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One of the keys to leadership is being able to sustain positive momentum. There are many things that can get in the way of this positive momentum, but when we rely on those around us to help us succeed, the motivation of our followers can be the major thing that can make or break our success.
One Size Doesn’t Fit All
The thing about motivation is that it’s personal and unique to each individual. That’s why it’s so important to be able to understand why individuals behave the way they do. It gives us an insight into what motivates them.
It’s also important to note that circumstances are always changing and what motivates someone today may have less of an impact on that person later. As leaders, we need to be continually reflecting on what we see motivating our followers and making sure we note any changes in their motivation.
Since motivation is different for each individual, it’s silly to try to approach employee motivation with a one size fits all approach. There are many things that motivate individuals to do a great job. So why do so many organizations put such a focus on using money as a motivator, sometimes at the exclusion of other motivators? While very few people would ever turn down being paid more money, just giving financial rewards or incentives may only result in folks feeling good; it won’t necessarily motivate the masses to higher performance.
It’s Not About the Money
I find it interesting that all of the studies I have ever seen related to employee motivation show that money and being paid more is further down on the list of things that folks report motivate them at work. I remember at some point seeing one study that even had monetary issues out of the top ten things that motivate.
I’m actually worried that the longer this current economic climate lasts the more focus will be put on money as a motivator. Not having a job that pays us and having weak prospects for quickly getting another one is a huge motivator.
What worries me the most is that the more organizations put the focus on motivating with money (or in this case motivating with the threat of less money), the less emphasis that will be put on those things that really motivate individuals.
One of my previous bosses once told me that he felt that as long as money didn’t get in the way, meaning as long a he was being paid ‘enough’, it was more important to him that he be doing work that was meaningful and useful, and that he could have a good time doing it.
This has always stuck with me, because it’s really how I have always felt. My first job out of college, back in the mid-1980’s paid $13,000 a year, which was half of what I would have been paid from the the other firms I interviewed with. But at the time it was ‘enough’ and I had so much more opportunity than I would have anywhere else.
As leaders, we need to remember that individuals are unique and there will always be different things that motivate each follower. Treating employees with a one size fits all approach and trying to motivate everyone by using monetary rewards is destined to fail. Or at the very least only get a low level of motivation from the entire group. In a future article I’ll take a look at what other types of things can motivate employees to perform their best on behalf of the organization.
Leader’s Reflection: Individuals each have a unique set of things that motivate them. While most folks wouldn’t turn down more money, it’s not the only thing that motivates employees. Since studies have shown that money doesn’t top the list of employee motivators, leaders shouldn’t rely so heavily on it.
