What motivates me, doesn't motivate you
Yesterday I was delighted to stand in last minute at The Golden Network Event at The Parcel Yard at Kings Cross. Victoria Salem had been let down the day before by the speaker, and through reaching out to her network we were connected, the stars aligned, and I was able to step into the breach.
During my time ‘in the spotlight’, I was asked what motivates me, and what are the drivers I see that motivate others. It was a real gem of a question (thank you!) and has caused me to reflect further.
Motivation is inherently personal. It can vary from person to person and situation to situation. What motivates me today, may not motivate me six months from now, or in another situation. I think it is helpful therefore to understand that motivation is constantly changing.
And of course, what motivates me, doesn’t necessarily motivate you. The Golden Rule “treat others as you would like to be treated”, was surpassed by the Platinum rule when Dave Kerpen wrote The Art of People – “treat others as they would like to be treated.”
So, on any given day, in any situation, people generally fall into one of five categories of motivation. Within an organization it can look a bit like this:
Demotivated – quite frankly you wonder why they are there. They appear to be involved reluctantly and quite possibly are being unhelpful within the wider organization. I call these people ‘remove me’
Others are motivated by life remaining the same. They crave certainty, routine and feeling accomplished and in control. The prospect of trying something new or doing something different can often tip these people into a state of anxiety – I call these people ‘leave me’.
Then we have those who are motivated by learning and growth. They may however not be overt about this. They may be doing things in their spare time, or outside of the workplace because they aren’t accessing the learning and development they need within. – I call them ‘train me’.
What motivates me is a challenge. I thrive on setting the goal and setting out to achieve it. Doing the same thing, day in day out, or month in month out is something with which I struggle. People like me are motivated by projects, variety, and achievement. I’m definitely a ‘challenge me’.
Finally, there are those who are motivated by purpose. What keeps them going is a matter of principle or a higher purpose. They will put up with all kinds of obstacles and difficulties because their motivation comes from outside of themselves. I call them ‘galvanise me’.
The science behind motivation tells us that dopamine has a big influence on how we respond to a trigger. Where that dopamine ends up in the brain can be the difference between us being motivated by an event or concerned by it. Studies have shown that more motivated individuals have more dopamine than less motivated people.
As Dale Carnegie pointed out in his book, how to win friends and influence people, if you are someone who likes strawberries and cream, and when you go fishing you use it as bait, you’re not going to catch much fish. For a fish, strawberries and cream simply isn’t motivating.
If engaging your team is proving a challenge, you may want to consider what motivates them? And once you’ve worked that out, how can you increase their levels of dopamine to build their motivation.