THE PATH TO ACCOUNTABILITY: BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED – CHAPTER 02

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Covered previously: Meaning & Interpretation Of Accountability, The Blame Game, Its Impact)

Link to Chapter 01:

THE PATH TO ACCOUNTABILITY: BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED – CHAPTER 01

The demand for rights has become extremely popular, but when it comes to  dealing with responsibility and accountability, we lag far behind, a gap that accounts for increase in  blaming and rights proclaiming, but very few instances of personal responsibility and accountability. The better the case for victimization, the more visibility and exposure we get, and, consequently, the greater the psychological or monetary reward we receive.

The “blame game,” and the “thirst for exposure,” are just two symptoms of a widespread “responsibility avoiding” syndrome, which have afflicted individuals, groups and organizations as well. A majority of people in organizations today, when confronted with poor performance or unsatisfactory results, immediately begin to formulate excuses, rationalizations, and arguments for why they cannot be held accountable for the problems.

Ways To Move Away From The Blaming

What is the accountability ladder and why is it important?

As is with all behavior – it starts with the leadership. The level of accountability within an organization is directly related to the level of accountability that the leaders display. Leaders can never afford to forget the actions that they initiated or created. It is not good enough to ask someone to do something and then ‘forget’ to ask if it was done or for an update on the progress of the action. If we do, the underlying message we are communicating is that the action was not important. Accountability starts at the top. The state of accountability is a reflection of the leadership culture.

So how do we move towards a positive accountability culture – how do we help people to become more accountable? The first thing is to establish where ‘the locus of control’ exists in the organization. Do people ‘feel’ like they have permission to be accountable or are all decisions made by the leadership?

Accountability and Engagement.

Next is the relationship between accountability and engagement. Getting our people engaged in their work is an important aspect of accountability and sets the stage for a healthy, productive work environment. The level of ownership someone takes for the job they do is key. An engaged employee can yield up to 57 percent more discretionary effort than one who is not engaged. Three important strategies for creating employee engagement include:

WIIFM (What’s in it for me?)

Once the stage is set, and we have created the most productive and positive work environment we can, we need to understand employee motivation, both extrinsic and intrinsic.

The Accountability Ladder

The accountability ladder could be described in eight steps broken in two groups; accountable or victim behaviors. These are:

1. I don’t know: No accountability – management and workforce has no clue about unhappy customers or loss.
2. Excuse: More excuses and fewer results – It is mainly due to lack of focus and low productivity.
3. Wait and hope: Expecting results without communicating requirements
4. Blame others: Blame game – play the victim and find someone or something for cause of failure.
5. Acknowledge reality: Recognize the level of workload or tasks required for business growth.
6. Own it: Take responsibility and commit to business goals.
7. Find solution: Take ownership of situation and ability to handle issues professionally.
8. Make it happen: Develop innovative products and achieve breakthrough goals.

The Line between Victimization & Accountability

The roots of victimization stems from its subtle system of belief that people cannot become what they desire to become because of their circumstance. People and organizations find themselves thinking and behaving below the line whenever they consciously or unconsciously avoid accountability for individual or collective results. Stuck in these victim behaviors, they begin to lose their spirit and will, until, eventually, they feel completely powerless.

Only by moving above the line and climbing the steps to accountability can we become powerful again. Rather than face reality, sufferers of this malady oftentimes begin ignoring or pretending not to know about their accountability, denying their responsibility, blaming others for their predicament, citing confusion as a reason for inaction, asking others to tell them what to do, claiming that they cannot do it, or just waiting to see if the situation will miraculously resolve itself.

Accountability for results rests at the very core of the total quality, people engagement and empowerment, and continuous improvement. The essence of it therefore is getting people to become personally accountable – rising above their circumstances and doing whatever it takes (within the bounds of ethical behavior) to get the results they want.

Neither individuals nor organizations can stay on the line between these two realms because events will inexorably push them in one direction or the other. While both people and organizations can have accountability in some situations and victim behavior in others, some issue or circumstance will arise to influence them to think and act from either an above the line or below the line perspective. Even the strongest commitment to accountability will not prevent us from ever falling below the line. That sort of perfection is not humanly possible. But those who are truly accountable never remain there for long.

Where Are We:

We can take a moment to identify where we are on this ladder. Here are a few pointers that may help:

Moving Up the Ladder – So how do we get others or ourselves above the line? Take a few moments to answer the following questions:

What did we notice about these questions? They are all positively focused. Spending the time to answer them may give us a new perspective or place to focus our emotional energy. These are also great questions to ask our people if we feel they are struggling below the line. Questions like these can really open up discussion and help someone refocus.

All of us have been below the line. All of us know what it is like to feel as if we are being treated unfairly and are trapped in our current circumstances. The Accountability Ladder is a great way to diagnose where we are. The ability to understand and help individuals work through the reasoning of why living “Below the Line” can cause undue stress and overall misery; can help them move to a position that may be healthier and happier in the long run.

Ways to Imbibe Personal Accountability

Guiding People to get them Above the Line:

There are five steps to follow when guiding others above the line. These include:

The most critical piece of this is number three. After we have spent time listening and acknowledging the current challenges, the question we need to ask them is, “Given our current circumstances, what else can we do to move forward?” This helps shift them from victim mode to action. Once they begin to talk about what else can be done, make sure to provide the feedback and the support they need to move ahead.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

THE PATH TO ACCOUNTABILITY: BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED – CHAPTER 01

Most people view accountability as something that happens to them or is inflicted upon them, choosing to perceive it as a heavy burden to carry. In fact, many people think about accountability as a concept or principle to be applied only when something goes wrong or when someone else is trying to determine cause and pinpoint blame. Often, when things are moving along smoothly and failure has not yet set in, people rarely ask “Who is accountable for this or that?” It seems that only when the boat is filling up with water or the fire is out of control do people start looking around for the responsible party.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines accountability as “the fact of being responsible for your decisions or actions and expected to explain them when you are asked”. This in itself is a slightly negative connotation of accountability. “……..to explain them when you are asked’- implying a post-op view with little choice to the state of accountability. This confession-oriented and powerless definition suggests that accountability is a state someone arrives at after the event. Here is another definition:

This implies that accountability is the process of owning it and doing it. It requires a level of ownership that includes proactively taking charge of commitments. It is a perspective that embraces both current and future efforts rather than reactive and historical explanations.

The Blame: Whose Fault is it

Imagine this. We are babysitting two kids. And they are running around pushing each other and doing the usual obnoxious things. Then suddenly we hear a crash. In the next room, a super sacred one million rupees worth vase that the wife’s grandma made with her bare hands during the her toughest times is knocked off the table and lies on the floor in a thousand pieces.

What happens? The two kids immediately point blame the other. They present their cases. They start whining and cutting each other off. Now, let’s say one of them is a little naughty and violent and we have a hunch that it’s probably his fault anyway (bias). What do we do? Nothing. We either punish them both, or do nothing.

None of this changes the fact that both of them were running around and being reckless near nice precious objects, or the fact that theoretically, both were behaving negligently enough to cause destruction. It also does not change the fact that the vase is broken and is never coming back. One could even argue that it’s our fault for putting such a valuable item in a vulnerable place around kids. We spend a lot of our time and effort looking for whose fault something is, even when it doesn’t matter.

Here is another instance. We order a nice steak at a restaurant and it arrives under-cooked after a long wait. We want to blame the cook so we call the manager over and go on a tirade. But who knows, maybe the steak was poorly prepared by someone else, or the steak was not stored correctly the night before, or it was a faulty supply. Or maybe they tried buying from a faulty supplier. Or maybe there is a poor system of communication in the restaurant and so misunderstandings are prevalent and this affects how the food is prepared. But no, the cook was at fault, and needs to be made aware of the blame. As humans, we all enjoy a scapegoat; we need a scapegoat.

We see this most often with the government. An entire bureaucratic system may be at fault, causing continuous waste and inefficiency, but a few people get blamed and fired and the system continues. The public is satisfied. Someone is blamed and punished, so everything must be right again.

What is Personal Accountability?

Personal accountability is being willing to accept the consequences resulting from our choices, actions, or behaviors. Being personally accountable means owning the situations that we have been a part of. This means taking responsibility for the outcome, whether it is good or bad, and doing our best to rectify the situation. While it can be challenging to assert accountability, especially when the situation is not good or we have failed on a task, it is in these situations when personal responsibility matters most. By taking ownership of the situation, action, or choice, we build:

When we show that we are trustworthy, dependable, and willing to take ownership even when things fail, we become someone senior colleagues can depend on and will earn leadership opportunities. There are times when it’s important to know whose fault it is. Like when engaging in chemical warfare. Or finding out who pissed on the toilet seat. But in most of the cases in our lives, it’s an inconsequential distraction. And it is based largely on ego gratification and little on actual life improvement.

What Is the Blame Game?

When something goes wrong and we feel threatened, it’s natural to want to defend ourselves against any repercussions. We might find ourselves scape-goating or trying to shift the blame elsewhere. We may try to distance ourselves from a problem, fearing that taking responsibility for errors or mistakes could harm our careers or make us look bad. But this approach doesn’t solve anything. Shifting the blame will not help us fix the problem that caused the delay. Sometimes it is all too obvious when a team is playing a blame game. But it can happen in more subtle ways, too, like:

The Impact of Blame

Blaming others can have a detrimental effect on morale and performance. Team members may feel belittled or humiliated if they’re pinpointed for blame – especially if it is not their fault.

A culture of blame may also lead to individuals or teams being scapegoated when the real problem may lie elsewhere, or have a number of causes. It is easier to blame someone in another department or building than it is to point the finger at someone we sit with every day.

Over time, this type of scapegoating may even perpetuate bias or prejudice, or lead to accusations of discrimination. Also, it can damage the integrity of other team members who witness it, especially if they do nothing to stop it. “Passing the buck” can deplete trust with stakeholders. Conversations along the lines of, “Well, that is the finance team’s fault, not ours, so I cannot help you” can make the whole company seem incompetent.

Blame can also stunt creativity and innovation within the organization – if people are afraid to try new things in case they do not work out, this can reduce team and company performance in the longer term. Finally, some individuals may be prone to accepting blame where it is not warranted. A protective manager, for example, may “take the rap” for someone else’s mistake. Or, an individual who is highly self-critical may view everything as their fault, even when it is not.

***To be continued in Chapter 02 (Ways To Move Away From Blaming, Accountability & Engagement, Accountability Ladder, Victimization & Accountability, Guiding To Rise Above Accountability) Link to Chapter -02:

THE PATH TO ACCOUNTABILITY: BEHAVIORS ASSOCIATED – CHAPTER 02

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa.

EXPLORING HUMAN BEHAVIOR THROUGH SCUBA DIVING: LESSONS AND INSIGHTS – (CHAPTER 02)

***Continued from Chapter 01 (Points 01 to 04 Covered- Link Below)

LESSONS IN BEHAVIOUR FROM SCUBA DIVING – (CHAPTER 01)

05) -> Always Dive with a Buddy

Our buddy is there to help should we need them: we run out of air, our equipment malfunctions, we see something incredible that no one else will believe unless we have a witness. Our buddy is there to hold us accountable, to encourage and to calm us down should panic arise. A good buddy thinks not only of themselves, but of their counterpart as well. Our dive buddy could be a stranger we have just met on the boat or a lifelong friend with whom we share a passion. We enter the ocean on each other’s terms, agreeing on a dive plan, understanding that while each person is responsible for himself, they are also there to lend a helping hand. You share the dive together, exit the water together, drifting along in a sort of dependent independency (interdependency).

Lesson:……………………………….. Going through life without someone with whom you can communicate, without someone to be there should you need them, is not an ideal way of life. We need to be able to be alone with ourselves, to love ourselves independent of others, in order to make ourselves happy. But there is something to be said for having an ear that listens. We cannot isolate ourselves too much, closing ourselves off from the rest of the world. We thrive on connection, on acceptance, on belonging to something bigger than ourselves.

The buddy, whether they are a partner, parent, or best friend, can help to appreciate the solitude found in our world while remaining there for each other should we need one another. It is comforting to know that a buddy will be there, or will need us too, when needed.

06) -> Slow Down

The primary purpose of moving on a dive is to do so slowly and purposefully, carefully creeping along a coral reef, checking cracks and crevices for hiding creatures. The more slowly we move, the more we are likely to see. The diver who surfaces after their planned bottom time has lapsed, complaining of not seeing anything, is likely the diver who moved too quickly.

There is no telling what kinds of alien-like life forms are lurking in the lush shelters of vibrant reefs. Many are minuscule or camouflaged, only visible to the trained eye of a curious scuba diver. The marine world is an interesting, astounding, captivating place where no two dives are the same, and no two dives will yield the same sights. The experienced diver knows that careful observation is the secret to uncovering the treasures, both big and small, that the ocean has to offer.

Lesson:……………………………. We are in a world where everything is immediate and fast paced and needs to happen as soon as possible. Diving teaches, for the love of all things beautiful, to slow down and appreciate the environment we are in. It shows us that stress and pressure should not be our motivating factors, rather the reasons behind our actions should lie in what interests us. The forces driving us forward are curiosity and inquisition, our motivation propelled not by what lies ahead, but what lies right here, right now, right in front of our eyes if we will only take the time to look.

07) -> The More We Dive, the Less Weight We Will Need

The first breaths underwater will most likely be taken with a weight that is heavier than the weight we need. There is so much to take in, inhaling with enthusiasm, that we often forget to exhale, filling our lungs, bringing stubborn buoyancy to our bodies that can only begin to be counteracted by adding a few extra pounds to your weight belt.

But then we learn, and the novelty wears off. We start to put techniques into practice, controlling our breathing and remembering to exhale when we feel ourselves floating up. We make it a goal, like many divers have, to continue dropping our weights – diving with our ideal weight, with no more weight than we need. Thus, we begin to conserve energy, making our air consumption lighter and our tank last longer.

Lesson:……………………………… The more we have moved through life, the more weight we have begun to shed; the weight we always seem to carry with us; trying to drag us down when we are clearly meant to fly. It probably begins in adolescence when we are first exposed to all these new expectations that society has for us to act or be a certain way. Weight after heavy weight gets added, draining ourselves faster than we should, leading us to rely on crutches to achieve our neutral buoyancy, our peace of mind. Here is when it is important to exhale- to let it go.

It takes dedicated and consistent practice. The more we go through life, letting go of the unnecessary, the more comfortable we get in our own skin, the more we can conserve our positivity.

08) -> Not Every Dive Will Be Breathtaking

Stunning underwater encounters will be present, but for every magnificent moment, there will be even more hours spent in which we see a lot of the same. That does not mean those dives were not beautiful in themselves, rather they just weren’t as noteworthy as others.

Lesson:………………………….. It’s true in our lives as well. We become accustomed, getting caught in a routine. We wake up wanting our days to look a certain way, thinking that if we do something different it’s going to be the answer that unlocks all of our problems, thinking that every day should be significant. Not every day in our lives is going to be incredible. We must have the ordinary to balance the outstanding. We need monotony in order to appreciate the magnificent.

We have learned to let go of our expectations, to let every feeling wash over us, and to not get discouraged by a little boredom or normalcy. We have learned to create a life for ourselves in which the good outweighs the bad, and, in between the repetitiveness and regularity, we have put ourselves in a place that we can appreciate.

09) -> We Are the Awkward Creature in an Unfamiliar World

Diving in the ocean allows us to get incredibly close to nature, being mere inches away from multiple wild animals. And then, seeing these creatures move in a lightning-fast haste, changing direction and whizzing through the water like its less than air, is incredibly humbling; a reminder of just how vulnerable we are in this unearthly environment. That is why, as divers, we are taught to treat the marine world with such respect; we are outsiders in an arena that does not belong to us, slower than any underwater being no matter how quickly we kick our fins.

Lesson:…………………………………. It is the same with traveling, with seeing more and more of the earth, encountering new cultures, and leaving tracks in our wake. Scuba diving shows us that we are all just awkward creatures in an unfamiliar place. We all have experiences that humble us, that remind us just how vulnerable we are in comparison to the other forces in this world. We think we are in control, and then the change happens, a movement so fast that it occurs in the blink of an eye: a destructive hurricane hits, a pandemic runs through the world, fires rip through forests and suburbs. Which is why we learn that we need to treat our world with respect, acting in our lives with the knowledge that anything can change in an instant. We have become more conscious of our habits, trying to limit the waste we produce, trying to step more lightly through life, leaving less of a footprint behind.

10) -> Always Do a Safety Stop, Even if it’s Not Required

We do a safety stop at the end of every dive, spending 3 minutes at 5 meters or 15 feet, allowing excess nitrogen to begin dissolving from our tissues. Research and the Recreational Dive Planner (RDP) exhibit that a safety stop is not always necessary or required, but we always do one because it is a good diving habit to be in.

Lesson:……………………………… In life, we can look at our safety stops as moments to ourselves. A few minutes each day where we can allow ourselves to decompress the stresses and pressures that have built up throughout the day.  Examples – safety stops as a morning run, sitting down for afternoon tea, or reading a book before we go to sleep, yoga classes, writing my thoughts out on a page, or going for a sunset swim. We take our safety stops as precious moments to ourselves, a chance to reflect and relax before ascending to what’s required of us the following day. It may not always be required, but getting into the practice of doing something for ourselves, creating a habit that allows us to have that time to unwind, to relax and reflect and release all that we have been holding onto, is valuable in our immense vulnerability to the harsh ways of the world.

In Conclusion:

Life has so much to offer for those that decide to indulge in it. We have millions of opportunities every day to discover and experience something new. It seems as though we sell ourselves short far too often, thinking that we aren’t good enough or aren’t worthy enough to try something new. 

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS: MANAGEMENT BEHAVIOURS

Management lessons are everywhere. We can read them in books, listen to them on podcasts, and hear them live during conference talks. Here are some of the lessons from conversations with leaders:

Lesson 01: What are common hazards and errors to avoid when doing manager handoffs and transitions?

People come and go in the workplace for various reasons. Maybe we have been promoted and are transitioning into a different role. Perhaps we are taking leave for one reason or another. Regardless of the reason, we will want to make sure we are structuring transitions to be as smooth as possible for ourselves, the new person, and the team that they’ll be taking over. Going too fast is the biggest pitfall. Additionally, here are some suggestions:

1. Writing out all the things that we currently do in our role, monitor it for a few weeks to make sure we do not miss anything and create good documentation for the role.
2. Give a quick win with a process improvement or an initiative that the team has wanted for a while but has not had the bandwidth to do.
3. Give people milestones to strive for. Example-When XYZ is achieved, when we are competent in ABC, or when we feel comfortable with DEF, we will increase our accountability.
4. Be clear on delegation, accountability, responsibility, and monitoring. Typically, the most difficult things are delegation, accountability, and monitoring because they’re less commonly defined when compared to responsibility. Here’s one way how we can think about these: 
   • Delegation – Be clear on what is being delegated and to what level.
   • Accountability – This happens in both directions (up and down the hierarchy) and can typically be tied to concrete outcomes. Being clear on what this role has accountability for delivering allows a person to come out swinging and plan appropriately.
   • Monitoring – It’s worth being clear about how the role will be monitored long-term (e.g. performance reviews), but it’s crucially important to define how it will be monitored in the early days (e.g. weekly check-ins, continuous feedback, and agree upon next steps, etc.)
5. As for handling the transition publicly: What gets announced in the company is significant as well. 
   1. What is the symbolic date of handover where this person has full ownership and authority on all decision-making? 
   1. Timing: Does the announcement get made initially on Day 1 that there’s a new role, and that a phased transition is in place with the expectation that by the end – Day 30, 60, or 90 – there is clarification of what this new role now has full accountability for?

Lesson #2: What are some suitable ways of demonstrating you value your people?

Showing we truly, genuinely value our employees in thoughtful ways can make all the difference to a person’s happiness and contentment in the workplace.

1. Give them back their time. Maybe a Monday or a Friday is right on the cusp of a holiday, but it isn’t technically a holiday. Perhaps some people are even taking off on purpose to get a head start for family preparations, travel, etc. Consider turning it into a free paid “bonus holiday” to show appreciation.
2. Give shoutouts. Encourage folks to give whenever and as often as they see fit. You could even take those shoutouts and include them in an internal newsletter to provide people additional recognition.
3. Simply express gratitude. Thanking people is probably the easiest, lowest cost, and yet hardest thing to do authentically. The challenge is you want to do it in the moment and not to make it systematic (otherwise you lose authenticity).
4. Write hand-written notes. Pen a quick note with some kind thoughts, words of encouragement or gratitude, or anything else that might be appropriate and mail it or hand-deliver it. People appreciate the personal nature, thoughtfulness, and the little extra time it takes as opposed to a quick-worded email or a twitter message.

Lesson #3: Should you be doing pulse surveys?

1. Almost all companies suffer from survey overload. The bigger the company, the more surveys. It’s impossible to respond to them all. Some tips:
   1. Is the survey sufficiently short? 
   1. Can it be anonymous? 
   1. Are there any additional barriers to entry? (namely: sign-in page, reading instructions, etc.) 
   1. The less friction, the more likely we will get completion.
2. Do people have faith in the surveys? Perhaps people are not completing them because they do not have faith that anything will change. Perhaps they are content with the status quo and, therefore, do not see the point in the surveys. 

Some tips on increasing participation if we want to continue down the survey route:

1. Having leaders model the behaviour: i.e., writing a quick email to their teams saying “I’ve just completed X, it took me Y mins and I think you should do it too…it’ll really help with Z.”
2. Having a reward for participation: i.e., giving away random gift cards or something else to encourage others.
3. Show we are listening: Do something with the feedback received. If someone takes the time to fill in a survey, they’ll want to understand it’s been listened to (even if the action isn’t the course they would have wanted)

Lesson #4: What are some frameworks for healthier communication?

1. The Best Way to Confront People is by Saying These 3 Things
   • Share the specific action that made you feel that way. ‘When you walked out on Friday night…’
   • Say exactly how they made you feel. Happy/sad/angry isn’t enough. Be specific.
   • Explain the impact of their actions. ‘I feel this threatens a stable future…’
2. Acknowledge how we feel and work out how we would like to feel. Then do the same for the other person or people in the conversation. Ask ourselves, “how might they feel, and how would I like them to feel?”
3. The moment we have the urgency to talk and get our voice heard is the moment when we need to be listening to the other person the most.
4. Sometimes, we talk over each other because we fear that “our turn” might not come. That is not true. The more patient we are, the better the conversation will flow.
5. Disagree without being disrespectful.
6. Difficult conversations are very challenging by nature. It’s ok to accept and remind ourselves of that.

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION TODAY: BEHAVIOURS THAT HELP IDENTIFY

“I need to figure out how to motivate my employees.” When was the last time we thought that to ourselves? It could have been the other week when we noticed one of the direct reports dragging his/her feet on a project that’s critical to the company. Or, perhaps it was the other month when we felt frustrated that the team was not being proactive about addressing customer issues. We hear this sentiment of “how to motivate employees” frequently from managers we work with. We, as leaders, are not the only ones thinking this. Employees themselves admit that they do not feel as motivated at work as they would like.According to research, only 2 in 10 employees strongly agree that their performance is managed in a way that motivates them to do outstanding work.

However, this question of, “How to motivate my employees as a manager?” is a misguided one. It implies that motivation is something we give another person. That is patently false. Motivation is not a thing we give to people — motivation is a thing people already have.

Employees inherently have energy, ideas, gifts, and talents that are worth being shared with the world. We, as leaders, simply need to get out of their way and create a space for that energy, ideas, gifts, and talents to thrive. The question we should ask ourselves is not, “How can I motivate my team?” but rather, “How can I create an environment for my team members to motivate themselves?”

Here are some things we can do as leaders to create the conditions for employees to motivate themselves and doesn’t undermine intrinsic employee motivation that they already have.

1. Immerse yourself in discovery.

We cannot enable another person’s motivation to flourish if we don’t know what motivates them, to begin with. As a result, a key part of effectively creating the conditions for strong employee motivation in our team is to figure out what motivates them?

Hopefully, we have got a sense of this when we were hiring them — as the interview process is very much about understanding what drives a person. However, if it still remains fuzzy, here are some questions we will want to ask during our next one-on-one meeting to figure out, at their core, what the team member is motivated by:

It is also a good idea to share these questions ahead of time, thus giving them time to think about the questions. We can say something like, “I’d love to discuss broader, deeper life questions during our next one-on-one,” and can also share an agenda ahead of time. We may continue to ask these questions as we work with this person over time. Discovery of motivation is not a one-time, one-off occurrence — it is an ongoing, consistent practice.

• Personalize everything where feasible.

Motivation is personal. What motivates one person might not motivate someone else. As a result, it is important to have nuance in the conditions we create for motivation to grow — we need to individualize those conditions. This means specifically aligning projects, goals, and incentives with what the other person is motivated by, and no one else.

This seems intuitive, yet we often unintentionally (or completely unknowingly) project our own preferences and proclivities onto another person. For example, because we find detail-oriented work very easy, we might assume the other person does as well, and we proceed to hand off a very data-focused, detail-oriented project to them.

Then, we notice that they are not motivated on the project and seem to be struggling, we wonder, “Hmm why aren’t they really stepping into it?” When we consider the individual nature of motivation, the answer becomes obvious: It was a mismatch of aligning the project to what motivates that person the most. However, sometimes, there are projects that must get done and goals that have to get met — and we cannot customize or individualize them.

• Create flexibility/ choice.

While we cannot always individualize and perfectly match someone’s project and goals with what they are most motivated by, we can create positive conditions for motivation by enabling choice in what people can do. In Edward Deci’s seminal book on human motivation theory, Why We Do What We Do, he describes how “meaningful choice engenders willingness” and results in a higher quality of decisions, and greater motivation and commitment to the task.

For example, while someone may not be able to choose their project, we can give them a choice in how they want to approach the project. Or in another situation, instead of assigning someone a set of goals, we can invite them to participate in the formation of those goals and enable them to choose it. Studies have shown that when people can actively choose their own goals, they are more likely to follow through on them.

• Discontinue surveillance.

What damages the conditions for motivation the most? Surveillance has been revealed in studies to negatively impact intrinsic motivation. Anytime we are peeking over someone’s shoulder, making a mental note of what time they log on or log off, or when they enter the office — it is not helping. Additionally, consider how deadlines and imposed goals undermine intrinsic motivation and negatively affect performance. Are we arbitrarily setting targets to create an artificial sense of “urgency” or “accountability”? Or are we trying to create a supportive environment that is truly helpful for a person getting to where they need to be?

• Acknowledge constraints and feelings.

Sometimes we cannot create a good environment for motivation. The company is tight on resources, or there is a toxic person who is dragging the team down, but we don’t have the authority to let that person go. When you know that prime conditions for strong motivation are not there, recognize that. Share with the team, “Here’s why I know that sucks” or “I so appreciate you bearing with this” and we demonstrate how much we understand their point of view. This sharing of the rationale behind why things are constraining or not feeling good helps to minimize the pressure that detracts from performance. Acknowledging the bad helps clear room for someone to try to do good.

• Clarify expectations.

On occasion, our team does not seem motivated because their behaviour doesn’t match up with our own conception of what “highly motivated” looks like in our heads. In short, we as leaders have not made clear what the real output of strong motivation looks like in our team. Does it mean that people are moving faster? Does it mean a higher quality of work? Once we have determined what the product of “stronger motivation” looks like, then consider: How well have we communicated this to the team? Do they know and are they aware that is the output and product they should be creating?

As a leader, when we are trying to figure out how to motivate employees, what we are truly trying to do is create a context in which they can act. We are creating an environment for the team to motivate themselves.

**Source Credits:-

The Book- Why We Do What We Do by Edward Deci 

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa

Content Curated By: Dr Shoury Kuttappa