Motivation in simplest terms is the ability to do a job willingly and well. This implies that there is a connection between the task and the mind of the individual and there is a measure of the quality of work done at the end of the task. A made up and committed mind to get the job done is essential in every workplace if there are going to be mutual success between employees and employers.
The actions , attitude, policies, rules(written and unwritten),the grapevine, the profitability of the company, benefits, security of tenure, styles of leadership, opportunity for upward mobility, the competitors, stakeholders demands, and the external climate overall , will impact on the level of motivation within the company.
A good company will ensure that it used these factors in the right mix to achieve maximum motivation while another company under poor leadership may fail to enhance motivation due to its inability to develop the right mix
Workers who are not motivated may become liability to the company especially in terms of attitude and productivity while the motivated will help to achieve synergy in several areas.
However the real motivation is the one that comes from within and manifest positively on the outside despite what is happening in the environment.
The ideal scenario for any organization is when the external and internal motivators are both positive, as this will enable the company to achieve super profits and become sustainable.
The ideal scenario can however be bad for many individuals especially when they develop mindset as to how things should be and the opposite happens.
Workers, who are fired, laid off, made redundant, not promoted, given little or no increase, or transferred, may take the decision badly and become de-motivated for a long time.
However it is from these types of experience one can develop Unusual Motivations.
To be fired or laid off may be a blessing in disguise; it may be time to look internally at whom you are, what skill or opportunity is available.
Working in the same job for several years may allow some people to become stagnant mentally, lazy intellectually, and less risk averse to develop hidden potential.
Greatness is not achieved from the comfort zone of a steady job, or where there is a lack of challenge.
Pressure, threat, embarrassment, insecurity, uncertainty, rejection, low financial resources, isolation, and discomfort are factors that will force the greatness that lies within an individual.
When people are faced with these scenarios they will be forced to think differently, and ideas that develops here may be unusual. The unusual ideas will then require an internal unusual motivation to come to fruition.
Desperation because the alternative is limited then becomes an engine that drives the individual to prove their detractors wrong.
Several years ago when I was in high school, my Chemistry Teacher gave me a proper scolding regarding my poor performance on the test and the quality of the paper it was presented on. I was insulted before the whole class and pledge in my heart that this will not happen again.
I rose from that negative position to regularly top the class and to graduate from college five years later with a quality diploma.
One of my undergraduate professors told the class that the reason why he pursued the difficult numerical courses and pass them was because he was told that he could not and he wanted to prove the teacher wrong.
He used a negative situation to motivate himself to achieve intellectual greatness. He could look back and thank his teacher for making that negative statement because it helps to bring out the greatness that was inside.
Facing negative situations should therefore be seen as an opportunity to face and conquer new challenges.
The manager of a large multinational was fired from his job in the mid 1980's and when everyone thought his career was over, he took a risk and develop another company in the same field.
Several years later his company became a top performer in the country, employing several hundred employees.
One man found the courage to internally motivate himself, and rose up to offer employment and satisfactions to many.
A professor in Business Strategy once told us that wherever there is a threat there is always an opportunity but we have to look for it. This manager looked for and found the opportunity.
It is time for those who are faced with adversity in all areas to look for the possibility of success covered under the veil of the event. We can internally motivate ourselves to analyze the situation, take off the veil and move into a great opportunity.
Within many of us there are unlimited amounts of courage, determination, commitment, confidence, charisma, mental energy, creativity, drive, learning disposition, and visions of the future ready to be unearthed.
Difficult situations like unemployment, laying-off, death, divorce, and even closure of a company may be ideal for that great idea to be developed.
Motivations from unusual positions can and will get the attention of the world and ultimately capture the unmet needs in the market place. The birth of one successful company can then lead to the development of a new market where several new competitors emerge to provide even more employment for the society and greater tax intakes for the government.
