Every day, around the world, thousands of entrepreneurs, managers or executives ask themselves the title question. And it is surprising that they conceive the sudden lack or loss of motivation of their personnel as a virus of unknown origin. This situation refers to the old films of the 50s and 60s about aliens. And is that such managers understand low spirits as something inexplicable, incomprehensible, something that came from another world to turn their employees into zombies or soulless beings.
To remedy this situation, among other solutions, speakers who are professional motivators or inspirers are often sought, who, for better or for worse, are a growing species and are in good health even in Latin America. I have heard of business leaders taking the following shortcut that seemed incredible to me: they summon their people to a room with video equipment and a big screen and make them watch a conference recorded by some American or Latin American guru.
Taking advantage of lectures, live or recorded is not bad in itself. Neither is using other less orthodox procedures such as walking on hot coals. The problem is that the symptoms are being attacked and not the cause of the disease. Therefore, the effect of the technique will be fleeting since it remains on the surface.
Work motivation is a phenomenon closely linked to the climate that is breathed in the workplace and the type of leadership exercised in it. And this directly touches managers or executives. Generally these people think that the motivation of their subordinates is not affected by how superiors act and communicate.
In fact, like certain parents who are not very competent, they consider that the negligence of those in their charge is the result, in the first instance, of a whim or an attempt to sabotage.
Thus posed the problem, the motivation will be seen as an extraterrestrial virus.
What must be very clear is that the motivation for work is a daily, continuous and multi-axial process, that is, it rests on several axes. And all these axes or threads lead, ultimately, to the way of running the company. To their managers.
Other managers are curious to understand motivation and turn to manuals, courses, and the Internet. And they come up with another problem. Sometimes it is explained esoterically. Let's be frank: Maslow, Herzberg, McClelland and others' theories of motivation are set out very abstractly and with little or no correlation in real working life. And this happens even in postgraduate courses.
Managers should be aware that to motivate there are a number of strategies to use with employees, for example, coordinated goal planning; encourage participation in decision-making; various benefits and symbolic incentives. All of which goes beyond mere financial rewards.
But how do you know which strategy to apply and when to do it? To find out, I can only recommend fluid communication with all your staff. But let us give the word communication its broadest meaning. Let's not confuse it with monologue, with litany or with sermons. By suggesting that you communicate with your staff I mean that you listen to them more; discover what interests them and what mobilizes them; where they are going or want to go. And find a way for them to see that their work is a very useful vehicle to achieve it. As Deming and Drucker say: Only workers can best identify how to do their jobs well.
