Motivation Spirit

by Matt Somers

In a house at the end of a cul-de-sac an old man lives a hermit-like existence. If he had his way would have nothing to do with the rest of the world, because more than anything else in life this old man values his privacy and peace and quiet.
He wakes one day to the sound of three small boys playing football in the street just outside his house. There not being yobbish in any way, but it’s a warm day in the school holidays and they’re having fun and making noise.
Given what we know, we might expect that the old man would react to this by bursting out of the house, swearing profusely and waving his arms in the air.
"Boys!" he booms as he walks down the path, "How nice it is to see young people enjoying themselves. I’m always hearing about kids today moping around all day and yet here you are enjoying just simply kicking a ball around on a sunny day. I used to play football when I grew up a few streets from here and I can tell you that watching you has brought back some lovely memories. You’ve cheered me up so much I think you deserve a reward. Here’s £5 each!"
The boys are naturally wary, but they decide to pocket the money and they return to playing football as the old man returns in doors.
The next day they’re back and once again the old man comes out to speak to them. "Ah boys", he says enthusiastically, "I was thinking about what happened yesterday and I decided to phone my boyhood friend Eric; we haven’t spoken in years. We’ve decided to go for a pint on Saturday. I can’t tell you how happy this has made me so, go on, have another £5 each"
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by Duncan Brodie
  
A key part of every manager and leaders role is to get results through others. Achieving results through others requires is often a challenge. So how can you improve motivation?
Provide challenging work
While everyone needs to become comfortable in their role and build confidence, just about everyone enjoys a new challenge. It is all too easy to fall into the trap of believing that because someone is good at what they do, that is enough. Those that are good at their job generally want to grow and develop. Providing challenging work like involvement in a new project is an excellent way of improving motivation.
Learn to listen
One of the common frustrations that employees have is that they feel that they do not have a voice in the work place. People start out initially with enthusiasm but if what they are offering in terms of suggestions for improvements is not given proper consideration, they eventually give up or leave. Making the time to sit down, listen and explore ideas can have a huge impact on how people feel about their work.
Set meaningful goals
Objective setting or goal setting sessions carried out as part of staff appraisals are ideal opportunities to set meaningful goals. Yet often they can become sessions where the manager or leader merely tells the other person what they will be doing in the coming year. By engaging in dialogue about what the employee needs and the employer needs, more meaningful and motivating goals can be set.
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