What’s the motivation situation at your workplace? Are you and/or your staff motivated to perform, or is everyone phoning it in and just working to collect their weekly paychecks? What motivates a team to put in their best efforts simply because they WANT to give their all? How do you, as a leader, drive that sort of ambitious dedication within your team? There are so many motivational theories out there—but their relevance and success depends on so many variables. They can be totally right for one person, but totally wrong for another. Why? Because everyone’s motivation situation is as unique as they are! No two people can be motivated in exactly the same way.

If you want to know what motivates a person or what their passions are, look at how they spend their money and how they utilize their “free” time. What a person spends their own hard-earned dollars on (not Mom or Dad’s or anyone else’s) will reveal what interests and excites them. My husband, for example, loves to travel. If he won the lottery or got a substantial tax refund, his first thought would be to book a trip to some exotic locale. For other people, that same windfall would be spent on cars, clothing, concerts, sporting events, jewelry, or who knows what. The variables are endless, because each person’s goals, dreams, and motivations are different. The same holds true on the job. People want to be paid for their hard work, but they also want to feel joy, happiness, and excitement about what they are doing.

As a WOW leader, you need a highly talented and skilled team, but you also need a team that’s empowered by their work and feels the motivational fit. You need people who enjoy the process and are excited by their contributions—those who want to apply their skills and knowledge and are willing to roll up their sleeves and dive in. There are a lot of smart people out there, but intelligence isn’t the only factor that drives success. Passion, drive, and dedication are tantamount to taking skills to the next level. Those who work in jobs they are not excited about will inevitably not perform at their best. I’ve met many physicians that have lost the passion to care for people. Perhaps they were originally motivated for the wrong reasons, like status or money. Add to that a ton of paperwork, insurance company issues, and patients’ frustrations with the current state of healthcare, and their motivation or passion may continue to dwindle. As a WOW leader, you must make sure your team doesn’t lose their passion for their work—instead; you must help them find and sustain that motivational fit.

To improve the motivation situation, WOW leaders must figure out what makes their employees tick—what inspires them, has meaning to them, and drives them to stay engaged and excited about what they’re doing. WOWs should create a work environment in which everyone believes in what’s being done—and believes they are an important and essential part of making things happen. People have to feel valued in order to feel motivated. If there’s a lack of motivation, there’s a lack of energy, effort, and, therefore, results. But when there’s a high level of drive and motivation, people will put in their best efforts day in and day out, running through the proverbial “brick wall” to meet their goals.

Naturally, there are countless variables and factors that affect employee motivation or engagement—so learning those triggers is essential. And since motivations tend to shift and change over time, keep your finger on the pulse of the team to ensure you’re able to revive and re-engage them when a boost in motivation is needed. The key, like so many things, is to keep it simple.

• Communicate. The motivation situation depends upon open and honest communication within the group. Establish regular and transparent verbalization of topics that are critical to the team. I have seen leadership outright lie, spin, or withhold information, which totally destroys motivation. With social media today, the sentiment goes viral and everything goes south. People can handle more than you think they can—be an honest communicator and expect the same in return.
• Listen. Most of us have a tendency to talk more than we listen. We want to get our point across, but fail to really zero-in on what others are saying. But to learn what motivates others, we must learn to listen. Every employee has unique activities, events, interests, and goals that motivate them. We need to pinpoint those motivating factors and better understand what impacts a person, whether positively or negatively.  A tool called Stop, Start, and Continue can be used to help improve listening skills.Using a series of questions like “What should we STOP doing?” “What should be START doing?” and “What should we CONTINUE doing?” is a great way to learn what the team is thinking.
• Respect. Nothing squashes motivation like a lack of respect. Treat employees with respect so they know they are valued. As a female, I’ve had bosses that would not look me in the eye           when talking to me, which felt blatantly disrespectful, and therefore, made me feel disengaged and unmotivated.
• Praise. Show them some love! Recognition (not reward) can be very powerful. People like to be recognized in front of their peers, and they want to know that their bosses are proud of them. Al little praise goes a long way towards instilling motivation. Try a newsletter recognizing exceptional performance or recognition at a meeting for performance (not tenure). Even a shout-out in tweet or email form works wonders!
• Enjoy. Help people enjoy being at their job by keeping it light and at times, making it fun. I was at an office recently where the team created a theme and decorated the whole office area. Having a bright, uplifting workspace instead of a dull, boring, institutionalized atmosphere helped keep the mood positive and enabled them to stay more motivated. I’m sure it made coming to work a lot more enjoyable! You could also try something like adding music to the office space, posting motivational sayings, or periodically sending out funny or inspirational group texts or emails.
• Cheer them on. Be an advocate and cheerleader for your team. Coach them with positivity and genuine interest in them and their successes. Guide them to achieve their work goals, and help them realize their own personal aspirations. Hold them accountable for their actions or lack of action. Motivators include responsibility, achievement, and growth opportunities. Get them excited about their own potential by helping them feel appreciated and believed in.

As a leader, think about what drives passion and motivation with your team. Brainstorm your own list or add to the list above. Motivation can be very complex, but your team’s motivation situation should not be left to chance—it should be invested in and nurtured so going to work isn’t a BLAH—it’s a WOW!

–Sheri Staak