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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction: Motivation 1
Course Objectives 2
Lesson 1: Cultivate Initiative ¾ Empower Your Team. 3
Lesson 2: What is Goal Setting? 6
Lesson 3: Steps to Successful Coaching 10
Lesson 4: WHY to COACH? 14
Conclusion 16
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In our modern-day business
life, one of the activities that we all seem to be very involved in, is
team effort and workplace collaboration. The word “motivation” currently holds a place
of stature and importance. Successful motivation techniques have perhaps
instigated the most significant outcome of worker involvement in today’s
business world! As the collaboration trend and the use of employee teams
continues to grow, questions that might be taking on greater importance
in your mind as Team Leader or Manager, are:
The first features that must be
investigated are the defining characteristics of models that show successful
results from proper motivation. The first things we must look at are the
ingredients or characteristics of teams that sustain high levels of
motivation.
Your first logical question would be:
“What motivates me PERSONALLY?” This question taps into deeply held
beliefs about what makes us DO what we do. In fact, what is it that makes
us DO anything? We all know that each day brings with it an
endless list of decisions to be made. The process of making those decisions
is driven, in large part, by
No matter how large or small, every
decision we make is filtered through this process. These become strong
drivers ¾ motivators ¾ of our behavior.
Industrial psychologists have taken this further by defining these
benefits and consequences as NEEDS:
With these definitions in mind, you may now proceed in the
discovery of successful methods of MOTIVATION ¾ for the empowerment
of YOUR TEAM.
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 At the completion of this
module, you will be able to:
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We need to empower our
people so they can take more responsibility for their own lives in a
world that is ever smaller, where everyone counts ... We need a new
spirit of community, a sense that we are all in this together ...
~ Bill Clinton, U.S. President
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Motivation is a very
powerful word – for a very powerful force in our lives! Motivation is
encouragement and it is inspiration. It is an impetus that propels us
forward. Motivation leads to goal-directed behaviors – but more than
that, it encourages a given response. It is stimulation, and uplifting.
It refers to purposeful activities in our daily world, and as such, is a
characteristic of the will. And when it comes to your team, motivation
will see that your goals are served with dedication.
When it comes down to getting things
done, it takes far more than just telling your team to do something. The
motivational techniques behind successful teamwork are oftentimes unseen,
and almost always are products of careful thought processes. Because you are
a savvy manager or team leader, you’ve already seen that this process
involves:
When we look at teams that find
themselves in jeopardy, there are a number of descriptors that show us
the root of the problem. Team members sometimes are:
More than being simply negative
emotions, the results of these downbeat outlooks may easily cause these
employees to jeopardize not only their own work, but also the work of
other team members ¾ and ultimately, the
project, altogether.
Early recognition of these symptoms
calls for immediate action! How can we get around the “DE-constructive”
outlooks and get back on the right road to successful teamwork?
Motivation is actually a core competency that successful
leaders possess, and it most often is the solution to offsetting the
“doldrums,” explained here.
You, as the team leader or manager, are
ultimately responsible for making the difference in employee attitude and
performance! Although this may seem like an impossible duty at times,
this process begins with the knowledge that a clear purpose, focus, or
mission is one initial factor that influences motivation.
Some things to consider while
clarifying your purpose or mission:
So, you ask, what does it take to
provide the necessary motivation to keep a team on track? Let’s take a
look at traditional incentives versus some current motivational methods
that have come into play. Traditionally, money and promotions kept
employees happy. Research now shows that today’s strong motivators are
more esoteric in nature. Here are some factors that motivate. We are
going to look at each one:
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Key
Points:
·
As the
team leader, you must develop strong planning skills, patience, and an
ability to clarify a team’s mission.
·
Some
strong motivators include clear goals, positive reinforcements, coaching
and training.
·
You
must also be able to determine the most appropriate incentives to
motivate your particular team.
·
In
defining motivation, clarifying your team mission and keeping a flow of
positive feedback are ingredients for a team that will sustain a high
level of motivation.
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REVIEW FOR LESSON ONE:
Cultivate Initiative ¾ Empower Your Team
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Not every end is a goal. The
end of a melody is not its goal: but nonetheless, had the
melody not reached its end it would not have reached its goal
either.
~ Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900), German philosopher
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One of the motivation
factors is: Goal Setting.
Goal setting is a process. This
process is intended to increase efficiency and effectiveness in the work
place, and it specifies the desired outcomes toward which individuals,
departments, teams and organizations should work. In order to achieve
these outcomes, it is necessary to set goals effectively so that a
manager or leader is offering a clear direction for the employee.
In creating an organized framework for
the work environment, goals add challenge and justification to the task
setting. Within this organized atmosphere, the best conditions develop ¾ and this becomes a
positive, reinforcing environment, where the employee can excel.
Periodic stimulation in the form of a
worthy challenge is one method of
maintaining motivation. Because goal setting is essentially a process of
developing and establishing targets, these become challenges for the
individual. To put this in the most vibrant of perspectives, we should
examine the act of being challenged as it relates to the survival
mechanism called the “Fight or Flight Syndrome.”
This built-in defense system goes into
action when a person is presented with any form of challenge! Our
defenses are alerted to move us to action. We are somewhat “programmed”
to either run away from the danger or confrontation ¾ or we address it
directly.
In many groups that have responded to a challenge with heroic
success ¾ the challenge,
itself, was the motivator.
Step 1:
Create a Challenge
Creating a challenging goal is not an
easy task, and certainly not as easy as it sounds! Be careful to not
interpret this, however, as "Create a Difficult Goal." The word
“challenging,” in this sense, refers to aligning the goals of the
organization or team with the knowledge, skills and abilities of the
employee. If a goal is too difficult for the employee, the employee will
feel incompetent and might possibly maintain resentment for the
organization, especially if adequate training is not available.
Ultimately, this employee will lose interest and fail at the task.
On the other hand, if a goal is too
easy for the employee, the employee will feel underutilized and bored
with the task. Ultimately, this employee will produce a product of lower
quality than he or she is capable of completing.
In setting a challenging goal,
follow the SMART acronym. Goals should be:
RESPONSIBILITY as a tremendous
motivator
In
general, giving out responsibility STIMULATES both people and teams.
Having ownership of an identifiable block of work is a long-held tenet of
motivation in groups. Be careful, though! Responsibility can be
tricky! Implied in this concept is the understanding that the
responsibility comes with the authority to make necessary changes.
Teams that
have both the responsibility and authority tend to maintain motivation
over longer periods of time. But, responsibility can be de-motivating if
the consequences of error or failure are too great. It is difficult to
sustain high performance when energy is being sapped by fear.
Step 2:
Identify Barriers
A barrier
is anything negative that moderates the relationship between the goal and
its required performance. Some examples of barriers to goal attainment
are:
Step 3:
Leverage Advantages
An
advantage is anything positive that moderates the relationship between
the goal and its required performance. Some examples of advantages to
goal attainment include:
An
individual's effort and persistence may "make or break" the end
product or the final result!
Step 4:
Perform
Let the
employee go out and perform! There will be questions, even if the goal
has been described in detail.
Step 5:
Measure
Have a
measurement system in place to identify if the employee has
satisfactorily achieved the end result. This should be a standardized
process. It should be described to the employee as a part of your early
stages in describing the goal.
Step 6:
Reward
Once goals
and objectives have been set, you are responsible for:
“Reinforcement”
is an increase in the frequency of behavior, thus strengthening the
skills. This can be either:
“Rewarding”
is providing a pleasant experience to increase the frequency of behavior,
thus strengthening the skills.
Together,
reinforcement plus reward are powerful motivators!
Step 7:
Re-Visit
Always
re-visit the end result. Be sure to analyze the steps you have taken that
have been successful and that helped employees attain the goal.
Re-visiting the job that the employee did along the way is invaluable to
your assessment for future goal setting. Be sure to include your feedback
as part of the employee's performance appraisal.
Throughout
each of these steps, you should always keep in mind that goal setting –
one step toward motivating – is not enough to MOTIVATE. You must also be
a successful coach. Coaching and mentoring skills are also powerful
motivators in encouraging employees to perform. So, let’s take a look at
them!
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Key
Points:
·
When
it comes to being challenged, as humans, we still rise to a test of our
abilities in much the same way that humankind has ALWAYS risen to the
occasion. Keep this in mind when developing targets ¾ goals ¾ for your team.
·
When
implementing the processes in setting goals, in spite of your careful
attention to developing processes for achieving specific goals, goal
setting NOT enough. You must also have excellent coaching skills.
·
Goal
Setting is crucial to creating an organized framework in your team.
·
The
steps to setting excellent goals, from the initial concept of a
challenge, through the analyzation of the final result, means that you
must identify barriers as well as advantages, you must allow members to
perform and then you must measure that performance, and lastly, you MUST
give out due rewards! (That’s the fun part!)
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REVIEW FOR LESSON TWO: What is Goal Setting?
Setting goals and objectives
includes the following four components:
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You’ve
got to
Accent-tchu-ate the positive.
~ Johnny Mercer (1909–1976), U.S. songwriter
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It is extremely important
that as you become skilled in the evaluation of performance. It is important to
note that success as a coach actually stems from successful performance
management. For really useful details, check out the module on
Performance Management.
Define your starting point:
Let’s examine some initial criteria for
successful performance evaluation and management:
Engage the cooperation of your
team members:
If you first ask for a statement of
understanding, this will convey to your employees that coaching requires
two-way communication ¾ because, if being a
dictator were optimal for this type of situation, this section would be
called "Steps to Successful Dictatorship!" Begin by assessing the
knowledge and skill base of your team players. This will lead you to two
essential possible tasks:
Examine potential development
opportunities for your team:
Bringing first-hand feedback from your team will also provide a
development opportunity for your employees. It will allow for you to show
and explain vital factors affecting the team purpose or mission:
So, what does it take??
IT
TAKES GREATNESS IN COACHING!
Take a look at this “Checklist of
Things To Do Each Day.” When it comes to coaching, there are steps you
can take to ensure that your plans and actions are effective. Here we
have a useful checklist and tips to help you find out where you are, and
plan where you are going, in coaching your team members.
CHECKLIST OF THINGS TO DO EACH DAY
Now, examine these “Attributes of
a Great Leader/Coach”:
You AND your team will derive much
from the “Benefits of Successful Coaching”:
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Key
Points:
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Careful
record keeping, a positive attitude, and being very aware of two-way
communication will provide an ideal setting for your role as coach.
·
One of
the most essential elements in a great coach is the attention that he or
she pays to the needs of individuals on the team.
·
In
great coaching and mentoring, the importance, and PURPOSE of performance
management leads to effective organization of team efforts and success.
·
The
final goal of setting up motivation that leads to team success is that
each team member learns self-actualizing behavior ¾ they will perform their
best and feel their best, and the team will be greatly enhanced in scope
and function.
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REVIEW FOR LESSON
THREE: Steps to Successful Coaching
Think of one individual on your team to
use as an example as you move through this exercise.
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One of the signs of passing youth is the birth
of a sense of fellowship with other human beings as
we take our place among them.
~ Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), British novelist
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Perhaps the most essential
benefit of your excellence in coaching will be that your team members
will begin to demonstrate a strong sense of belonging to a group … not just ANY group,
but a goal-oriented team that consistently achieves what they set about
to do. For these feelings of belonging – of professional fellowship and
that our work is meaningful – there simply is no other substitute for
this kind of incentive.
From this sometimes-simple,
sometimes-supreme balancing act that makes up the accomplishment of
successful coaching ¾ now it is time to
explore the results that can come from your success at coaching! You will
probably note right away that these are the unseen, enigmatic bits and
pieces of successful team interaction, and not hard physical evidence
such as reports, models, artifacts or other physical evidence of the
work. The intangible benefits of success in team interaction are the
MOTIVATORS for future success!
Successful Coaching Boosts
INTERACTION and CAMARADERIE
Successful Coaching Promotes Open
And Direct COMMUNICATION
Successful Coaching Promotes
GROWTH
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Key
Points:
·
The
three main results of successful coaching are: Team Camaraderie, Team
Communication, and Team Growth.
·
Professional
fellowship and a knowledge that our work is meaningful are very important
to a team’s success. Your part in achieving this, as coach and mentor, is
invaluable.
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REVIEW FOR LESSON FOUR:
WHY to COACH?
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As you may have
noticed in the thread of this module, there are no hard and fast rules for
providing motivation for your team. Only suggestions are appropriate,
because there IS no team exactly like your own – and your approach for
bringing motivation, will be totally unique.
As you begin to develop the assessment tools for
bringing a higher level of motivation techniques to your group, you will
more deeply understand that a great team leader pays the most attention to
human qualities, human feelings, and human goals. This is because those
things that motivate us are very much tied up in things that are more
meaningful than just a salary or a set of benefits. The team goal is born
within the depths of each team member, and their dedication to their
profession and high level of work.
As you study this module and begin
to implement changes in your team, these tips and checklists for “growing”
your team will also expand your own vision for how the team fits within the
larger whole. Be sure to return here to refresh the new ideas you’ve just
pondered! Now it is time to go and EMPOWER YOUR TEAM!!
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