Motivation, Ownership, and Appreciation
Motivation can be considered effective not when something gets started, but when something gets completed. The need for motivation arises only if the person doesn't love what he/she is doing. This happens when a person is forced to achieve a goal he/she doesn't identify with. A self-motivated person loves what he/she does. For this reason, excellent leaders and good marketers focus on fueling the passions and desires of people instead of preaching to them.
Motivation can't work if people don't have a sense of ownership.
Let me narrate a story to drive home this point.
There once lived two tribes whose enmity was legendary. While one of the tribes lived in the mountains, the other lived below, in the valley. One night, the people of the mountain descended and invaded the tribe of the valley. Apart from carrying away livestock and grains, they took the baby of the chief with them.
It was absolutely insulting for the valley tribe, so they deployed some of the strongest from their camp to track the men of the mountain down and to get back the baby if not the other loot. These men were novices in mountain climbing, and the steep slopes challenged not only their physical strength but their mental strength too. They soon gave up for two reasons: (1) because they didn't know where in the mountains to search and (2) they were mighty exhausted after a climb of, say, 100 feet.
They lay siege there for a couple of days before the thoroughly exhausted men decided to return.
Suddenly, while they were packing for their return journey, they saw a woman with a baby descending from the very mountain slopes they failed to ascend. As the woman came closer, they could see the baby they had lost in the hands of the lady, who incidentally was their chief's wife.
They greeted the lady, and one of them said, "We are mighty happy to see you back and safe with your child, but we fail to understand how you made it to the top when the strongest men of the village failed to go more than a little. Will you explain?"
The lady looked very fondly at her baby, and hugging it tightly, she said in a low voice, "It wasn't your baby!"
What this story conveys is we get spurred to achieve even the impossible when we develop ownership.
We all have this in us, but we fail to realize this. While we search for tools that can help us discover some treasure, we fail to appreciate the treasure that is buried within us.
Let me illustrate this with a parting story.
When philosopher and writer Elbert Hubbard was engrossed in the beauties of an oil painting, a friend jokingly asked, "How can you feel so enthusiastic about things you may never perhaps afford to own?"
Hubbard replied, "I'd rather be able to appreciate things I can't have rather than to have things I am not able to appreciate."
Develop "ownership" and learn to "appreciate" your worth.
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Motivation can be considered effective not when something gets started, but when something gets completed. The need for motivation arises only if the person doesn't love what he/she is doing. This happens when a person is forced to achieve a goal he/she doesn't identify with. A self-motivated person loves what he/she does. For this reason, excellent leaders and good marketers focus on fueling the passions and desires of people instead of preaching to them.
Motivation can't work if people don't have a sense of ownership.
Let me narrate a story to drive home this point.
There once lived two tribes whose enmity was legendary. While one of the tribes lived in the mountains, the other lived below, in the valley. One night, the people of the mountain descended and invaded the tribe of the valley. Apart from carrying away livestock and grains, they took the baby of the chief with them.
It was absolutely insulting for the valley tribe, so they deployed some of the strongest from their camp to track the men of the mountain down and to get back the baby if not the other loot. These men were novices in mountain climbing, and the steep slopes challenged not only their physical strength but their mental strength too. They soon gave up for two reasons: (1) because they didn't know where in the mountains to search and (2) they were mighty exhausted after a climb of, say, 100 feet.
They lay siege there for a couple of days before the thoroughly exhausted men decided to return.
Suddenly, while they were packing for their return journey, they saw a woman with a baby descending from the very mountain slopes they failed to ascend. As the woman came closer, they could see the baby they had lost in the hands of the lady, who incidentally was their chief's wife.
They greeted the lady, and one of them said, "We are mighty happy to see you back and safe with your child, but we fail to understand how you made it to the top when the strongest men of the village failed to go more than a little. Will you explain?"
The lady looked very fondly at her baby, and hugging it tightly, she said in a low voice, "It wasn't your baby!"
What this story conveys is we get spurred to achieve even the impossible when we develop ownership.
We all have this in us, but we fail to realize this. While we search for tools that can help us discover some treasure, we fail to appreciate the treasure that is buried within us.
Let me illustrate this with a parting story.
When philosopher and writer Elbert Hubbard was engrossed in the beauties of an oil painting, a friend jokingly asked, "How can you feel so enthusiastic about things you may never perhaps afford to own?"
Hubbard replied, "I'd rather be able to appreciate things I can't have rather than to have things I am not able to appreciate."
Develop "ownership" and learn to "appreciate" your worth.
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Motivation, Behavior & Morale
Motivation can be defined in various ways depending on the situation in which the explanation is given. However, motivation can be generalized as a drive that makes a worker fulfill an organization's goals. This can be material, such as money and other physical gifts, or moral, such as through plain congratulation, etc. Motivation is quite important in any organization in order to combat "job fatigue." Job fatigue occurs when a worker perceives a certain job or task as monotonous. Therefore, motivation can be implemented in an organization based on the nature of that organization.
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Motivation can be defined in various ways depending on the situation in which the explanation is given. However, motivation can be generalized as a drive that makes a worker fulfill an organization's goals. This can be material, such as money and other physical gifts, or moral, such as through plain congratulation, etc. Motivation is quite important in any organization in order to combat "job fatigue." Job fatigue occurs when a worker perceives a certain job or task as monotonous. Therefore, motivation can be implemented in an organization based on the nature of that organization.
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Dear Colleagues,
Motivation, Ownership, and Appreciation
In Motivation, Ownership, and Appreciation, I would like to add my perspective from the angle of physical ownership rather than the emotional aspect.
Basically, the comments of Kumarshravan are quite valid, but in today's workplace, HR and Management are generally finding ways to motivate the workforce by indirectly making them part owners of these businesses.
For instance, there is a financial services company in my business environment that allocates a certain number of shares to a new employee upon assuming duty, without ceremony. Hence, from day one, Management can be assured of a level of commitment from such a worker.
Employees need not wait to become a Director before they can be incorporated into the "Board." By simply emphasizing the Employee Ownership Philosophy, there would be a tremendous increase in the level of loyalty.
The above leads to the common usage of "OUR COMPANY" as opposed to "their company." It should be noted that this fosters a sincere team spirit and teamwork that yields positive and tangible results.
All those other regular means of motivating employees are still relevant, from financial incentives to empowerment to delegation, etc., but to me, Ownership stands out as a major inducement to get employees more committed.
Thanks.
From Nigeria, Lagos
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7Motivation, Ownership, and Appreciation
In Motivation, Ownership, and Appreciation, I would like to add my perspective from the angle of physical ownership rather than the emotional aspect.
Basically, the comments of Kumarshravan are quite valid, but in today's workplace, HR and Management are generally finding ways to motivate the workforce by indirectly making them part owners of these businesses.
For instance, there is a financial services company in my business environment that allocates a certain number of shares to a new employee upon assuming duty, without ceremony. Hence, from day one, Management can be assured of a level of commitment from such a worker.
Employees need not wait to become a Director before they can be incorporated into the "Board." By simply emphasizing the Employee Ownership Philosophy, there would be a tremendous increase in the level of loyalty.
The above leads to the common usage of "OUR COMPANY" as opposed to "their company." It should be noted that this fosters a sincere team spirit and teamwork that yields positive and tangible results.
All those other regular means of motivating employees are still relevant, from financial incentives to empowerment to delegation, etc., but to me, Ownership stands out as a major inducement to get employees more committed.
Thanks.
From Nigeria, Lagos
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Employee Motivation.ppt