Can a manager really motivate team members? No, a manager cannot motivate other people. People can only motivate themselves. What a manager needs to do is to create an environment where team members will want to motivate themselves. The most successful managers find out what the needs of their team members are and then try to meet those needs. Chances are, if a manager can find out what each of his team members needs, and then help them get it, then the manager has created an environment in which team members will want to motivate themselves.
We start by looking at how managers can keep their own positive attitude in the workplace so they will be able to help create a motivational environment. Then we examine the three pieces or components that create this environment: the organization, the organization and the manager, and the manager. The chapter concludes with fifteen strategies for getting team members to motivate themselves.
The Manager’s Attitude
There is a very famous quote of General Eisenhower’s from World War II that sums up the type of attitude managers need to maintain in the workplace if they want to build a motivating work environment. Eisenhower said to his commanding officers in 1942 after a setback: "Without optimism, victory is scarcely obtainable."
If managers are negative or pessimistic in the workplace, then their team members will tend to be the same, and vice versa. It is the responsibility of every manager to remain as positive as possible. Most everyone would agree that team members who have a positive attitude at work perform better than those with a more pessimistic attitude.
A manager’s positive attitude is extremely appreciated by team members. There are four reasons:
- Approximately half of a person’s waking hours are spent at work. Without some positive attitudes in the workplace, this amount of time would seem endless.
- Team members depend on the positive attitude of their manager to establish a strong team spirit.
- Some team members have difficult personal lives. Where they work can be a place to find positive people who can help them forget some of their difficulties.
- For many team members, work is not what they would prefer to be doing. Working near a positive person makes their work more enjoyable.
Positive attitude can be broken down into eight different competencies. Take a look at the following list to see if you possess all eight of them.
The Eight Positive Attitude Competencies
- Optimism is a belief in and expectation of positive outcomes, even in the face of difficulty, challenge, or crisis.
- Enthusiasm means having high levels of interest, positive energy, or personal motivation.
- Integrity is acting on a personal commitment to fairness and honesty.
- Courage is the willingness to take risks and overcome fears, even when the outcome is uncertain.
- Confidence is being personally assured of one’s abilities, capabilities, and potential.
- Determination is the tireless pursuit of a goal, purpose, or cause.
- Patience is the willingness to wait for opportunity, readiness, or results from yourself or others.
- Calmness means taking time to reflect and think.