Motivation & Perforance
It is necessary for managers to consider the importance of motivation because it stimulates employee behaviour to achieve organisational goals. In many ways, employees’ motivation (and performance) provides the firm’s day-to-day support for competitive advantage. Motivation sustains our behaviour; keeps it systematic; and it assembles and concentrates our intentions to achieve the goals we value. Managers who ignore established principles of motivation will foul up their operations because they will fail at the crucial task of linking the firm’s goals to the behaviour of their employees.Work motivation is referred to as the direction, effort and persistence of employee behaviour on the job. The direction of behaviour reflects an employee’s actions which he thinks will result in task performance.
Performance implies evaluation after it occurs and therefore it suggests the presence of some sort of measuring system. Motivation, on the other hand, is only one of several psychological (internal) states that influence performance.
Motivation can be broken into five levels of need.
Unsatisfied employee needs at all levels lead to undesirable outcomes at work because they create experienced inequity for employees. In turn, this produces job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, quitting, sabotage, and ineffective work relationships.
People have a need to grow and develop their full potential, and consequently, they believe that promotions lead to greater need satisfaction. Therefore, career management, mentoring programmes and training and development all support self-actualisation.
Higher-order needs are never fully satisfied.
Performance implies evaluation after it occurs and therefore it suggests the presence of some sort of measuring system. Motivation, on the other hand, is only one of several psychological (internal) states that influence performance.
Motivation can be broken into five levels of need.
- Self-actualisation - The need to reach one’s fullest potential
- Esteem - The need to feel good about one- self and one’s abilities; and to be respected by others and to receive their approval
- Belongingness - The need to experience social inter- action, friendship and love
- Safety - Need for security, stability and a safe work environment
- Physiological - Food, water, shelter and clothing to ensure survival
Unsatisfied employee needs at all levels lead to undesirable outcomes at work because they create experienced inequity for employees. In turn, this produces job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, quitting, sabotage, and ineffective work relationships.
People have a need to grow and develop their full potential, and consequently, they believe that promotions lead to greater need satisfaction. Therefore, career management, mentoring programmes and training and development all support self-actualisation.
Higher-order needs are never fully satisfied.
Leaders learn, develop and grow
Leadership determines an enterprise and team’s level of effectiveness. The more you seek to achieve the greater the demand for leadership. Hence the reason for the huge need for leaders during these fast changing times. The lack of leadership restricts what can be accomplished. Enterprises are limited today by a lack of leadership more than any other resource.
The good news is that leaders are made, not born. Therefore we all can develop our leadership ability. To grow we need to raise our leadership effectiveness through learning and development.
The 70:20:10 Model The 70:20:10 model is a simple approach to guide the development of leaders based on research by various researchers at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). This model suggest that a single focus on formal training is insufficient for the development of leaders. That formal training represents only a small fraction of how people learn and develop. The model shows that effective leadership development combines formal training, developmental relationships and learning experiences.
The 70:20:10 model recognises that a blend of learning elements – working together – results in effective leadership development. The framework suggests that effective leadership development programs are structured as follows:
It’s important to recognise that this is a reference model and not a formula or recipe. The numbers are not a ridged formula. The insight here is not in the absolute percentages, but rather the emphasis placed on feedback, mentoring, social and experiential learning as part of developing leadership. This is not to say that formal learning is of no use, it certainly has it’s place, but it’s not the complete answer.
1. Leaders Learn From Challenging Assignments Leaders learn from challenging assignments. Leaders learn by doing. Leaders learn through purposeful practice. One of the most powerful ways of learning is through stretch assignments, these are assignments that demand we step outside our comfort zone. Challenging assignments can include the following:
Leaders learn by taking time to reflect their life experiences. Our experiences shape us and if we learn from our life experience we grow. Learning from life experience requires us to develop a regular practice of reflection. Reflection is simply a quiet time, purposefully set aside, to cast our minds back and think about the events of the day or past week, with the intention of learning. By asking questions such as “what happened?”, “how we reacted?” and “what should we do differently next time”, we learn valuable lessons.
2. Leaders Learn From Developmental Relationships As people we learn with and through others – learning is social. This means that we learn through personal interaction and conversation. Leaders encourage learning by creating an environment where people work in teams and take advantage of the social aspects of learning. Encouraging teams to talk, share experiences and best practice accelerates learning. So make sure people are wiring and talking together rather than working alone.
Leaders learn from others. We learn from discussions and feedback we receive from relationships and conversations with other leaders. The feedback and insights we gain from these relationships is another source of learning and development. Effective leaders cultivate relationships with other leaders and use these relationships to discuss challenges they face and receive feedback on their behaviour.
Developing relationships with coaches and mentors is another source of learning. We all need mentors and coaches in our lives – preferably more than one. Leaders develop wisdom by seeking advices and counsel from those who are more experienced. Specifically those who have experienced the journey of life and have a good understanding of human nature.
Here are some ways that we can encourage developmental relationships:
3. Leaders Learn from Formal Training Formal learning occurs through courses, training, seminars, and workshops. The goal of formal training is to change thinking and behaviours. Sadly formal training does not always result in changed behaviour. This is because effective learning requires a combination of formal training, developmental relationships and challenging assignments for maximum effect.
Leaders can gain a lot of leadership insight and knowledge from reading and digesting great books. It’s important however to remember – when reading for personal development – to focus on digesting and applying what we read.
Next Steps Thoughtfully combining these three types of learning helps to accelerate the growth and development of leaders. Continuous learning and development is key to lifting the lid of leadership in our lives – increasing effectiveness – growing our teams and organisations.
Developing Ourselves
Leaders need to learn and grow continuously. The 70:20:10 model can be applied to our own personal development as leaders. Effective leaders use these three elements to enhance their leadership skills.
It’s when we combine all the three different ways of learning and implement them together that we develop leaders effectively. Leaders the 70:20:10 model to develop others in the following ways:
The good news is that leaders are made, not born. Therefore we all can develop our leadership ability. To grow we need to raise our leadership effectiveness through learning and development.
The 70:20:10 Model The 70:20:10 model is a simple approach to guide the development of leaders based on research by various researchers at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL). This model suggest that a single focus on formal training is insufficient for the development of leaders. That formal training represents only a small fraction of how people learn and develop. The model shows that effective leadership development combines formal training, developmental relationships and learning experiences.
The 70:20:10 model recognises that a blend of learning elements – working together – results in effective leadership development. The framework suggests that effective leadership development programs are structured as follows:
- 70% from challenging assignments – real life and on-the-job experiences, tasks and problem solving.
- 20% from developmental relationships - feedback and working with and observing role models.
- 10% from courses and training - formal development and reading
It’s important to recognise that this is a reference model and not a formula or recipe. The numbers are not a ridged formula. The insight here is not in the absolute percentages, but rather the emphasis placed on feedback, mentoring, social and experiential learning as part of developing leadership. This is not to say that formal learning is of no use, it certainly has it’s place, but it’s not the complete answer.
1. Leaders Learn From Challenging Assignments Leaders learn from challenging assignments. Leaders learn by doing. Leaders learn through purposeful practice. One of the most powerful ways of learning is through stretch assignments, these are assignments that demand we step outside our comfort zone. Challenging assignments can include the following:
- The expansion of roles and responsibilities
- An increase in decision making authority
- Dealing with change and diversity
- Working on new and innovative projects and initiatives
- Building new teams and capabilities
- Turning around a troubled project or business unit
- Leading cross-functional teams
- Working in a different industry or country
Leaders learn by taking time to reflect their life experiences. Our experiences shape us and if we learn from our life experience we grow. Learning from life experience requires us to develop a regular practice of reflection. Reflection is simply a quiet time, purposefully set aside, to cast our minds back and think about the events of the day or past week, with the intention of learning. By asking questions such as “what happened?”, “how we reacted?” and “what should we do differently next time”, we learn valuable lessons.
2. Leaders Learn From Developmental Relationships As people we learn with and through others – learning is social. This means that we learn through personal interaction and conversation. Leaders encourage learning by creating an environment where people work in teams and take advantage of the social aspects of learning. Encouraging teams to talk, share experiences and best practice accelerates learning. So make sure people are wiring and talking together rather than working alone.
Leaders learn from others. We learn from discussions and feedback we receive from relationships and conversations with other leaders. The feedback and insights we gain from these relationships is another source of learning and development. Effective leaders cultivate relationships with other leaders and use these relationships to discuss challenges they face and receive feedback on their behaviour.
Developing relationships with coaches and mentors is another source of learning. We all need mentors and coaches in our lives – preferably more than one. Leaders develop wisdom by seeking advices and counsel from those who are more experienced. Specifically those who have experienced the journey of life and have a good understanding of human nature.
Here are some ways that we can encourage developmental relationships:
- Create opportunities to work together in small teams for new initiatives where teams members can learn from each other.
- Encourage collaboration and working across traditional enterprise functions and boundaries.
- Identify opportunities for experts to work with and share work assignments with others.
- Encourage coaching as an approach for the development of future leaders.
- Create meetings for people to gather and share their best practices and experiences.
- Establish and nurture communities of practice to capture and share learning.
- Create space to debrief and reflect on what’s working, what could be improved and what should be stopped.
3. Leaders Learn from Formal Training Formal learning occurs through courses, training, seminars, and workshops. The goal of formal training is to change thinking and behaviours. Sadly formal training does not always result in changed behaviour. This is because effective learning requires a combination of formal training, developmental relationships and challenging assignments for maximum effect.
Leaders can gain a lot of leadership insight and knowledge from reading and digesting great books. It’s important however to remember – when reading for personal development – to focus on digesting and applying what we read.
Next Steps Thoughtfully combining these three types of learning helps to accelerate the growth and development of leaders. Continuous learning and development is key to lifting the lid of leadership in our lives – increasing effectiveness – growing our teams and organisations.
Developing Ourselves
Leaders need to learn and grow continuously. The 70:20:10 model can be applied to our own personal development as leaders. Effective leaders use these three elements to enhance their leadership skills.
- In what areas do you need formal learning to enhanced your leadership?
- Who can assist you in learning and acquiring these new skills?
- How can you apply your learning? What experiences will help?
It’s when we combine all the three different ways of learning and implement them together that we develop leaders effectively. Leaders the 70:20:10 model to develop others in the following ways:
- Leaders look for opportunities to shape the experience of those on their teams.
- Leaders use questions to help their teams reflect, learn and grow.
- Leaders use every project and initiative as a learning opportunity for their team.
- Leaders combine formal learning, developmental relationships and challenging assignments to maximise learning.
- Leaders act as coach and mentor for their teams.
Some of the toughest decisions a leader faces concern poor performers.
A leader who does not effectively handle them will hurt:
The answer will determine the appropriate course of action. If low performance is due to skills that are poor or undeveloped, it calls for training. Sometimes an employee is a low performer because he is being expected to perform a job that does not match his gifts and abilities.
If the employee has a good attitude and a desire to succeed, he can be transferred to a position matching his gifts.
By far the most difficult of the tough decisions a leader faces concern terminating an employee, but terminating a poor performer benefits the organisation and everyone in it.
- The organisation's ability to achieve its purpose
- The morale of top performers
- The leader's own credibility
- The low performer's self-image and potential effectiveness
The answer will determine the appropriate course of action. If low performance is due to skills that are poor or undeveloped, it calls for training. Sometimes an employee is a low performer because he is being expected to perform a job that does not match his gifts and abilities.
If the employee has a good attitude and a desire to succeed, he can be transferred to a position matching his gifts.
By far the most difficult of the tough decisions a leader faces concern terminating an employee, but terminating a poor performer benefits the organisation and everyone in it.
