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In a recent work on Leadership and motivation, John Adair o ers the following
advice to leaders: be motivated yourself (Adair, 2006, p111). This statement of
the glaringly obvious should be a starting point for any leader, encouraging you,
the leader, to explore your own motives.
Is what motivated you to join your company, enter the profession, apply for a
promotion, etc, what motivates you now? How does what motivates you sit with
the companys values, purpose and practices now? How does what motivates
you a ect how you lead? Are you a promoted specialist who is still happier deep
in your specialist hinterland than dealing with the demands of leadership? Do
you avoid potentially troublesome confrontations with what you see as di cult
sta by being too busy in tasks you are more comfortable with?
Below a few key concepts and principles derived from the extensive research and
practice on motivation that both help explain aspects of motivation but also give
us practical ways to help increase it. Intrinsic Motivation This is a central concept
and a much misunderstood one. Intrinsic motivation can be dened as striving
inwardly to be competent at something and to reward yourself inwardly. This
inward reward is crucial: research shows that having extrinsic rewards for
something that would naturally be intrinsically motivated, decreases intrinsic
motivation. Rewards and Punishments have to be used extremely carefully a
contingent reward (that is a reward that is linked to a specic outcome) is likely to
produce that specic outcome but is also likely to a) make the individual focus
narrowly on what is minimally required in order to receive the reward and b)
reduce their intrinsic motivation for the task and c) encourage short-term, narrow
thinking and action.
There are ways to increase intrinsic motivation (self-motivation):