Steve Jobs was the quintessential example of an inspiring manager. But why is that so important? To become personally inspired, the best you can do is set up the optimal circumstances for inspiration. Inspiration awakens us to new possibilities by allowing us to transcend our ordinary experiences and limitations. Inspiration propels a person from apathy to possibility and transforms the way we perceive our own capabilities. Inspiration may sometimes be overlooked because of its elusive nature. Its history of being treated as supernatural or divine hasn’t helped the situation. But as recent research shows, inspiration can be activated, captured, and manipulated, and it has a major effect on important life outcomes.
What most people think is motivation, i.e the motivational speaker talking about money, power, success, and glory is actually an inspiration. The two can work together, i.e. you can be inspired to change your behaviors to help you realize a dream, but there is a difference. Inspiration is something that comes the outside: from listening to another person or being involved in an event or through observing something which triggers an emotional response.
Motivation is necessary just because it allows you as a leader to meet and even exceed your own organizational goals! After all, that's the whole point of leading, isn't it? In fact, without a motivated workforce, your organization will be in a very precarious position. Once at this intersection, there are only two possible final destinations: bankruptcy or fix the motivational issues among your workforce. Eventually, one or the other will prevail!
According to Amazon founder, it is better to risk it all and start your dream company and fail, then never try it. All the curious from the ages like Newtown and Galileo would be happy to be alive right now in this age, how you use gifts and pride in your changes is more important. We live in an incredible age, 2300% grows in Internet usage is incredible and exciting. What else people need to be inspired? People live jobs and start crazy start-ups to risk it all and go for it, and so motivation is not required for the right people.
Many employers leave feedback for their annual reviews alone; this can be detrimental. Employees need to feel recognized and appreciated, and taking time out to give a simple "thanks" for a job well done is another high employee motivator. Frequently acknowledge good work. Set a positive tone. The tone of any company begins at the top and trickles down; it’s your job to inspire your employees to have and create a positive environment. This can be accomplished by employing simple techniques from asking your receptionist to greet everyone with a smile, to encourage employees to express their ideas openly. The importance of employee motivation cannot be downplayed. Ultimately when employees are motivated this increases productivity, lowers turnover, and improves overall performance.
Career analyst Dan Pink examines the puzzle of motivation, starting with the fact that social scientists know but most managers don't: Traditional rewards aren't always as useful as we think. Listen for illuminating stories -- and maybe, a way forward. Autonomy - Mastery - Purpose!
Motivation is a theoretical construct used to explain behavior. It represents the reasons for people's actions, desires, and needs. Motivation can also be defined as one's direction to behavior, or what causes a person to want to repeat behavior and vice versa. Arguably the best leadership triggers that can help to foster inspiration and motivate people:
- Using strategic vision to motivate and inspire
- Empowering employees at all levels
- Accumulating and sharing internal knowledge
- Gathering and integrating external information
- Challenging the status quo and enabling creativity
Key things to motivate your workforce:
- Skill Variety - the degree to which the job requires the use of different skills and talents
- Task Identity - the extent to which the situation has contributed to an identifiable larger project
- Task Significance - the degree to which the job has an impact on the lives or work of other people
- Autonomy - the extent to which the employee has independence, freedom, and discretion in carrying out the job
- Task Feedback - the degree to which the employee is provided with clear, accurate, detailed, actionable information about the effectiveness of his or her employment performance
Elizabeth Gilbert muses on the impossible things we expect from artists and geniuses — and shares the radical idea that, instead of the rare person "being" a genius, all of us "have" a genius. It's a funny, personal and surprisingly moving talk. Talk show that inspiration matters a lot, which may cause someone to feel pressure to become inspired and helpless to do so considering the evocative and spontaneous nature of inspiration. This suggests that goal progress and goal motivation build on each other to form a cycle of greater goal inspiration and more major goal pursuit.
How to measure impact from you on your co-workers, peers, or followers? Does it make sense to measure your progress somehow? Are you great motivation, can you inspire like a Steve Jobs? For example, the measured speed at which a person works on a task can have several interpretations. Working slowly could mean (a) that the individual’s motivation to complete the task is little (outcome-focused motivation); or (b) that her motivation to engage in the task is high such that she is “savoring” the job (intrinsic motivation); or (c) that her motivation to “do it right” and use proper means is high such that she is applying herself (means-focused motivation); or even (d) that she is tired (diminished physiological resources). In this case, additional measures (e.g., accuracy in performance) and manipulations (e.g., task difficulty) may help tease apart these various potential interpretations.
In many cases, motivation can manifest itself regarding the amount of time it takes an individual to act in the pursuit of a goal. This duration measure (i.e., speed) can be applied to various aspects of behavior to gauge the strength of motivation. Behavioral measures of speed include how fast an individual completes a task or how fast she moves from one job to the next. Motivation can also be measured regarding the level of performance at a goal-related task – especially if performance is variable and integral to the goal. Performance measures include accuracy, the amount (i.e., how much has been done), and the highest level of achievement.
Another aspect of performance is persistence or the extent to which an individual continues steadfastly in the pursuit of a goal in spite of inherent difficulties. For example, a highly motivated student might spend hours studying for an exam despite being tired or
tempted by more exciting activities. Persistence may be expressed in terms of the length of time an individual spends on goal-related activities, in terms of the number of goal-related tasks an individual completes, or in terms of the extent to which the individual continues to engage in the goal.
The American motivation psychologist Abraham H. Maslow developed the hierarchy of needs consisting of five hierarchic classes. According to Maslow, people are motivated by unsatisfied needs. The requirements, listed from basic (lowest-earliest) to most complex (highest-latest) are as follows:
Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory can be summarized as follows:
- Human beings have wants and desires which influence their behavior. Only unsatisfied needs to influence behavior, satisfied needs do not.
- Needs are arranged in order of importance to human life, from the basic to the compound.
- The person advances to the next level of needs only after the lower level need is at least minimally satisfied.
- The further the progress up the hierarchy, the more individuality, humanness and psychological health a person will show.
Maslow has money at the lowest level of the hierarchy and shows other needs are better motivators to staff. McGregor places money in his Theory X category and feels it is a poor motivator. Praise and recognition are put in the Theory Y category and are considered stronger motivators than money.
- Motivated employees always look for better ways to do a job.
- Motivated employees are more quality oriented.
- Motivated workers are more productive.
There are numerous benefits to having motivated employees:
- Cost savings: Motivated employees will not only work faster, but they will use their creativity to recommend process improvements that can lead to millions of dollars of saving for your organization.
- Increased quality: Motivated employees will produce quality products, costing you fewer resources for rework.
- Reduced turn over Turn-over doesn't only cost you money to replace the individuals, but it also slows down your organization's progress while replacements are being trained.
- Speed to market: Everyone wants their product or services yesterday! Actually, the day you release your new product, people will already want a newer version! Having a motivated workforce will ensure that your product release cycle is reduced minimally.
- Increased product value: With motivated employees, you will have a better product or service, because the staff will feel like this is their product and will want to make sure that it provides real value to the customers. They will go the extra mile to make your product stand out of from the competition!
- Contributing to a better society: Motivated employees make happy people, who in turn contribute to a better society.
Inspiration:
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Sparks Creativity and Innovation: Inspiration often comes from external sources such as nature, art, people, or events. It acts as a spark that ignites creativity and leads to the generation of new ideas and innovative solutions.
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Enhances Well-being: Experiencing inspiration can improve one's overall well-being. It can bring joy, enhance self-esteem, and lead to a greater sense of purpose.
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Changes Perspective: Inspiration can change the way people view their abilities and potential. It can transform their outlook on life and work, making challenges seem more surmountable and goals more attainable.
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Drives Intrinsic Motivation: When people are inspired, they are more likely to engage in activities for their own sake rather than for some external reward. This intrinsic motivation can lead to more profound and sustained engagement with tasks.
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Facilitates Learning and Growth: Inspiration can lead to a desire for self-improvement and personal growth. It encourages individuals to learn new skills, expand their knowledge, and step out of their comfort zones.
Motivation:
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Drives Action: While inspiration can be seen as a spark, motivation is the fuel that drives people to take action. It is the process that initiates, guides, and maintains goal-oriented behaviors.
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Enhances Endurance and Persistence: Motivation helps individuals and teams to keep going in the face of challenges and setbacks. It provides the stamina required to persist with tasks even when they become difficult or tedious.
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Increases Efficiency and Productivity: Motivation can lead to increased productivity and efficiency. Motivated individuals are often more focused, manage their time better, and are more likely to meet deadlines and achieve goals.
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Improves Performance: A high level of motivation can enhance an individual's performance by encouraging them to put in maximum effort and strive for excellence.
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Shapes Behavior: Motivation can influence the direction of behavior. It helps individuals prioritize tasks and activities that align with their goals and values.
Synergy Between Inspiration and Motivation:
- While inspiration is more about the ‘why’ or the spark behind actions, motivation is more about the ‘how’ or the process of continuing the actions.
- Inspiration can lead to motivation; when someone is inspired, they are more likely to find the motivation needed to pursue their goals.
- Conversely, being in a motivated state can make one more receptive to inspiration, creating a positive feedback loop between the two.
Cultivating Inspiration and Motivation:
- Environment: Create an environment that fosters creativity and allows for quiet reflection and relaxation, which can enhance the likelihood of experiencing inspiration.
- Goals: Set clear, achievable goals. This can help maintain motivation by providing direction and a sense of purpose.
- Mindset: Adopt a growth mindset. Viewing challenges as opportunities for growth can keep both inspiration and motivation levels high.
- Community: Surround yourself with inspiring and motivated individuals. Their energy can be contagious and provide a constant source of inspiration and motivation.
In conclusion, the importance of inspiration and motivation in personal and professional contexts cannot be overstated. They are essential for driving progress, fostering innovation, and achieving success. By understanding and leveraging these powerful forces, individuals and organizations can unlock their full potential.
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Summary
Traditional rewards aren't always as effective as we think. Motivation can be conceived of as a cycle in which thoughts influence behaviors, behaviors drive performance, performance impacts thoughts, and the cycle begins again. Each stage of the cycle is composed of many dimensions including attitudes, beliefs, intentions, effort, and withdrawal which can all affect the motivation that an individual experiences. Push motivations are those where people push themselves towards their goals or to achieve something, such as the desire to escape, rest and relaxation, prestige, health and fitness, adventure, and social interaction. Pull motivation can be seen as the desire to achieve a goal so badly that it seems that the goal is pulling us toward it. That is why pull motivation is stronger than push motivation. It is easier to be drawn to something rather than to push yourself for something you desire. Motivation is like digging for gold: it can be difficult to find but if you persevere and persist until you find it, the rewards are immeasurable.