As a manager our success is really dependent on the success of our teams. Yet there is something a bit topsy-turvy about the idea that managers are responsible for the motivation of our people. Much of motivation is intrinsic, most people inherently want to do good work.

In fact often times work, even the work of the manager, can get in the way of people’s natural motivation. If the manager’s responsibility is to remove obstacles for the team… are there times when we should remove ourselves?

The episode was inspired by Pilar’s potential book idea, tentatively titled “Get Out of the Way” – a reflection on her philosophy of management and motivation.

Interestingly, Tim initially misunderstood the book’s title, prompting a dialogue about personal motivation. Pilar grounded this conversation by quoting Bob Glazer from episode 323 of the 21st Century Work Life Podcast: “Becoming a leader means changing all your reward centres, from getting rewarded for what you do to getting rewarded for the performance of your team.” This quote sparked a reflection on the importance of recognizing the team’s accomplishments as a marker of successful leadership.

There is a difference between trying to motivate people directly versus creating an environment that encourages intrinsic motivation. Managers should aim to understand their team’s current motivations and cultivate a supportive atmosphere for these motivations to thrive.

Pilar and Tim also touched upon the dynamism of motivation and its varied sources. They suggested that managers should ‘reframe’ situations, offering different perspectives to help employees unlock their intrinsic motivation. Acknowledging that motivation can naturally fluctuate, they reassured managers that occasional dips in motivation are normal.

Discussing the Self-Determination Theory, Pilar and Tim highlighted the importance of autonomy, competence, and relatedness in maintaining motivation. Managers should identify any hindrances to these elements and work towards mitigating them, using their role to advocate for their team or reconsider project success metrics when necessary.

The hosts agreed on an essential belief – that most individuals want to excel at work. With this understanding, the manager’s job becomes less about instigating motivation and more about nurturing and encouraging what’s already there.

Pilar introduced the ‘head, heart, and hand’ framework as a means to understand and address the struggles employees might be facing. They noted the motivation that comes from mastering a challenging task and emphasised the role of struggle in providing valuable context to achievement.

Both hosts encouraged managers to adopt a coaching approach towards motivation, helping team members recognize and tap into their intrinsic motivation.

What about you, dear listener? How do you motivate your teams? Does your manager have ways to motivate you? We’d love to hear about your experiences!

Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/  or tell us on Twitter – we are @managementcaf 

---

TIME CODED SHOW NOTES

00:00 min Pilar has always wanted to write a book about motivation at work and the role of the manager. The title of the book? “Get out of the way”.

1:30 Tim misinterprets this and starts worrying about his own motivation.

3:00 Pilar quotes Bob Glazer from episode 323 of the 21st Century Work Life Podcast: “Becoming a leader means changing all your reward centres, from getting rewarded for what you do to getting rewarded for the performance of your team.”

4:30 It is important that our manager cares about us.

5:50 Pilar notes the big difference between trying to directly motivate people versus creating the conditions where someone’s intrinsic motivation can thrive.

7:45 Motivation can come from many different sources and is very fluid. So maybe instead of trying to create motivation, we should start with being curious about their current motivations.

9:30 Managers can help put things into a different perspective. Reframing can be an effective tool in helping people unblock their intrinsic motivation.

10:00 We don’t always have to fix motivation. Motivation can dip and it’s ok. Managers can help with reframing.

12:30 Self-determination theory says if we don’t have autonomy, competence and relatedness then motivation will suffer. Managers should identify what might be impacting these attributes and try to change it. There are many actions that the manager alone can perform because of their role and influence. For example, advocating more broadly across the organisation or changing the success metrics on a project.

14:45 Pilar and Tim believe that most people genuinely want to do their best at work. This is an important starting point because if you trust that someone has that basic mindset, you don’t need to create motivation. It’s already there, you just need to encourage it.

16:45 Pilar references the head, heart and hand framework. This can help dig into why someone might be struggling and what could unblock them.

18:00 One of our greatest sources of motivation occurs when we master something that we used to find difficult. The period of struggle is important because it provides context to our achievement.

19:45 Ultimately we agree that managers should use a coaching approach towards motivating their people.

What about you, dear listener? How do you motivate your teams? Does your manager have ways to motivate you? We’d love to hear about your experiences!

Get in touch through our Contact Form https://managementcafepodcast.com/contact/  or tell us on Twitter – we are @managementcaf