Leaders motivate people

How do you motivate people?

In a survey of 1,000 current and emerging leaders the most important quality valued in a leader was their ability to motivate others.

As a school leader it is important to know how to motivate people to do what you need to fulfill the aims of the school. Motivating people is an essential component when you are trying to bring about change in the school. Motivating people, after all, is what change is about. Motivating others is also an important ingredient for retaining your staff and ensuring that they are working to their maximum potential.However, it is probably the hardest of all change agent skills to learn.

Several theories of motivation have been developed. These help us to review our practice in order to become more effective leaders and managers. On this page we explore three well known theories on motivation. The next page provides some top motivational tips.

Theories about how we motivate

Research suggests several motivational theories. We will look at three:

Theory #1: Maslow's hierarchy of needs - you need to meet peoples' basic needs in order to motivate them

Theory #2: Herzberg's theory - motivate people by appreciating their work, giving them interesting work and increased responsibility

Theory #3: McGregor's theory X versus theory Y - explores how styles of management affect peoples' motivation

Theory 1: Maslow's 'hierarchy of needs'

Abraham Maslow (1943) argued that all human beings have a number of needs and that these can be organised into a hierarchy. His theory is often diagrammatically represented in the form of a pyramid. The most basic of needs are at the bottom of the pyramid. These are physiological needs. Consider what these may mean within the context of your school (e.g. good working conditions - how do you develop these?).

Maslow suggested that we consider meeting needs in ascending order. As a leader we need to provide a culture wherein all can climb Maslow's pyramid in order to achieve self-fulfilment.

Reflect: Motivating staff to collaborate

Apply Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs to explore what teachers often need in order to collaborate together. use the following sheet to add your ideas and plan for greater collaboration.

As a leader consider the team that you lead. Go through Maslow's hierarchy and assess how you meet each of these needs. Consider the physical needs to do the job they are asked to do - classroom, resources; love and belonging - how do they feel about their work, and the team in which they belong - do they feel they can contribute and make suggestions or do they feel it is a matter of obeying orders from above? self-esteem - how do they feel about their job? How are their emotional needs being met?

Maslow's hierarchy of needs - how to motivate your staff, is an excellent overview and contains numerous links to follow up.

Theory 2: Herzberg's theory of motivation

In 1959 Herzberg, Mausner and Snyderman devised their theory of motivation. It is often referred to as (Frederick) Herzberg's Theory. It suggested that people have two sets of needs. They are a composite set of needs because they deal with two different sets of needs, and are not to be considered as opposites.

  • Hygiene Factors = the lower level of needs as an animal are to avoid pain and deprivation. These factors are related to the environment in which we work and can lead to job dissatisfaction if these needs are not met.
  • Motivators = the higher level needs as a human being are to grow psychologically. These relate to job satisfaction and pleasure (recognition for what we are doing, achieving results, being given responsibility which develops self-esteem, and being provided with opportunities to develop and grow maybe through promotion).

"People are motivated, instead by interesting work, challenge and increased responsibility.” (Herzberg, 2003)

Click HERE for a more detailed explanation of Herzberg's two-factor theory of motivation.

Learning engagement: Praise and recognition motivate people

Daniel Pink writes about how many businesses and schools use an outdated model of motivation based on carrots and sticks which may have worked with 20th century task (left brain) - think assembly line.  However, for 21st century task (right brain) that require creativity and problem solving, we need to motivate based on three categories: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.  Dan Pink in Drive: The surprising truth of what motivates us argues that financial incentives are not the best way for organizations to motivate people. If you wish to explore Pink's work on motivation go to MindTools which contains a great summary.

Lisa Lai is a moderator of global leadership development programs for Harvard Business School Publishing. In THIS article she suggests “a new dialogue that embraces the key concept that motivation is less about employees doing great work and more about employees feeling great about their work. The better employees feel about their work, the more motivated they remain over time.” Here’s how

  • Share context and provide relevance. Employees are motivated when their work has relevance.
  • Anticipate roadblocks to enable progress. Employees are motivated when they can make progress without unnecessary interruption and undue burdens
  • Recognize contributions and show appreciation. Employees are motivated when they feel appreciated and recognized for their contributions.
  • Check in to assess your own motivation. Employees feel motivated when their leaders are motivated.

Reflect:

  • Do you know what your colleagues feel about their work? How does it connect with what they think is meaningful? It is sometimes useful to have a conversation about why teachers came into the profession and whether these reasons are still relevant?
  • What hopes and aspirations do people in your team have about their role and future? Do you know whether they are content or would like to develop in a specific way?

Theory 3: McGregor's Theory X versus Theory Y

A leaders' assumptions about team members can have a significant influence on how they manage them. McGregor's theory X versus theory Y explores how styles of management affect peoples' motivation

In the 1960s, social psychologist Douglas McGregor developed two contrasting theories that explained how managers' beliefs about what motivates their people can affect their management style. He labelled these Theory X and Theory Y. These theories continue to be important even today.

As you watch this video consider the advantages and disadvantages of each theory in your role as pedagogical leader.

If you wish to explore this further Mindtools has an excellent article. Click this LINK for Theory X and Theory Y: Understanding People's Motivations.

Reflect:

  • Why would anyone follow you?
  • To what extent do you use praise and recognition to motivate people?
  • What emotional impact does verbal praise have on employees? What impact does it have on you?
  • In what ways do you prefer to be recognized for your achievements?
  • Does "constructive criticism" actually exist? How are most people affected by it?
  • How does praise and recognition affect job satisfaction and employee turnover?
  • What benefits might be gained by creating an atmosphere of encouragement and sincerity?

Summary - TOP TIPS on how to motivate

This list is a compilation from many articles and workshops.

Brainstorming

As a leadership group challenge each other to find ways in which you could motivate colleagues. I have started your top tips. Add FIVE more ideas.

  • Compliment: It takes approximately nine positive comments to counteract one negative one. Compliment at least two people each day.
  • Recognise: Set a goal to share one positive example each week with your leadership colleagues, and let your staff know that they have been recognized.
  • Appreciate: Recognize peoples' birthdays with a card.
  • Have a clear vision: Show people where you are going, and how to get there. Set clear expectations - it stops misunderstanding. But keep your expectations straightforward and simple.Make sure everyone in the team understands their contribution to the vision.
  • Say thank you - it's obvious but make your praise specific and heartfelt.
  • Don't demean anyone: always praise in public and criticise in private, but never criticise people personally - focus on what you need to do together to turn a situation around.
  • Be a role model - be passionate about what you do and do it openly. It will encourage others. Always 'walk the talk'.
  • Delegate meaningful work - provide people with opportunities to be challenged, share responsibility and to succeed. Let them lead.
  • Invest in people - through coaching and mentoring. Learn what makes each person tick. Show a personal interest in each person. Listen to them - know their hopes and fears, what they can and cannot do as well as what they want to achieve.

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