Strategies
Let’s say that you are no longer motivated at work, you have the choice to leave, express yourself, persist or abandon your commitments. 1. Leave
You quit your job. 2. Speak up
You go to your boss and actively express yourself about what is not suitable. Then, you stay in solution mode in order to find ideas that can enrich your work for example. 3. Persist
You continue to do your job professionally, you work hard. You persist in the situation and maybe you tell yourself that it’s just a storm. 4. Abandon
You stay in your position while reducing your efforts. You do just enough at work so you don’t get into trouble. *these strategies are inspired by Albert Hirschman’s model.
Here’s the best way to use these strategies to avoid losing motivation
Here are two cases to use these strategies and avoid losing motivation and engagement.
CASE #1: You notice that someone on your team is losing motivation and commitment at work
If you notice a change in someone, do something 😊 Don’t let it go by telling yourself that the person will probably come and tell you about it. What for? Because the person may not know how. Because the person may not have even noticed it because they don’t have any hindsight. And also because that’s your role. Yes. As a leader, you will be more successful in your role if you are able to open a caring, safe space to have conversations about human topics.
You may not be comfortable talking about emotions or you may feel like you are entering into other people’s personal lives.
In this case, the following approach can inspire you:
“Hello Martin. Could I have a moment with you to chat?
I’m not particularly comfortable with this kind of subject, but your well-being is more important than my discomfort 😊 I noticed that you didn’t seem as motivated as usual (put factual examples of mood, sentences said, situations).
I want to assure you that if I can do something, I’ll do it.
Do you want to talk about it? »
The point here is that in your role as a leader, the more you create psychological safety and provide an environment where people can express themselves, the less they will leave, the more they will persist or express themselves. Take the Engage and Mobilize training to become a more unifying leader and engage your team members! The training gives you the tools to get to know yourself better, understand others and adjust both your communication and your management tasks to be an engaging leader.
CASE #2: You are losing motivation and commitment at work
First, if you want to leave or are in the process of abandoning your professionalism, energy and enthusiasm, you are also responsible for doing something. For you.
If you choose to leave without talking about it, you may be depriving yourself of a solution that would be satisfactory! Second, if you choose to speak out, it may not work, but you are trying to influence the situation positively and it is to your advantage! At least you will have tried. You will have learned. You will have moved the situation, the organization, the team, your manager forward. Situations evolve if we make a little waves, right? Otherwise? Infinite status quo while riding the wave. Third, if you choose to persist, I invite you to talk about it anyway. In other words, persist but without necessarily leaving on a whim. Or, when you’ve had enough or persist, don’t express yourself in a negative way. Don’t let go or sabotage your morale (and that of those around you).
You will probably have understood that I invite you to dare to express yourself. Finally, if you choose to let go and stay, you will gradually become unhappy and weary.
If you’re lacking inspiration, this approach can help you:
“Hello Sarah. Could I have a moment with you to chat?
I don’t really know how to approach the subject, but it’s important for me to share with you a situation I’m going through and to see with you if there are possibilities to find solutions.
For the past few weeks, the fact that naming your situation in a factual way has had a negative impact on my motivation and commitment.
I’d like to see what you think about it and what options are in front of us.
How do you receive what I have just told you? »
The point here is that you can’t expect the people around you to guess your state of being, your desires, your interests, your ambitions, your motivations. Dare to be more committed to yourself and express yourself!
Conclusion
As a leader, when you feel that you or your team are losing motivation, I invite you to have the courage to quickly seek out the truth, while creating a space where the other feels safe to share. The more one-on-one contact you have with your team members, the more naturally this space will be created.
As a person, you have as much responsibility to express yourself in a caring way. In a relationship, whether personal or professional, the responsibility for peace and harmony is shared.
