What motivates people to work? What motivates you to work? What do you think motivates your workmates? Is it money or enjoyment? Apparently neither one of them in isolation.
The incredibly simplistic view that money motivates has been proven ineffective in today’s knowledge economy. This revealing TED Talk takes a look at how meaning, making progress and being challenged will make you and your workmates happier and more productive at work.
1 Meaning matters
Knowing the meaning of your work, the purpose behind why you do what you do, dramatically improves your performance – regardless of how small or trivial the meaning actually is. When you have no sense of purpose and feel unappreciated and unrecognised, then money does become more important to you. As Ariely states “Ignoring the performance of people is almost as bad as shredding their effort before their eyes”.
So start by ensuring you and your workmates are clear on not just what you do but WHY you spend days, weeks and even years doing it. Getting clear on the reasons why what you do matters, gives meaning and purpose to your work.
2 Celebrate progress and results
Seeing progress and ultimately the fruits of your labour fuels your drive to keep going and overcome challenges. Doing the same process over and over again can be demotivating if no one sees the results or if the work becomes obsolete before it’s finished.
So don’t ignore the small steps forward and just focus on what still needs to be done. Recognising and appreciating the small wins along the way gives a sense of accomplishment and helps to keep everyone motivated to work towards the bigger goals.
3 Challenges are rewarding
The evaluation of your own work is directly linked to how much effort you put into it. The harder a project is, the prouder you will feel of your own creation and achievement.
The best challenge is when the situation stretches you or your workmates to fully use your skills and abilities. Matching the level of challenge with your ability to handle it will motivate you to perform better. Plus the better the match, the prouder you will all be of the results.
2 Comments
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