As I see it, there are two distinct categories of motivation. The first, which some might think easier than the other is self-motivation, the other is motivating others. The others can be our children, a sports team we coach, or our team members at work.
For this post, we will stick with self-motivation and motivating our team at work. In both cases, belief is key. As John Maxwell stated above, believing in someone before they have proved themselves is the key to reaching their potential. Maybe faith would be a better word than belief in this context, as faith doesn’t require proof or evidence.
Self Belief
For all the entrepreneurs out there, especially the solopreneurs, we have no choice in whether or not we believe in ourselves when we start a new thing. There is no way to know with absolute certainty that what we are inventing, developing, or founding will work, so we press on having faith in ourselves, our skills, and our ideas.
In the end, we either celebrate our victory or grieve our loss with the faith that if we try again, we will do better.
Team Belief
For most of us, believing in our team members before they have proved themselves is a challenging proposition. Having faith in them in the absence of proof or evidence is difficult, add to that past failures and it’s a monumental task at best. However, it’s a bet we need to place, it’s a wager worthy of our investment as it MOTIVATES our team members like nothing else does.
So, the next time you are thinking about motivating (bribing) your team with money, paid time off, benefits, etc., try putting a little faith in them and watch them soar to new heights. If you need help in this area, I know of no better resource for a custom cabinet manufacturer than to join one of the GoodProfitGroup organizations (Mastermind or Peer Advisory Group), which provides you with a Virtual Board of Directors that are also your peers (the absolute best kind of people to bounce your ideas off of).
