Motivation in any circumstance must come from an internal drive one has to accomplish one's goals and objectives, as well as those of the organization. Motivation is something others can provide encouragement toward, but ultimately it boils down to this internal drive within one's self.
Let's imagine the environment one of our soldier's find themselves in, in Afganistan. I bet they would prefer a nicer, more modern area to serve in, with running water, etc. I can think of other professions that endure similar hardships without the luxury of being able to complain about their lack of motivation to get the job done effectively.
So, when teachers say they need the best of everything to motivate them to teach, I can't help but question their ability to motivate themselves with this internal drive they need.Sure, nice facilities are helpful for the overall motivation of the faculty, but motivation to lead is a quality bigger than the environmental circumstance at work.
I would have to say yes to an certain extent.
Leadership and motivation provides a strong presence among your team members and the environment.
In workimg with a less motivated team or group it becomes diffcult to lead the team.
With the lack of motivation in completing project or goal can hinder the results and outcomes for the organization
Janet, thanks for sharing this. Yes, we find that good leaders can thrive in those unforeseen circumstances.
Dr. Jean Norris
Yes, no matter what in environment you are in. You should not let it affect how you lead. You learn how to lead in every good or bad situation..That is what makes you a good leader.
Katrena,
Very interesting. Do you have an example you can share with us from your own experience?
Dr. Jean Norris
I believe a natural leader will always emerge no matter the environment that he/she is in.
brian,
It sounds like the ideal environment to work in. Communication is critical to the success of an organization and helping the team understand the "why" behind their responsibilities can assist in furthering the cohesiveness of the team. It sounds like you work everyday to make this happen.
Shannon Gormley
I am fortunate enough to work in a collaborative and open-minded work environment. Changes are easier to absorb as a direct result of the communication and common goals of our staff. Conversely, the occasional employee who does not feel closely integrated to the team sometimes offer resistance to sharing the burden of some of the workload. The constant challenge as our company grows, is to adopt a consistent foundation of strong leadership while tailoring each approach with a worker on a case by case basis.
I have a motivation to lead and I agree that you need to adapt your leadership style to the situation and environment you are in order to be more effective and generate results. My motivation to lead includes building team morale and teamwork, encourage open communication, and lead by example. You also have to understand that each person on your team is different and some may respond better to certain leadership styles. Sometimes, I've had to adapt mine to motivate and get the buy-in from certain employees.
It sounds to me like you truly appreciate the variety you've experienced in your leadership experiences, Kevin. Would you agree with that statement? I'm getting the sense that your motivation to lead is high and you appreciate the opportunity to be flexible to various situations. How do you think this has impacted your followers in these situations?
I don't feel as though the environment in which I work affects my motivation to lead. However, I do think that the environment in which I work affects the way I choose to lead. I have had the opportunity to lead at different campuses and other colleges and none of the situations that I walked into have been completely the same. As a result, I found that each situation had different needs which required me to address the situation with a different type of leadership style each time. In all of the situations, the motivation remained, but the way in which I went about "leading" varied.
Motivating others can be challenging at times for sure, John. I get the sense that you feel as though you are sometimes caught between "a rock and a hard place" when it comes to motivating your staff, does that sound accurate? I'm curious about your last statement regarding the inability to extrinsically motivate those in the education business. Could you elaborate for me?
Yes it does. Because certain people are motivated by different things I need to learn how to intrinsically motivate certain associates, and then depending on the situation and associate sometimes extrinsic motivations needs to be put into play. This is one of the hardest positions to have because you can't really extrinsically motivate anyone in the education business.
Excellent insight, Jeannine! It's important to have shared values and you mention two great areas of focus (academic integrity and lifelong learning). Wonderful!
I agree about being able to read your associates. Most are ok with feedback in an open forum and I think everyone can usually value from it so long as it is contructive and motivating. The values of the organization I work for can support me to be an effective leader by fosterering an environement of academic integrity and encouraging lifelong learning.
Ok...now I understand. It's an important skill to be able to "read" your associates preferences and understand how they like to receive motivation/feedback.
Can I ask another question? How do the overall values and mission of your organization support what you need to be an effective leader?
I do have a leadership role, but it is always in a public environment. Sometimes I find that associates prefer a private arena for motivation/feedback.
So are you saying the lack of privacy prevents you from taking a leadership role?
Sometimes it does. I am in a call center environment and there is not a lot of privacy. When we are trying to motivate or provide feedback on calls, everyone can hear what we say.
Hello Susan. What a great story and leadership approach. It reminds me of the Appreciative Inquiry (AI) angle we use in consulting projects. The concept of AI is to look for what is going well and do more of it rather than look for what is bad and wrong.
It appears that you directed the language and thereby the attitudes of your team by focusing on how to move foward vs. staying stuck in the past. I can imagine morale increased tremendously with this approach. When people focus on the positive; creativity and energy increase.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful example of leadership, Susan. Continued success!
