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This isn’t bad advice, or wrong, just recognize that it’s not universal. Motivations vary from person to person, team to team, company to company. If you want
by wjossey 7y ago
This isn’t bad advice, or wrong, just recognize that it’s not universal. Motivations vary from person to person, team to team, company to company.
If you want to know how to motivate a person, start by asking them. Maybe they will be self aware enough to identify what it is, maybe not. If they don’t know what motivates them, ask them to take some time over the next week to reflect on a time where they were motivated at their job, and you can discuss it further in your next one on one. Then, take that scenario and start to deconstruct it. What was it about this time that was different than other situations? How long did that motivation last? Who were they working with at that time, and how much did the people play a role in keeping you motivated? How much do factors like stress and salary impact motivation for them?
Motivation is also fluid. What motivates someone at 25 is different than at 35. At 25 I craved recognition for having potential. At 35 I crave autonomy. Some fundamental components haven’t changed, but the overall story has.
So, when in doubt, and even when not in doubt, start by asking.
- pm215 7y agoPersonally I find being asked to engage in introspection like "reflect on a time when you were motivated at your job" pretty demotivating. I'm terrible at it, and it's a huge timesink with negative associations to things like interviews and having to write up annual performance review text.
- t34543 7y agoSounds circular. Maybe you need to be motivated to think about what drives you. Catch 22.
- wjossey 7y agoAll the more to my point. You’d have a pretty crisp answer if I asked you in a 1:1, what motivates you. No need for the introspection. But, you can’t expect your manager or anyone to know that about you unless you’re willing to share it. A good manager will understand this is demotivating and work within those boundaries. But, unfortunately managers aren’t clairvoyant, so we do need to hear it from you :)
- pm215 7y agoYeah, no, I wouldn't. I might at best have a vague idea of what might be motivating. Like I said, I don't do introspection -- I could tell you if I'm happy or not happy at work, but if the answer's not happy that doesn't mean I know why.
- szatkus 7y agoFor me, talking with my client over Slack or Skype about the task works. Suddenly some uninteresting thing defined only by a JIRA issue becomes something more. Some feature which provides real business value with context. That's one of the reasons why I work where I work, because PMs don't stand between us and the clients.
- SiempreViernes 7y agoI feel like the question in the title leaves out important context. Like, why do you need to motivate people at all? Presumably it's because they aren't happy to do the work you ask of them, and the reasons for this can vary wildly, from the divorcee suffering a depression to the QA temp that knows you think of them about as fondly as of the stack of papers that stabilises that one wobbly table you don't like anyway...
- jimktrains2 7y agoWhy should anyone be happy to do what you ask if they get nothing out of it?
- hinkley 7y agoTreating people like individuals instead of cogs? That's some dangerously democratic-sounding idealism there pal. Get back to your oxcart, peasant!
- jariel 7y agoEven though it's fair to say that overall motivation is different for different folks - the advice given is universal. Having knowledge of the bigger picture usually enables one to do their job a little better, and is motivating at the professional level, if not a personal level. The subtle issues are first - empowerment, which enables people to do their jobs, which is always motivating, and second - understanding the difference between professional and personal motivation. Almost everyone has an innate sense of pride in their work and skills. When they are able to do a better job, they feel better. When they have knowledge of 'the bigger picture' it can really help orient them in the landscape and inform their decisions. 'Motivation' is a tricky word in this context: most work is work, it's not motivating in the natural sense, but I do think we all have a sense of professional obligation, and want to fulfil that obligation. People who don't have a reasonable motivation to do whatever it is they are doing ... should be doing something else. Giving the broader context of any material objective will definitely help whether someone is 18 or 60, whether they are in ops, finance, or R&D.
- dbs 7y agoWhat do people crave at 45, 55, 65?