Motivation and Leadership- A successful manager is a good leader who is able to motivate and inspire employees into action. Highly motivated employees are more productive than unmotivated employees. Since they are creative and passionate about their work. Similarly, Motivated people are aligned with the company’s values and show more loyalty to their organizations. Middle managers need to understand that motivation is the key to running a successful team.
Basics of Motivation and Leadership
There are both internal and external motivations. Managers often focus on external motivations. While external motivations can be useful, they are only effective if they mean something to the employees.
External Motivation:
- Pay
- Recognition
- Fear
- Promotion
- Rewards
Indeed It is important that managers take the time to understand the personal, internal motivations of individuals, and try to link personal goals with work. Social responsibility is an example of connecting personal employee beliefs and motivations to company procedures.Â
Internal Motivation:
- Family
- Environment
- Success
- Community
- Personal time
In essence, managers to motivate employees they must be motivated themselves. Their work needs to reflect their internal motivations.
Equity Theory
Adam’s Equity Theory is named for the psychologist who developed the idea. Basically, employees are not motivated to work if they believe that they are putting more into a job than they are getting out of it. When employees see this type of discrepancy, they react in different ways. They may become less productive, unruly, or leave the organization. Managers need to try to balance what people put into their work with what they get out of it.
Typical Employee Inputs:
- Skill
- Time
- Commitment
- Trust
- Effort
- Support
Common Employee Outputs:
- Pay
- BenefitsÂ
- Advancement
- Security
- Recognition
Expectancy Theory
The Expectancy Theory looks at motivation through a system of rewards. It uses the concepts of Expectancy, Instrumentality, and Valence.
- Expectancy: This is the relationship between effort and performance. For example, I will sell more if I work overtime.
- Instrumentality: This is the relationship between the performance and the reward. For example, if I sell more, I will earn a bonus.
- Valence: This is the value that people place on the reward. For example, the overtime is worth the bonus.
What is Leadership?
Leaders do more than issue orders. Leaders must provide answers to difficult questions and create the culture of their teams. Effective managers are good leaders.Â
Roles of a Leaders for Motivation and Leadership:
- Determine a vision.
- Communicate that vision effectively.
- Provide employees with all the necessary resources to achieve this vision.
- Balance the interests of employees and the organization.
Situational Leadership
Situational leadership is the belief that the employees determine the leadership style of the manager. The maturity of the employees determines whether a leader is task-oriented or relationship-motivated. There are four levels of maturity in the Hersey-Blanchard model along with four corresponding leadership styles that we can relate to the topic of motivation and leadership.
Maturity:
- M1 = Immature employees have neither the desire nor skill to work.
- M2 = Employees are unskilled, but willing to learn.
- M3 = Skilled and willing workers, but they are not confident.
- M4 = Mature employees are able to work independently.
Styles:
- S1 = Inform people what their tasks are and how they are to be done.
- S2 = Direct employees and sell them on the task.
- S3 = Provide less direction and focus on relationships and shared decisions.
- S4 = Delegate authority and responsibility.
Strategic Leadership
Strategic leadership is the ability to see the big picture and forecast the future of the team or organization. This type of leader creates plans that consider the growth and direction of the business as well as the people within the organization. Hence Strategic leaders are able to prepare themselves and their teams for the future that they see through effective motivation and leadership.Â
Qualities of Strategic Leaders for Effective Motivation and Leadership:Â
- Adaptable:Â The ability to adapt to change and guide others through change is important to strategic leaders.
- Thoughtful: Leaders consider why things are happening before they take action.
- Empowering: Strategic leaders motivate employees and encourage creativity and initiative.
- Intentional: Strategic planning requires leaders to make informed decisions.
- Rewarding: Recognizing and rewarding talent is a motivational tool of strategic leaders.
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