’ve ever learned anything about different languages, you know that there are sometimes words and concepts, in those languages, that don’t exist in English.  These ideas can sometimes be hard to wrap your head around, but are often very insightful.

In this case Sweden, Denmark, and Norway may be able to teach us a thing or two about “happiness” at “work”.

Watch this video to find out about arbejdsglaede…yep, that really is a word: