MOTIVATION
“Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over
if you just sit there.”
– American Railroad Saying
Are you one of those
people who buy exercise videos then sits on the couch to watch them?
Or you lug all of your books home to work on those papers and assignments
that are piling up but never quite get around to opening up your bag?
Motivation can be the key to success for any project, individual or
group. And a lack thereof can be your biggest downfall. If you feel
you – or your group – are not accomplishing as much as you
could be, take a step back to look at the situation. Are you personally
unmotivated? That can be changed:
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Make
a conscious effort. Motivating yourself means more than thinking,
“From now on I will be more motivated.” Take it one step
further and make a conscious effort to stay focused on tasks through
their completion, control the number of activities in which you are
involved, and so forth.
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Keep
sailing through stormy weather. It is easy to lose interest in a task
when obstacles appear. Do not quit! The strongest test of your motivation
is your ability to see your goals through adverse conditions.
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Rely
on yourself. Do not depend on the encouragement of others to keep
you motivated. Learn to encourage yourself by thinking positively,
rewarding yourself on your successes and believing your goal is achievable.
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Start
your day off right. Begin each day by focusing on what you need to
accomplish and prioritize these items. Memorize the top 4-5 items
and set out to complete them by the end of the day. Regardless of
interruptions, distractions and unplanned occurrences, those 4-5 items
are going to get done!
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Challenge
yourself. Do not get caught up in a rut at school, work or home. Challenge
your abilities and set goals that will allow you to expand and improve
your skills.
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What
is your utopia? Take a moment to list those things in your personal,
professional and educational life that would make your life ideal. Do not limit yourself to what you think you can do this week –
dream big! After making your list, write smaller, more specific steps
on how to get there.
Maybe your motivation
is fine, but you have some group members who could use a bit of a push. There are several ways to get them up and running:
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Set
a good example. If members see you are dedicated to the organization
and truly want to accomplish great things, this will help them follow
suit.
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Develop
your members. Help build their self-confidence. Praise them when they
achieve goals. Encourage them to take on new responsibilities. Demonstrate
your confidence in them.
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Getting
to know you. Learn about your members and let them know you are interested
in and concerned about them. Do team building activities to get them
comfortable with each other. It is harder to let a friend down than
a stranger.
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Delegate. Get members actively involved while taking some pressure off of yourself
or your executive board.
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Focus. A focused leader results in a focused group. Do not be sidetracked
by minor problems; focus on your group’s goals and encourage
them to do the same.
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Don’t
abuse them. Do not use threats or unfair treatment to motivate people
or you will soon find yourself without a group. Instead, encourage
and lead by example.
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Don’t
focus on personal weaknesses. In fact, pay no attention to them at
all. Delegate jobs where strengths really matter, then weaknesses
will not even be an issue. Build on their strengths and the weaknesses
will either improve or become invisible.
As Dale Carnegie has
told us, there is only one way to get anyone to do anything: by making
them want to do it. If people believe in, support and are actively involved
in the group’s mission and goals, they will likely be more motivated
to help achieve these goals.
Reference:
Gellerman,
S.W. (1994). Motivating Superior Performance. Portland, OR: Productivity
Press.
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