Motivating the Individual

Christopher Littlefield, who knows a thing or two about leadership and employee appreciation, has shared the insight that:

“Uncertainty is what makes movies exciting, but it’s what makes life exhausting, so we need the reminder that motivation is always shifting, as well as understanding where each one of our people are at in their journey, and what’s their motivator right now, or six months from now, or six years from now.”

➡️ “What’s their motivator?”
That’s an incredibly important question. Managers, do you know what motivates each and every one of your direct reports? Or do you assume that you know or, worse, not care ?

Back in the good old days, consumer marketing was primarily to the masses via radio and television. Similarly, many companies used to attempt to motivate their employee base as if everyone was motivated by the same things, and managers used to motivate their team as if everyone was motivated just like them. And today, amazingly, some companies and managers still harbor these same faulty assumptions and still utilize out-dated methods.

However, just like consumer marketing has become extremely personalized (think pop-up ads on your phone), employee motivation should be just as individual and personalized. What Charlotte needs to be engaged and motivated is likely not the same as what Ava needs. If fact, it could be very different.

BlessingWhite has long maintained that full employee engagement occurs at the alignment of
1) Maximum employee SATISFACTION and
2) Maximum job CONTRIBUTION.

For an employee, this can feel like:
>  “I am productive.”
>  “I am valued.”
>  “I enjoy my work.”
>  “I belong here.”
>  “I’m getting ahead.”

Yes, it’s vital that the employee brings energy and self-motivation to their job. Plus, as company leaders and managers, it’s a critical part of your role to help provide the environment in which your employees can thrive – at the collective and INDIVIDUAL levels.

Are you doing all you can in this regard?