Many elements affect motivation, such as recognizing success, financial rewards, status benefits, career advancement plans, self-assertion, etc.
Many things define which of the above elements is dominant; it can vary from case to case, and is usually individual.
When we are at the onset of our career and in junior positions, the most common motivator is the recognition of success by older and more experienced colleagues, followed by creating a career path, improvement as an element of recognition, and confirmation that we are "meant" for something more.
Of course, there have to be material elements, as this is also one of the elements of recognition, not the only one, but equally important. However, if public recognition of success and praise for excellence lack, I believe that the material part loses its relevance.
Furthermore, if there is public recognition of success and adequate material satisfaction, and no career path is seen, covered by an adequate plan, there is a risk of declining motivation.
It is equally important that the path is appropriate, as if we choose the wrong zone, and go from production to, say, procurement only because there is an open path there, but have no interest in it, we may soon lose self-confidence and then feel a cascading decline in motivation.
I have noticed that the need for career advancement decreases with vertical transfers. This is quite logical considering that there are fewer and fewer opportunities for vertical transfers. What motivates us then? Basically the same thing as when we are juniors, but the difference is that we are already significantly more experienced and patient when it comes to the coming possibilities.
Motivating teams and within teams
Here I would start from myself at the onset of my managerial career. I suggest that we never forget what was important to us then. Believing in my abilities and delegating demanding tasks had a very motivating effect on me. However, it is equally important to assess the level to which we are independent, and to align the level of delegation and support with the abilities of team members. If we are too active where there is no need, drop in motivation will inevitably follow due to micromanagement. The reverse situation also leads to a drop in motivation due to showing a lack of interest in what our team does.
As someone who works in a managerial position, I am extremely motivated by the possibility to adequately delegate tasks to my team members, while on the other hand, my superiors' delegation to me also inspires me.
My motivation always grew when the "boss" inspired me. So, now as a "boss", I get to know the members of my team to find out what inspires them. These are simple things and everyday behavior. Inspiring associates both at a coffee break and at a meeting is equally important. Yes, I have learned that you don't need to talk much to inspire. It is much more important how we talk and how we behave. Simply put, they need to trust us and see us as a good example. Everyone wants to work for such a "boss" and then there is no motivational deficit.
In the end, we need to explore what motivates our associates, and it is a process where patience and honesty are crucial. We also need to know ourselves and openly express what motivates us.
Dejan is the Operations Director of Ball Corporation, founded 140 years ago. We have been operating in Serbia since 2004, when we, as one of the largest American greenfield investments, opened a can factory.
