As a leader, you know one of your key tasks is to keep your team motivated. To do so, you need to constantly remind your people of the company’s vision, hold them accountable to targets, mentor them, and support them in their work. The challenge is then to stay motivated yourself.
When it comes to leaders, motivation is really about engagement. How engaged are you in your work? How committed are you to the results you’re supposed to be getting? Are you pushing forward with a sense of purpose, or are you simply going through motions? To be your best, you need to give serious thought to what makes you perform at your best and succeed.
If you feel your motivation declining or you want to keep your current high level of motivation flowing, the following suggestions will help:
Connect with what you are doing
It’s one thing to do the work you’re paid to do; it’s another thing to be fulfilled by the work you do. If you’re strictly doing your job for the money, or the title you could find that over time it’s harder and harder to actually do the job. However, if you’re connected to what you do and its in line with your purpose, you’ll feel motivated to keep going because you’ll be achieving a bigger purpose for yourself.
Know what it takes to get better
Motivation comes from constant learning on how to be better. Therefore, you should always be asking yourself, “What do I need to learn to reach my goal?” Realise that this isn’t about taking a workshop or reading a book. It’s about challenging yourself to take on something new and to stretch yourself into a new level of results.
Find the right support system
When you’re a leader, all the people below you lean on you. You guide them, support them, and tell them what to do. However, when you’re on top, you don’t have anyone above you to lean on. That’s when you need to look outside of your organisation, your role, or even your industry for the people who can encourage you, mentor you, and help you be your best.
Maintain a Sense of Balance
While maintaining a work/life balance is not a way to stay motivated, it is a way to keep from becoming de-motivated. When you’re serving everyone else you have to remember to fill your own energy reserves. Remember that being an effective and motivated leader should not come at the expense of quality of life, and quality of life should not come at the expense of business results. Work and life should be able to co-exist, happily and successfully. They can and they have. The key is to define what that balance looks like for you.
Motivate the Motivator
Staying motivated in today’s economy and work reality can be difficult for anyone. However, when you take responsibility for motivating yourself and others, you become a true inspiration and can better reach your goals. As a result, your vision, your potential, and your efforts all leave a mark.
