But alas, here I was asking for a trash bag from the guy who sells bait at the bottom of my street.
Facts
From my house to the end of the street is a mile long. Half way down the street from my house is a community playing field. The wind blows from the North East (I surmised this from the percentage of litter hung up on the North East sides of bushes.) Downwind from the field there is a great deal more trash along the sides of the roads. As I walked from my house to the end of the street I became more and more conscious of the amount and impact of the litter.
Feelings
What the heck is this?!? The street looks like a dumping ground! It’s a beautiful country road and this is how we treat it? This is how we treat each other? This is how you treat me? For pete’s sake, do we need to bring back the weeping native American imploring us to keep America Beautiful?I think we might.
Motivation and Engagement
What compelled me to introduce myself to the bait guy (we had not been previously acquainted) and ask for a trash bag and get it done? What prevented others from seeing or doing the same thing? What compels an employee or manager to see the big picture, consider the impact on others and take initiative? What prevents others from taking those same leaps?
Shared Purpose
On my street we are a collection of houses more than a neighborhood. We wave politely as we drive past and say hello to the joggers and bikers who pass by. We don’t have a set of agreed upon Community Values. Do we expect convenience or cleanliness? We haven’t discussed this.
What are a company’s organizational values? Not the external, hang-on-the-wall type of values but the ones actually in play internally. Do we expect fast or good? Or both? Are we individuals or a team? Or both?
Whether someone is motivated or engaged has to do with whether they know about and care about and believe in the objectives and values at play in the work at hand. Are we all as concerned about property values and year end results as the next guy?
Natural Inclinations
On our street we’ve got take-the-bull-by-the-horns and "I can do it!" types of people. These would include me picking up strangers’ trash and the folks a few houses up who vacuum the lint off their lawn. We’ve got "smell the roses" and "come what may" types of people. These would include the coordinators of the block party and the "recycling is for sissies" type of folks. We’ve all got a place in this neighborhood and—thankfully!—we don’t need to coordinate those personalities and talents on a regular basis.
At work, we do need to coordinate those individual needs and talents. Or, I should say, organizations would be a boatload more effective if we did coordinate. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a fuller picture of what an organization needed in order to accomplish an objective and, even better, have people who could identify when and how to put their talents into coordinated play with their colleagues?
Motivation and engagement requires knowing yourself and knowing what you’re trying to accomplish. In a team situation it requires understanding what others have to offer toward the goal as well. It’s also helpful to understand each other’s "hot buttons." With this key information we can know when one member’s "cleanliness value" conflicts with another members "privacy value" and therefore decide that this bit of trash can be left for its owner to take care of. (Geez, some people are so touchy!)
The Power of Mine
When I began picking up the trash starting at the end of the street on my way back to the house, I had lots of energy for the idea: I was doing a good deed, I felt responsible, I was contributing to the wellbeing of our neighborhood and setting a good example. Half a mile later, when the bag was heavy with drippy cans and bottles and cigarette packs...well, not so much. But as my energy waned, my sense of personal pride grew. I was closer to my house and darned if I was going to pick up all this up off their sidewalks and not pick up the stuff near my own.
At work, even big-picture-seeing, initiative-taking employees and managers get tired of taking one for the team.
Sustaining one’s motivation and engagement requires a clear understanding of one’s own purpose in relation to the work. What, despite others’ goals, is our own reason for being there. Why might we be in it for the long haul? If we don’t know the answer, we risk losing our momentum and connection to the goal.
Shared objectives, an understanding of one’s own and others’ needs and talents, and a sense of true overarching purpose. That’s what it takes.
About the Author:
Julie Lynch is a management practice expert with over 20 years of experience in executive and management development, employee performance and organizational effectiveness. Her firm, Uncommon Consulting, specializes in facilitating the development of outstanding individuals and teams and has the unique distinction of serving as Master Trainer for Motivation Factor®: the remarkable new framework for achieving lasting motivation and engagement. Julie can be found at www.uncommonconsulting.com and followed at www.twitter.com/UncommonJulie.