Do you want to start a revolution at the office? Go and talk to one of your coworkers that you don’t know very well. Ask what they like to do outside work, for fun, or ask about their family, or their politics. Ask anything, within reason, but whatever you do, make sure you learn a little bit more about them, and share something about yourself whilst you’re at it..
So how can this start a revolution? Simple. Highly motivated people work harder and get better results than people who are demotivated. Do you want highly successful people? Talk to them and learn what motivates them. Then do it…!
I’m a 28-year old young professional who last year quit my first grown up job. There was one thing I’d noticed immediately when I’d started. This was that there was a huge difference in levels of motivation amongst my colleagues. Let’s just say that sometimes it was quite a challenge to work with some of them. In May I attended the EIIL’s young leader’s programme Ent-Ex and I mentioned that one of my passions was people and motivation, so I was invited to take part in their workshop ‘Motivation and Commitment’ (this is the fourth in their ‘High Performance Leader module so it’s referred to as ‘HPL 4’). What I learned there has really made me feel revolutionary.
Now, it would be great if we could all feel highly motivated all the time but, well, that’s not going to happen. After all, we’re human and sometimes we just don’t feel like doing anything. But when work needs to be done motivation is key. So what makes it happen?
Try and answer the following question. Do you recall a moment where you felt really motivated or demotivated? In your mind travel back to these exact moments and try to understand what caused that feeling. What exactly happened?
Take the time to really look into the details of that moment. At HPL4 we learned that it’s crucial to understand which factors have a big influence on your motivation. Once you can specify those factors, you can make sure that you control them and not the other way around. It’s important to understand this yourself and also for a manager to understand their people.
The HPL-4 Workshop makes you become aware of the effect of your behavior on someone’s motivation. How would you react when something is said or done in a certain way? Once you’re aware of what you’re doing it won’t be a matter of luck whether your actions have the right effect on someone. Instead it will be a strategy. And doesn’t it at least give you something to try, and then to talk about. This might ultimately lead to the success you want.
So, want to start a revolution today? Talk to your co-workers; find out what works for them. Because when we’re all energized at work and like to work hard for the same purpose it will create a whole new atmosphere at the office. Definitely worth the try right?
Karin van de Burgwal
19 April 2018