Manager Monday: Motivation

Life is too short for bad managers- Learn to be a better manager with my Manager Monday series.

Today, we’re addressing finding and keeping your folks motivated.

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “why aren’t my folks motivated to do [whatever the thing is that they want them to do]?” Quickly followed up by, “I would…”

And I already know we’re in trouble.

Because we live our experience first, it’s easy to forget that other people are not us. They didn’t have the same upbringing. They haven’t had the same experiences. The things that excite them are not the same things that excite us. And the things that motivate them are not necessarily the things that excite us.

Or, if you’ve had teams before, the folks that motivate person A might not be the same things that motivate person B. Which might altogether not be the same things that motivate you, or motivated you when you were in their shoes. We’re complex beings.

While there are certainly folks that no matter what you do can’t be bothered, that’s not a constructive standpoint to start from. Assuming you want to keep your folks and you want to keep them motivated (or get them motivated)— because you want to be a better manager— let’s assume that we just haven’t found that spark that fires that person up- the thing that motivates them, makes them want to do more, gets them excited to show up for work, and, ideally, gets them excited to grow.

Folks are motivated by lots of different things, and like us, those things can be complex. Take money, for example: We often think about money as a prime driver. We all like to be paid and paid as much as we can reasonably get- this is baseline. My challenge is “money for what?” Baseline food/shelter/security? Money for more schooling? Money to take care of kids so they can go to their afterschool activities? Money so they can get the latest designer clothes? Money because they rescue animals and have a pet that needs medical attention? Money because their great joy in life is travel and they want to go on a trip? Money because their loved one needs home medical care? The possibilities are endless, and as you can see- not necessarily simple.

So how can you figure out what it is?

Be Curious

It might not be as simple as “what motivates you?” As not everyone is deeply and presently aware that directly. Certainly try that. But if it’s not working, try and triangulate:

• What is most important to you about this job/role?

  • Can share direct insights about motivation and what keeps them there.

• What do you enjoy most about your job?

  • Identifies bright spots in the work and what might energize them if they could do more of that.

• What % of time do you do work you enjoy?

  • Gauges the ratio of those bright spots to energy draining work they don’t love. Low % can indicate this person is maybe misaligned with the right role for them. Consider they might be a better fit elsewhere on your team. Highly motivated teams tend to have higher % of energizing work; prolonged time in non-enjoyable work can directly contribute to demotivation and decreased productivity

• What would you like to do more of?

  • Helps the individual self-identify the things that they are possibly more motivated to do. If they’re not doing it now, what’s preventing them from doing so?

• What do you enjoy least?

  • Identifies specific things that might be motivation-suckers.

Even questions outside their direct work with you can yield valuable insights.

• What would your dream job look like?

  • This can show you the elements that really appeal to the person and help you identify elements that excite them or areas of work you could align them with to give them the skills to work towards one of their broader goals.

• What are your favorite things to do when you’re not at work?

  • This can give you an insight into other areas that might engage them further at work. Are they avid TikTokkers? Maybe they would like to contribute to your social media. Do they love doing trail hikes? Maybe they could organize a social activity for the team.

• What do you see yourself doing two years from now? Five years from now?

  • Insight into your folks’ goals can also help you find opportunities in their current role that will help them work towards their goals. What skills or experiences do they need that you might be able to align them with? Sometimes explicitly making that connection or correlation between a task you’re giving them and their personal goals or dreams can drive up their motivation and connection to the work you need them to do.

Find Matches and Follow Through

While asking these questions is an important connection-builder for you and your folks, you have to “walk the walk,” not just “talk the talk.” Use the insights from these questions to align your folks with opportunities to do more of what they enjoy, or take ownership in spaces that excite them.

Consider that there might be a better role for your person, where they would be able to do more work that they enjoy or where they might be a better fit. How can you get them there? How can you increase the % of work they enjoy? How can you draw connections between the skills and experiences you’re giving them with their personal goals?

Check In

We’re complex beings, and we change. Our experiences, our interests, our goals— and the things that are important to us can change over time. Don’t assume that your folks’ answers to the questions above will remain constant. Be sure to check in periodically to see how they’re doing and where you can make refinements.

• Check in at least annually by asking these questions anew. How are they feeling now? What does their dream job look like? What do they find most interesting or exciting? Look for opportunities to continue to connect your folks with things they’re interested in or opportunities for growth in alignment with their goals. (Remember, again: They’re not you. Their goals and dreams may be wildly different than yours. And that’s okay.)

• If you made substantive changes to their role or expectations, check in after a couple months. How are they enjoying the shift? What is their % of work they enjoy now? How does their performance and motivation now compare to what you were observing previously?

Remember

This exercise is useful for all of your folks, even your high performers. We can’t always see others’ motivations from the outside. Your most “motivated” people may be motivated by factors well outside your observation and have already made the connection between the work they are doing and their own personal goals— that doesn’t mean you can’t continue to align them with opportunities that align with what is important or interesting to them.

You might not be able to reach everyone. We are complex and carry a lot within each of us. Some folks are not going to be good matches with the role, team, or business, no matter what you do. As a manager, you have to decide what is going to be best for your business. Is their level of productivity okay? What affect are they having on the rest of the team? Are they at least meeting the baseline expectations for the role? Do they comfortably do their job, but just aren’t going the extra mile? Or are they not even doing the bare minimum. As a manager, it is up to you to clearly articulate the expectations of the role, and make the hard decisions if folks are not meeting them.

PSA: Don’t hold folks to unarticulated expectations. Be as clear as possible about what they are expected to do, motivation or not.