Motivation Through Three Lenses: Self, Direct Reports, and Teams – by Dr. Peggy Marshall
Motivation is one of the most talked about phenomena and possibly the least understood. It becomes even more complicated when viewed through the lenses of self, direct reports, and teams. Some of the motivators are the same for all three and yet some are very different. First, let us start by defining motivation. For about the past 50 years, Deci and Ryan have been the definers of motivation through the lens of Self Determination Theory which focused on the levers of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. A simplification of the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation comes from Gagne and Deci (2005) as they positioned intrinsic motivation as autonomous motivation and extrinsic motivation as controlled motivation. Those two words are extremely significant as we move forward with this article on motivation as choice becomes center stage when we are working with ourselves and others on motivation.
No discussion of motivation would be complete without addressing the process of change along with the “why” for the change. Norcross in “Changeology” shares that we need to be “psyched up” about the change to pursue it. Many authors agree with his thinking with regards to the need for emotional alignment with the new behavior as we need to want to make it happen for it to happen. Sinek in “Start with Why” Simon Sinek shares that we need a strong “why” to begin the process of change. Think about New Years resolutions, most of which have been forgotten by now, maybe even yours. Many individuals in setting a New Years resolution start with “what” they are going to do. If their “what” is not aligned with a strong “why”, it will make the process more difficult, potentially frustrating and lead to giving up.
Kotler in “The Art of the Impossible” believes that motivation is a “catch-all for three subsets of skills: drive, grit and goals.” Drive leads with curiosity, passion and purpose which can automate the desired new behaviors. Pink in his book “Drive,” connects autonomy, mastery, and purpose to the key motivators of new behaviors. Both authors are consistent with their thinking in that it is purpose that creates momentum for motivation. Purpose becomes the forward pointing arrow that sparks us when we feel like giving up. Loehr and Schwartz in “The Power of Full Engagement” share that purpose is “the most powerful source of our motivation, perseverance and direction” which serves to maximize our energy when aligned with what matters most to us.
In determining purpose, individuals often start with values to understand what matters most. Although our values may change slightly throughout our lifetime, many stay consistent over time. Stulberg and Magness in “Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success” The Growth Equation | Art and Science of Success | Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness share that self-transcending purposes aligned with what is valued most is the best way to create motivation and is also important when motivation wanes. Kotler shares this belief calling it the “massively transformative purpose”. Focusing on the self-transcending purpose that provides the individual with a perspective of changing something bigger than self can also lead to increased performance.
Often our clients may have difficulty in determining which values are most important to them. The Values Center has on on-line personal values assessment that provides a report which is useful for coaching. An interesting component of the assessment is that it groups responses into categories of self-interest, transformation, and common good. For those clients wanting to explore more transformative and common good values, the report also provides opportunities for reflection and next steps.
Once the values are clear, clients can use the Intended Change Theory process to align the ideal and real selves in a behavior change process. In this step, clients visualize a desired future state and infuse it with the belief that it is possible to achieve the state. A discussion of strengths that will be needed to create the desired future leads to clarity and helps to build motivation toward the desired change. The client “gets real” by determining which values identified earlier will support the necessary changes and then determines where real self and ideal self are not aligned which can impact motivation for change.
When motivating self, individuals, and teams progress matters; Amabile and Kramer in “The Progress Principle” share that making progress is central to motivation and success. They share four ingredients to progress that include small wins, breakthroughs, forward movement, and goal completion. Note goal completion is not the only ingredient, identifying the steps along the way keeps clients focused and motivated. As with any behavior change process measurement and tracking is also important to staying motivated. Most habit researchers emphasize that without tracking individuals and teams do not have evidence of how far they have come nor do they have insights on how far the goal remains.
Although the focus of this article has been mostly on individuals, the concepts also apply to direct reports and teams with the difference being the relationship. When coaching direct reports on motivation, it is important to recognize that what motivates your direct may not be what motivates you as the leader. That is where the values tool can be so effective. Recognizing what drives the direct report can make the difference between average and top performance.
Finally, from a team perspective, Kotler shares what contributes to team flow. These attributes include shared goals, shared risk, listening, strong communication, blending egos, equal participation, familiarity, and sense of control. I would add understanding the values of team members will help with each one of these attributes as it creates an understanding of the earlier discussion of curiosity, passion, purpose, autonomy, and mastery. It is through understanding one another that relationships deepen and create more motivated teams.
If you found this article interesting and want to learn more about the topic, Global IOC will be hosting a Wednesday Webinar Zoom call on March 10th at 10 AM EST on the topic of Motivation through Three Lenses: Self, Direct Reports, and Teams.
Gagne, M. & Deci, E. (2005) Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331–362.