Motivation and will

I always repeat to myself and to my co-workers: “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today!”.
Events, and projects more generally, require planning and scheduling, which, in practice, translate into time. And this, alas, clashes with today’s increasingly fast-paced world.
Our day, even before starting, is full of things to do to which many more are added during the day itself. We may have to clear situations that we do not want to face, but which we cannot delegate either. Sometimes we procrastinate, but often we try to persuade ourselves to do so, achieving the opposite effect in terms of diminishing the urge.

The motivation to perform certain activities can be interpreted as the effort in carrying them out. There are many ways in which employees can be motivated. For example, making work more interesting; giving meaning to work, perhaps by giving importance to their role in achieving goals; stimulating a sense of sharing in the project and belonging to a group; creating a positive working environment; offering opportunities for growth and improvement; rewarding the achievement of targets and creating the conditions for a better future for people.

An important distinction is that between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Employees in whom the former prevails are primarily stimulated by their interest in the tasks they perform, by the alignment between their individual aptitudes and the nature of the work assigned to them, and by the perceived improvement in their ability to perform tasks. In this sense, motivation stems from the fulfilment of inner needs, such as the increase in skills, the sense of individual self-determination and the achievement of one’s own ambitions. On the other hand, individuals characterised by a predominance of extrinsic motivation prefer recognition from third parties with respect to their achievements, i.e., legitimisation from colleagues and supervisors. In this perspective, motivation is strongly influenced by the control, evaluation and reward systems adopted by the organisation. Motivation arises from information that reduces uncertainty about the credibility, validity and achievability of goals. 

The ability to motivate lies in understanding the right key, the goal, which moves from within a will that includes any activity to be done. You need to invest time and resources in the goal-setting process, to make use of great listening and observation skills, to ask a lot of questions, to provide accurate feedback and to offer personalised suggestions.

Let’s conclude with a quote from Albert Einstein: “There is a driving force stronger than steam, electricity and atomic energy: the will”.