When you think of motivation, what comes to mind? Winston Churchill making an epic motivational speech? Oprah Winfrey inspiring thousands? Or do you think more of Thomas Edison trying and trying to get that lightbulb lit? Or do you see the opposite, a person in a slump, overwhelmed by the feeling of being scared and unable to source motivation?Inspirational quotes and motivational speakers can only go so far to motivate a team.
Competition as motivation?
In the world of business, competition is sometimes used as a motivational tool; a way to keep moving forward and to encourage staff to give 100% and for staff to give their best. There’s nothing wrong with competition when it’s employed in a friendly manner to push one another to greater heights. (Your culture) Does your business have a motivational culture based on competition?
Too often these days, people associate rivalry with aggression and find it difficult to conceive of competition that doesn’t escalate into a free-for-all attack. As a business owner or entrepreneur, what culture would you like to instill to motivate your team? Is your road to success a competitive one? Or is it only almost getting it right?
Keep the competition?
There will always be a place for competition, in athletics, business, and in life. But what must change is the spirit that turns the mere acquisition of points into the number one goal. (Your prime focus) More than just a desire to succeed is needed to motivate.
Does your team want to succeed? When the extrinsic motivation of competition becomes the basis for our motivation, it drives us away from self-knowledge and self-discovery. This is what over-competitiveness shares with the fear of failure. Both are misplaced motivations, distracting our attention from the big dreams and goals of self-actualization. When we are worried about beating other people, we can’t focus on developing our own potential. We become outer-directed, instead of inner-inspired. You and your staff have something to give without needing someone to beat.
Remember that all motivations arise from the same source…the desire to be satisfied with yourself. Even the fear of failure, in its most basic form, masks a desire to feel good about ourselves – competitiveness also derives from the
need for self-esteem.
Motivational roots
So, the roots of even these motivations are quite sound. They are present in all of us to some degree. How we frame our desires, and how we define the benefits we expect to receive will determine what drives us forward, and how far
it will take us. (Your strategy) Knowing your customers and your staff can help you create this in your business. To lose motivation can be costly.
By focusing on positive, healthy motivations and letting the more negative ones pass you by, you can purify the source of your imaginative power. The longer you work on it, the easier it will be to frame your motivation toward intrinsic and
positive achievement.
For more on business culture have a look at this: Thank God it’s Monday
