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Q: How do I get my team motivated to think like an owner and go the extra mile? First and foremost, no one can motivate anyone to do anything. Motivation has to come from within! It’s an internal process, a reason to act a certain way based on the good ole’ radio station WII FM (What’s in it for me?). So if that’s the case, why are there jillions of books, lectures and articles written on this very topic?
Q: How do I get my team motivated to think like an owner and go the extra mile? First and foremost, no one can motivate anyone to do anything. Motivation has to come from within! It’s an internal process, a reason to act a certain way based on the good ole’ radio station WII FM (What’s in it for me?). So if that’s the case, why are there jillions of books, lectures and articles written on this very topic?
You may not be able to force motivation, but the leader is responsible for creating a culture that influences people to high performance and promotes motivation.
This is not just semantics. The best definition of leadership I’ve ever seen is “leadership is influencing and inspiring people to WANT to do what you WANT them to do.” The word “want” is the key to motivation. A lazy way to approach creating a motivating environment is the old school “carrot and stick” form of reward and punishment. This model is based on the fact that your team (a.k.a. donkeys) will only work harder if you dangle a carrot in front of them or threaten them with a whip if they balk. There are fundamental flaws in this logic that makes this model unusable in today’s self-directed team environment.
So if carrots and sticks don’t work, what does?
Look for more practice management advice from Pride Institute's Amy Morgan in DPR's June “Think Like a CEO” management supplement. For information about Pride Institute's team motivation seminars, call 800-925-2600 or visit prideinstitute.com
Amy Morgan is CEO of the Pride Institute. With Pride since 1993, she is a sought-after educator who still consults one-on-one with practices.
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