I was amused when one of my friends (who is currently in
university) told me that when they were young, their daddy could promise them
that whoever would top in their class or grade, would be awarded with a number
of snack packs. This would trigger them to work extra hard such that they would
ultimately receive the reward that had been promised to them. This was indeed a
motivating factor! This in return made their performance to improve a notch
higher each time the promise was accomplished, and another better one made.
This is what is referred to as the power within motivation.
Before I “encroach” deeper, we need to understand; what is
actually motivation? I can simply define it as a stimulus that induce or
incites someone to vigorously spur into a course of action and have that
general desire and willingness to do something at his or her best. In 1943,
Abraham Maslow came up with the “Theory of Motivation” where he stated that
individuals are at first inclined to satisfy their physiological needs such as
food, shelter and other basic necessities. This is before they could achieve
other needs such as safety, social needs, esteem needs and self actualization.
As an employer, you will actually realize that the
productivity level of your employers would be reflecting and moving in a
positive direction once you put the motivation factor into consideration. The
employers feel appreciated when they have diligently performed the allocated
task and given a well deserved compliment. This can be through acknowledging
their efforts, for instance with a “Thank You” note, a token of appreciation or
even a promotion. This would make an employee strive to work even harder and
this would translate into good performance to the organization.
In his book, “Success
and Motivation”, Mark Cuban states “I did it too. I drove by big houses and
wondered who lived there? What did they do for a living? How did they make
their money? Someday I told myself I would live in a house like that. Every
weekend I did it.” It is very distinctive that he was motivated when he could
see such palatial houses and this triggered him to work even harder
such that one day,
he would also live in such mansion; and he actually did it! The same case applies to sprinter Usain Bolt who is ever motivated to maintain his record as the fastest runner in the world which indeed no one has outperformed him.
Thus it is actually stark truth that motivation is the
driving force towards achievement of unimaginable goals. It brings out an
uncontrolled upsurge that can enable you to feel the need of giving your best
in order to feel contented and satisfied. Confucius once said “The will to win,
the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…these are the keys
that will unlock the doors to personal excellence”. As you note those wise
words, note that self-motivation starts with you and you will be surprised of
the untapped potential that you have!
No comments:
Post a Comment