Boost Employee Commitment with Motivational Outlook Conversations

Have you ever conducted a motivational outlook conversation.  Motivational conversations are effective in boosting employee commitment and their alignment with your vision. Ask your people to identify what motivates them to do their best work and reaching for star performance. Your goal is to help them identify motivating factors that have maximum impact and create optimum energy for them.

As I mentioned in previous posts, most people identify several reasons for working.  These reasons often refer to sources of satisfaction: from the external (money or status) to the internal (finding meaning, acting on one’s values and ideals, aspiring to a higher purpose).

Susan Fowler, author of Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does: The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging, adds the following:

1. Inherence: I enjoy doing this.
2. Integration: Work helps me fulfill my purpose as a leader.
3. Alignment: I value developing people.

Susan also cites negative motivational outlooks:

1. Imposition: I have to; it’s my job.
2. Externalization: It’s what I’m paid to do.
3. Disinterest: I’d rather be doing something else.

Unfortunately, motivation has received a bad rap by association with “motivational speeches”.  Motivation gained from a motivational speech is fleeting.  Start to regard motivation as a highly-valued skill—one that can be learned, acquired, encouraged, and sustained. Each of us can choose our motivation.

Motivational conversations help people discover different reasons for doing their work. Once they pinpoint their current motivations, they can dig down to identify their internal motivations—ideally, those that relate to their values - and hopefully, those aligned with their organization's values.

Several conversations may be necessary for your employees to deliver their best work through values they truly care about. You can help them see the bigger picture and connect the dots to feeling valued.

Remember: People are already motivated. As their leader, your best work involves providing a culture that encourages higher levels of motivation with a sense of “flow” and “thriving”.  What matters is the quality of motivation. Don’t succumb to organizational systems, processes, and initiatives that favour "driving" over "thriving". It doesn’t have to be that way. 

What do you think about this?

1. What are your current motivations and can you connect the dots to relate to your internal motivations and your values?

2. How do you assess and ensure that your systems and processes contribute to "flow" and "thriving"?

3. What is your next immediate step toward creating and maintaining a culture of "flow" and "thriving"?

This blog series on motivation culminates with the next bonus post - What is Flow and How is Flow Created?

Tell me about the challenges and successes you have with building capacity and capability for a great workplace and great profits. Your comments are welcome.

Contact me at [email protected], on LinkedIn, or on Maestro’s Facebook page. 

Books and Audiobooks:

Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work…and What Does: The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging, Susan Fowler. Also available in Kindle Edition, on iTunes (audiobook), and in iBooks

Link for Motivation Series Blogs:

What is Flow and How is Flow Created? - We are Most Productive and Satisfied in the State of Flow
Boost Employee Commitment with Motivational Outlook Conversations
Motivate without Micromanaging - Eliminate Mindless Compliance and Conformity
Puzzles Motivate Monkeys. What Motivates People? – The Power of Self-Determination
What We can Learn about Motivation from Monkeys – The Psychological Need for Competence
The Motivational Trifecta - Goldilocks Management: Just the Right Amount
Motivate without Over-Managing - This isn’t the 20th Century Workplace

Related Blogs:

Providing Conditions for Peak Performance, Patricia Muir 

Related Article by Guest Contributor:

Job Hopping: What Happened to Job Loyalty in the U.S. by Advance Systems