Dan
Ariely outlined what
motivates us to work is a sense of purpose. Reflect on what motivates you at
work and what gives you a sense of purpose. Why do you do what you do? What do
you hope to achieve through your work? In considering how you are motivated,
how can you discover not only your own personal fulfillment but that of
your followers?
Leaders today seem to have a very simplistic view of
exactly why people are motivated to do what they do (Ariely, 2013). The lesson
this week separated motivators that many identify to be traditional, like
salary, from those that are less tangible, like satisfaction and value. Still,
to suggest that motivation and financial compensation are completely unrelated is
a stretch. Ariely (2013) acknowledged that some level of motivation certainly comes
from compensation. I would further argue that financial motivators help attract
individuals to their initial work, but non-financial motivators are what keep
them there. Ladimeji (2015) shared a study confirming that “a competitive pay
rate is clearly a great way to attract top talent,” but motivation levels don’t
increase at the same rate as pay levels. The team at Salary.com (2018) added
that one of the best things employers can do to retain good employees is to
praise them for a job well done.
One key motivator for employees is driven by the need to
feel as if we’ve achieved something - this is a huge motivator for me as well.
Whetton & Cameron (2016) described the “need for achievement” as an
individual’s internal drive to meet some established standard of excellence.
For me, this translates into a level of competition that drives a need to
determine the standard level of performance and then find a way to exceed that
standard. I am motivated by setting a goal and achieving it, but more
importantly, by having a leader within my organization acknowledge that I’ve
achieved it. This acknowledgement can come in the form of an email, a pat on
the back, or a “good job” in front of team members during our weekly staff
meeting. An obvious de-motivator for me is accomplishing something significant,
but being completely ignored. It seems this is a de-motivator for others as
well. In his 2013 TED Talk, Aridly highlighted that ignoring someone’s
performance is just as bad as taking their work and shedding it right in front
of their faces.
I do what I do because it is very challenging, which
makes me feel even more proud of myself when I achieve something. The value
that people find in the work they do is based on the level of connection each
person makes with their work (Aridly, 2013). I find value in my work because I
happen to be doing something that I am passionate about. I have always loved to
write, both creatively and professionally. This love led me to study the arts
in college and eventually obtain a Bachelor’s degree in English – Writing and
Rhetoric. During college, I started an internship with an engineering,
procurement, and construction company within the Contracts Organization.
Immediately, I found a way to tie my love for writing with the task of drafting
contractual language. Now, 14 years later, I am still employed in the contracts
field and I have the opportunity to craft and then negotiate business language
almost every day. I have a very personal connection to my work and this is why
I do what I do.
Through my work, I hope to do two major things. First, I
hope to display a level of passion and motivation that attracts others to the
Contracts organization. Second, I hope to reduce the level of risk to my
company through skilled writing along with a perpetual increase in technical
knowledge about the products and services we sell at my company.
As I fulfill these two goals in my career, I gain greater insight into how
I am personally motivated. In discovering how I am motivated, I hope to
increase my level of personal fulfillment. One of the key steps that must be
taken to achieve this personal fulfillment is to communicate with my leadership
regarding my own career goals. I believe leaders are challenged because they
have such a diverse team of personalities, backgrounds, and personal
motivators. I can help my own leaders by communicating clearly about what I
need from them in order to stay motivated. Primarily, I must share the fact
that I need timely, accurate, and frequent feedback on my performance. Feedback
is always a good thing, but Whetton & Cameron (2016) highlighted how
important it is to receive feedback and rewards in a timely manner: “the longer
the delay in the administration of rewards, the less reinforcement value they
have” (p. 285).
With this knowledge, I hope to be a better source of motivation for my
followers. A study by Deloitte (2017) found that only 13% of people are
actually passionate about their jobs. This is a problem! As a leader, it’s
important to get to know your followers so you can find out what drives them
both personally and professionally. By identifying this drive in people, I will
be better at assigning tasks that align with the skills and passions of
followers. I expect that this alignment will help individuals establish a
greater sense of motivation about the jobs they do, cementing their value
within the organization
References
Aridly, D. (2013, April). What makes us feel
good about our work? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5aH2Ppjpcho
Deloitte. (2017). Only 13 percent of the US
workforce is passionate about their jobs. Retrieved from https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/deloitte-study-only-13-percent-of-the-us-workforce-is-passionate-about-their-jobs-300469952.html
Ladimeji, K. (2015). How much does pay level
affect motivation? Recruiter. Retrieved from https://www.recruiter.com/i/how-much-does-pay-level-affect-motivation/
Salary.com. 5 simple ways to motivate
employees. Retrieved February 10, 2018 from https://business.salary.com/5-simple-ways-to-motivate-employees/
Whetton, D.
A. & Cameron, K. S. (2016). Developing management skills,
9th ed. Boston, MA: Pearson.
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