Motivate This!

At one time or another, we all struggle with getting, and staying, motivated.  Wouldn’t it be great if every time we set a goal, we simply just achieved it systematically?  If, step-by-step, we just “got ‘er done!” and reaped the benefits of being completely unstoppable?  Unfortunately, human beings are wired up to resist.  We resist commitment, direction and we even resist accomplishing the things that we desire most in our lives.  Often times, we can see the possibility of accomplishing something important, but we just can’t get motivated to rise up and get there.  Knowing what motivates you is the first step to getting any goal achieved.

Are you a carrot person?  This means you are motivated by games, goals and competition.  You love a good prize.  If someone sets a goal in front of you and attaches it to a reward, it is as good as yours.  You love to win.

Or, are you a stick person?  You are motivated best by consequences.  You don’t want to get in trouble, disappoint or get punished for not doing the things you are supposed to do.  You excel in pressure situations.  You produce results at the last minute, but you get it done.  You have little tolerance for raised voices, threats and yelling, but most of the time, they work.  If the boss calls you in, you fear you are in trouble.

Most people are motivated by a mix of the two tactics above, but generally, each of us is BETTER motivated by one or the other.  Telling the truth about which type of person you are, will give you leverage when it comes to accomplishing your goals.  Furthermore, if you can identify which strategy best motivates your employees, you can motivate others on your team to produce results quicker and more consistently.

A great example of this strategy at work happened in a recent meeting with a client.  This client is typically very effective in completing her actions items, but routinely resists my coaching for a bit before she accomplishes them, extending the time frame of her goal achievement.  She had resisted getting some fundamental things done for the meeting, and it was becoming habitual.  Therefore, I VERY STERNLY (using an expletive) told her to timeblock her action items by next week OR ELSE!  I told her I was tired of looking at the same items on the list and she needed to get it done.  She just looked at me and I wasn’t sure if it hit home.  Without fail, she came back the following week having completed all her tasks as required.  This has carried over now for more than a month.  Done are the days of her resisting my coaching, and, ultimately, resisting getting her goals achieved.  Until I was willing to motivate her in a “language” she could hear, she was going to continue dancing around her deadlines as if they didn’t matter.

In order to produce amazing results in your life or your business, you need to be willing to set up an environment for success.  This means you need to understand what method TRULY motivates you.

CALL TO ACTION:  Test out this theory with both methods.  Set up two separate goals; one with a reward, the other with a consequence.  Which to you achieve faster and with more effectiveness?