Understanding Motivation at Work

Motivation in a work context is defined as the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy in people to be continually interested and committed to their job, tasks and to the organisations vision and mission.

It is beneficial to become aware of the conditions which enable you to demonstrate your full potential and perform at your very best. Understanding yourself and the key driving forces behind what makes you tick will help clarify what positions you would be most suited for and what kind of work may lead to greater job satisfaction and engagement. 

Motivation and your career

Knowing what motivates you is important to being employable:

• You are more likely to be motivated in an environment which matches your personal values.
• You are more likely to be motivated by what you prefer doing, feel energised by or are good at.
• It gives employers clues to your attitude, character and how to get the best from you.
• Employers want to know your ‘why’ because motivation is one of the ingredients essential to performance

Internal Motivation

Motivation is internal, it is an energy that comes from within and it sets out why you do the things you do and what you choose to do. If you are preparing for an interview or perhaps making a career change, ask yourself these questions to narrow down what motivates you.

• When am I at my best? How do I behave when I am at my best? What mindset do I have?
• What is my natural disposition? Am I more optimistic or pessimistic? How does it help me?
• When have my personal values helped drive me to successfully achieve something?
• When have I gone beyond what is expected of me? What would I do for free?
• What have I done of my own volition to improve myself?
• What demotivates me? How do I feel? How do I behave? How do I cope?

External Motivation

Motivation is also external and it also influences your behaviour. You find things motivating when that energy and commitment is released by the conditions or environment you’re in. From the examples below, identify which factors motivate you the most. Add to the list as necessary and this will help give you the blueprint when deciding on a new job or career pathway.

• Enough income (to pay the bills, pursue outside work interests)
• Stability and security
• Belonging, acceptance, being part of a group, team spirit
• Recognition from others, reputation, prestige, appreciation
• Belief in your potential, investment in your growth, personal support
• Development and advancement opportunities
• Having responsibility, authority, power
• Able to participate, voice your views, be heard
• A culture of learning, discovery, creativity, possibility, empowerment, trust

 

Did you know?!

In a study focusing on employee motivation, over 600 managers identified money, safety, security and pressure as the driving force behind why employees work. Guess what? 95% of them were incorrect!

The most important motivator for employees at work is referred to as ‘the power of small wins’ and what this mean is that employees are highly productive and driven to perform at their best when they feel as if they’re making progress every day toward a meaningful goal.

Get to know what matters to you - your interests, values, desires, work objectives and career aspirations. Then be sure to balance this with what matters to others - very few objectives are achieved without taking others into account. That is usually a good way to make sure that you are not only valuable but also invaluable.