Motivation is a powerful force and necessary in goal attainment

Motivation - a Powerful Force in Life and at Work

Whereas passion is the driving force that moves people into action, motivation defines how we feel about what we do and influences how passion is sustained.

Researchers have identified two different forms critical to goal attainment. Identified motivation reflects the importance and meaning an individual assigns to a goal. It sustains energy for effort in goal pursuit when faced with challenges, constraints or boredom, by maintaining goal focus. Intrinsic motivation is derived from the activity for the sake of itself with little or no value placed on external rewards.

Workplace coaching can help managers and their teams understand the forms and attributes of motivation, their particular type of passion and environmental fit required to enable the worker to leverage their passion and achieve desired goals in the workplace.

Where passion is aligned with purpose, workers build courage and conviction valuable in confronting fear and uncertainty and contribute to a workplace culture of high integrity, creativity and innovation.

The biggest mistake people make in life is not making a living at doing what they most enjoy.Malcolm S. Forbes (1919-1990)

Emotional Engagement Drives Employee Effort

A 2004 CLC study on engagement levels of more than 50,000 employees at 59 global organizations identified emotional engagement to be four times more valuable than rational engagement in driving employee effort. The survey also found 1 in 10 employees to be fully disengaged.

Levels of Employee Commitment

Engaged: Those who work with passion and feel a profound connection to their company. Engaged workers drive innovation and move the organization forward

Not engaged: These workers are essentially checked-out. They're sleepwalking through their work, putting in time but not energy or passion

Actively disengaged: People who aren't just unhappy at work, they're busy acting out their unhappiness. The term coined for disengaged workers who are present but not productive - present but not attentive, on task but easily distracted is presenteeism. These workers undermine what their engaged co-workers accomplish. Presenteeism accounts for up to 60 per cent of an employer’s health care costs. (The Toronto Star, March 2, 2008)

Burnout, is a state of emotional, physical and mental exhaustion. Chronic daily stresses rather than unique critical life events are regarded as central factors in producing burnout. A study conducted with 100 employers and 31,571 employees from the private, public and not for profit sectors for Health Canada suggests that employees with heavier demands at work and outside of work are the most likely to burn out. Women in managerial and professional positions were identified as being at highest risk of burnout(37% versus 33% of women in other positions).

Learn more about the subtle difference between emotions and feelings and the role they play in your life.

Balancing Competing Interests

The demands of balancing work and family can take its toll. Leadership coaching can help clients develop healthy habits and take a proactive approach to:

Learn more about the affects of stress and the importance life-work balance on your physical and mental health.

Self care as a practice of enlightened self interest can also help maintain life-work balance, especially when supported by a host of wellness services readily available today.

Are you ready to reclaim your power, design and live the life you create? Assess your readiness for coaching.

From Motivation to HOME