How many of you have had a bad day? I bet I know the answer. What if, God forbid, my wife calls me in my day and says my little Sarah has a fever, would that change my motivation for the day? I bet you know the answer.
One of the biggest topics in store management is about motivation; typically on how to motivate your team. It is researched and researched. I love Peter Drucker’s quote, “We know nothing about motivation. All we can do is write books about it.” I prefer Dwight Eisenhower’s quote, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” You see, motivation is tied to personal choice – plain and simple. It is extremely hard to make people motivated to complete a task, any task. You cannot produce motivation in others, per se. You can influence or stimulate a behavioral choice. So this implies the best thing any manager on this globe can do is to provide a motivational environment. But what about when it’s you who needs the “motivation”? You’re the store manager, you’re the leader. You have to motivate or shall we say influence motivation. What influences your motivation?
Part three in our series will look at Motivating the Motivator. Many think if you simply say something, something articulate or funny or passionately, you can motivate someone else. That is why there are motivational speakers, right? Really? If you analyze the process, the mechanism of speaking can definitely influence motivation, yet it is still the listener’s prerogative to take the message, distill it, apply meaning to it and then act. They choose. And now they are now motivated.
So in motivating you, the store manager, I will share thoughts in two arenas…internal and external. This is looking at motivation intrinsically and extrinsically.
What does influence your motivation? What is your value system? What do you have passion for? These are the intrinsic elements to motivation. This represents your drive. People will only do things they feel compelled to do at any given moment. If context drives action, what drives your response to the context? What drives you internally? I have found when managers drift from what makes them ”them”, it affects their motivation, their drive. I love snowboarding. I love reading history. I love music. When I drift from those things, it influences my actions. It affects my motivation to do other things. Conversely, when I am engaged in those things, my actions or rather the degree or qualities of my actions improve. Let’s be real…snowboarding, whether thinking of it or doing it will not magically make me motivated when a customer throws a phone at me or Todd doesn’t buy in to the new process in the store. You choose your managerial reactions to situations which occur. You choose based on who you are, where you are (emotionally and physically), what is happening, who is involved and what you know. I will choose one word…belief. Belief you can do it, no matter what. John C. Maxwell, author and, dare I say it, motivational speaker, stated “belief fuels talent”. I believe it.
How about this, have you heard someone say “suck it up and get it done”? Uhhh, yeah, no. What do you need from others? This is the extrinsic part, the external aspect of your motivation. Let’s be real, it could be money. I find that to be less the case than we all think. Do you need development? How about praise and recognition or even space for that matter? I have had managers tell me to do things with the intention their direction would motivate my action. It didn’t. I decided. I also had managers who knew my motivational triggers, used them often and I produced beyond expectation. What or maybe who do you need in your life to influence and stimulate your motivation? John C. Maxwell has said we need firelighters, not-firefighters in our life. It may seem counter-intuitive to say that due the respect we hold for a firefighter. Not the same thing. Think someone putting out your fire. Surround yourself with firelighters, appreciate them and listen to them. Maybe it’s your boss. If it isn’t, look elsewhere. We all need a pat on the back. Where does yours come from?
I have quoted many people today. Let the last reference be about Daniel Pink. I consider him to have the best handle on motivation out there. Check out his book Drive. Check out his website and on YouTube. He speaks of motivation being impacted by autonomy, mastery and purpose. I will not attempt to cover this; let him do it.
Last thought, today is new day. You decide.
Cheers