As a business owner or senior manager wouldn’t it be just great if people would do what you wanted? Surely this is easy? You are in charge and have all the power and so you should be able to get them to follow your instructions and then voila, all is solved.

Yeah right!….. If that was the reality then there wouldn’t be the need for many managers. Probably just one, you, who called the shots and everyone else scurried around trying so hard to please.

 

No, I am afraid that is all pure fantasy dreamed up after a week spent on holiday enjoying this beautiful weather away from the realities of the day to day machinations of a normal workplace.

 

How it really works is that the people in your business are all pretty smart, have opinions, have many years of experience across all functions and think they are right most of the time. And often they are. Amongst this set of clever people are all the different personalities that make for the odd game of Russian roulette or power plays from time to time, often when the pressure in the business is on and calm heads are needed by all. Throw in the spice of diverse cultures, different languages and sometimes diverging attitudes, and you have a right royal recipe for a very interesting day, every day.

 

So, I hear you asking, with the scene now set, “How do I, as the manager of all this mayhem, move these people along so that I can achieve business success?” Really, the question should be “How do I motivate people to move together towards a common goal?”

This is a simple question that has vexed even the greatest of thinkers.

 

I would bet that from time to time, as you reflect on your team members, that you identify with the old Yorkshire saying “There’s nowt so queer as folk”. If this is indeed true, then it takes a special person to lead them because to be successful you have to have a pretty good understanding of what makes people tick. If you want to motivate your team you need to be thinking about them as both a group and as special unique individuals. So, that is covered.

 

The most important thing to know, however, is that you cannot motivate anyone. Yes, you cannot motivate anyone! Before you all pack up on me here, let me explain. Firstly, every person is entirely responsible for their own motivation. What you can do, and this is really a huge part of your remit, is to spend a lot of time, energy and resources creating the environment where all these diverse people come together and actually want to do things in your organisation. If you can achieve this, then you will have committers as opposed to compliers and your business will start to flourish. Imagine having set the environment up so that people really really wanted to do stuff for the business? Once you get into this zone, suddenly things get a little easier because people in the business feel part of it and will look after it and defend it for you. They are finally on your side!

 

Is this easy to achieve? No. Is it possible? Very definitely. Each organisation has its own buzz and feel and the trick is to tune into a natural synergy with what is real for your business and develop and grow the culture, creating an environment that stimulates and motivates people. Yes, it is all about the environment. That is the way to get the motivation high.

 

Complex stuff but quite doable. It is the only true way to lasting business success.

 

Have a chat to us. Anytime. We’d love to talk.