Often times in leadership we look to motivation as the means to having our employees succeed. And this is true, however should the motivation for success be self driven or employer driven?
We all know you can’t make anyone do anything they don’t WANT to do so why should we believe motivating is any different? A person has to have that self driven motivation within themselves before they are willing to go forward and accomplish any goals you have set out FOR THEM.
Stephen Flynn’s 2011 article describes the end result of a companies or leadership trying to motivate its employees versus the employee having self motivation and where it takes them and the company.
Flynn also describes the maturity levels in which a company can tell when dealing with its employee and their motivation level.
Since self-motivation is the goal and engagement is the path, steps to possessing this mindset and not your current would be to putting performance reviews, workshops and seminars in place to stimulate your employees interest. For instance, a Goal based performance review between the employee and HR professional can open the door for the employee to channel ones desires. The meeting allows for HR to platform this employees success after self-motivation has already kicked in to accomplish said tasks.
Again, we all know you cannot make anyone do anything they do not want to do already. Forcing them or bribing them leads to resentment and ultimately failed attempts. The foundation has to be made within ones self and as HR professionals you can be there to engage them once this step has been taken.
Flynn’s 2011 article, “Can You Directly Motivate Employees?: Exploding the Myth,” from Development and Learning in Organizations, issue 25, volume 1, pages 11-15.
-Jasmine W.