Motivation EssentialsSession by

A.Selvaraj CIT

Motivation

“A great person is one who can make another person 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 or she 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..

• lacks enthusiasm.• is insecure.• doesn’t accept responsibility.• lacks people skills.• is unwilling to guide.• doesn’t inspire us to

perform.• doesn’t appreciate good

work.• doesn’t discuss new

strategies or ideas with us.• communication is negative &

de-motivating.

People--not machines.

• 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.

• Think of them as individuals.

• Meet them face to face. Listen.

• Talk straight. • Give clear instructions.• Accept only after

weighing the pros & cons.• Don’t put on airs.• Never stand on

ceremony.• Take the rap yourself.

Give the right touch.

• Keep channels open.• Why argue? Understand.• To err is human.• Listen to complaints.• Don’t shout. Explain.• Never hold out threats. • Blow your top, but constructively.• Soften the blow.• Allow them to let off steam.• Don’t accuse. Investigate.

Punishment doesn’t reward!• Gets only temporarily fixes

unacceptable behavior.• Constant presence of punisher

necessary.• Doesn’t teach appropriate

behavior.• Produces increased fear (less

effectiveness in work).• Produces emotional side effects.• Produces rigid & inflexible

behavior patterns.• Suppresses more behavior than

that punished.• Can result in counter-aggression.• Passed on down the line.

The secret to motivation (M) is to understand 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 the person grows.

The rules of motivation

• The four ‘R’s - 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 don’t 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 employees know what is expected of them and when it is to be completed.

• Specify the stages.• Ensure they knows how

they have performed.

What gets rewarded…

• Reward! • Given after the desired behavior

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 behavior.• 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 behavior 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 individual’s control & hence are flexible.

• They should be - specific, measurable & behavioral.- challenging, but realistic.

Goals work.The goals enable employee to -• orientate himself or herself 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.

Try the mother’s rule!Coupling of something not valued with

something that is valued.

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

Job enrichmentEmployee 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.

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.