After the publication of the article Why do I have trouble going to the office… again? I received a few comments suggesting that I propose some alternatives to overcome demotivation problems, related to any company. I don't believe in magic recipes that solve problems effortlessly, at least I haven't seen them. However, I can share some situations that could coincide with certain episodes of your life in the company, and make a brief reference on the causes of demotivation and how to treat the demotivated.
Typical cases of demotivation are easy to find. For example, when you have a boss with a long history as a manager, a position that was probably obtained after hard battles, in which he had to “remove from the middle” whoever threatened his position and not precisely because of his ability and talent. Let's imagine a first scenario: it is you who just entered the company, loaded with degrees and postgraduate degrees, selected by one of the most prestigious head hunters in the world, full of energyand illusions, wasting knowledge and pride in what you achieved… let's see what would be the thinking of a manager with a competent professional profile… How well… someone with knowledge is integrated into my team… it will surely contribute to the results! The other side of the coin: "Well, here came another threat and of great caliber… it had better be forgotten by his titles, because here I am the boss… let's see how long he lasts in the job!". This is likely to become the beginning of the end of your days at that company. What to do? In this case, you must analyze the type of culture of the organization, be certain if it is an isolated case or is a practice rooted in it. If the manager thinks and acts that way because he enjoys the trust and appreciation of top management, then I suggest the following: stay in the company enduring the mistreatment of the boss… putting as an excuse the good salary you receive, until patience lasts… or failing that you value yourself as a professional, remembering how much effort and money it cost you to achieve that degree, to find an alternative more according to your expectations.
Another frequent case of demotivation occurs when you have been waiting for the long-awaited promotion offered by your boss for a few years, however, when you think that the miracle has finally "been done", a new executive full of scrolls and references "comes in" landing directly in that position that you waited so long for. In that case it is necessary to take the time to calmly evaluate and talk to your boss to clarify your situation. If the answer is sincere (many times it is due to decisions of a higher level), you will have a clearer picture of making a more objective, less visceral decision.
A third case, occurs when you are the person who generates projects, you propose new ideas and suddenly those ideas are materialized in improvements for the company, so far everything is fine, the inconvenience is generated when the "medals" and credits are Awarded to your boss, who had no better idea than to propose it as his.
These situations are not the product of any movie writer, I am almost certain that they resemble the ones that many of you have had or have to endure.
Causes of demotivation
There is more a theory that tries to explain the behavior of people and the reasons that drive them to make decisions or simply not to make them. According to Juan Luis Urcola there are causes:
Attributable to the person: reflected in negative attitudes, feelings of injustice appreciated by the worker.
Attributable to work: lack of goals, unattractive tasks, routine, workload, being away from home.
Attributable to the boss: leadership style, lack of recognition, unfulfilled promises, shirking responsibility, bad example, bad mood, lack of control.
Responsible to the company: lack of sensitivity, weakness in the application of standards, equal treatment to those who comply and those who do not.
According to the theory of human motivations of Juan Antonio Perez López:
It can be motivated externally; with money, with material things, in this case what can be expected from a worker is fulfillment of the task, sales quota, no more than that…
A worker can be motivated by appealing to internal reasons (delegation, training, development), in which case you can expect him: creativity, ability to solve problems, suggestions, initiative.
It can be motivated by appealing to transcendent reasons, that is, thinking about the other person (encouragement and support, support for personal problems, fostering a good environment), in which case loyalty, trust, sacrifice, identification can be expected from the worker.
How to Treat the Unmotivated
According to Juan Urcola, there are 7 steps to treat the unmotivated:
Collect information: collect concrete actions, behaviors, talk with the bosses and closest colleagues.
Talk to the person: with the information collected, learn from your own source your personal vision in this regard.
Make an appropriate diagnosis: Having collected information from both sources, a proper diagnosis can be made.
It is necessary to be clear why a worker does not fulfill his functions and does not contribute to the objectives. It can be attributed to the fact that he does not know (training problems), because he cannot (adaptation problem) or because he does not want (motivation problem). This is where you should go deeper into the reasons why you don't want to.
Deepening the causes: many times the person does not know exactly why he is unmotivated and they attribute them to other external factors.
Solve, if you can: with all the information obtained, you should try to solve the problem. It is important to keep in mind that you should never try to motivate the unmotivated without solving their demotivation problem first.
Maintaining a positive and confident attitude: without falling into blackmail or privileges, they are the basis for recovering the unmotivated.
Try to find ways of motivation: refers to the forms of motivation explained above.
It is essential that every boss knows closely the needs and expectations of their people. GK Chesterton said: "In general, I'm much less interested in what people do than why they do it." You cannot love what is not known, which is why many who call themselves leaders fall into unnecessary mistreatment, misusing power. There are no bad workers but bad bosses, I heard someone say in a conference and I agree with that. So when I see realities of abuse of power, the following phrase comes to my memory: "It is easier to lead slaves than to free people" What do you think?
Until next time!
