Keeping Them Driven: How to Ignite, Excite, and Drive Performance

We hear alot these days about motivating people. There are books, podcasts, and TEDtalks about it.  Motivation can be a misleading word; I prefer to call it DRIVING OTHERS.  It is the combination of factors that keep being willing and able to do their best work.  Whether they are your employees, volunteers, or even your kids, don't you want them performing at optimal levels every day without prompting?


Research shows that people are motivated by lots of things including interesting work,  promotion, and relationships at work. Of course, if you are someone's manager you can necessarily provide these things.  Indeed, some individuals even label motivation as happiness or job satisfaction. Whether or not someone like their job can be an ever-moving target. As a leader, you probably don't want to spend most of your time trying to make people happy.  There are some schools of thought that say motivation is intrinsic;  and as such it can't be provided externally.  If you subscribe to the latter theory, you may be thinking you there is nothing you can do.  Nevertheless, there are ways to drive others to  do their best work and give their best effort. 



Let's explore three must-have factors for sustained performance:



1.  Clarity - Clear expectations and thorough directions are essential to top performance.  This means articulating specific outcomes and results desired.  Your team also needs the right resources and tools to accomplish what's asked of them.  Just as importantly, they need to understand boundaries -- what they shouldn't do, spend, say, or risk. 
 


2.  Environment - One thing leaders can provide is a level of collaboration and support for their staff.  Providing a supportive environment could include being available to talk through issues, providing guidance when they run into barriers, or encouraging them verbally.  A collaborative environment also provides people opportunities to work with others, learn from others, and be exposed to different parts of the organization.




3.  Value - The people you lead need to know they matter and the work they do matters.  Leaders have to seek out the opinions of others. Valuing them also includes asking for their feedback on how you're doing; and giving them feedback on how they are doing.   Leaders also need to invest in their people's development and provide opportunities to learn and apply new skills. 


Keep in mind that drive is about performance and results.  As such, there are things leaders can do to manage and improve performance.  While, you can not completely control it, you can influence it on a daily basis.

Sorry to Bust You Bubble, but Failure IS an Option

We often hear sports team, companies, and even non-profit organizations, tout that failure is not an option.  The statement 'failure is not an option' is no doubt meant to be a driver and motivator; it's supposed to focus people on success. But, in reality failure does happen. Failure -- like success -- is indeed valuable.  

Accept that people won't always accept you
You may not be the first one picked for the team; in fact you may not be picked at all.  Will you still be able to pick yourself up, brush yourself off and try again, with self esteem intact?

Know that you don't know it all
When you realize this is true, leverage the power of partnership.  Surround yourself with those who know what you don't know. If your partner, mentor, or coach has the same strengths and attributes as you, one of you is unnecessary.  

You will make mistakes
Listen to what pro athletes say when they are interviewed after loosing a game.  It's a lot more insightful and telling than what they say when they win.  When they loose they are specific about what opportunities they missed, what options they should have exercised, and how they could have improved.  There are valuable lessons in the losses.  

When you are forbidden to fail you might not even try
When people are told that mistakes won't be tolerated, they may not do their best.  Tom Edison reportedly failed 2000 times before inventing the light bulb; each time he got closer to the formula that worked.  Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star; he then started his own company where he created Mickey Mouse. Oprah was told by her employer, a Baltimore TV producer, that she was unfit for television; she was put on a little-known program which gave her a chance to hone her craft.  They didn't see failure as final.  When we learn that failure is okay, we're not crushed by it or immobilized by it. Sure, it can be scary, but learn from it and keep moving forward.  

I'm not suggesting that you should strive to fail.  However, when/if you do, embrace it.
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