One Man can lead a horse to water but twenty men cannot make him drink it
No one sentence can perhaps sum up all the motivational theories put forth by various behavioural scientists than the above mentioned proverb.
Motivation is also perhaps one of the processes that have kept the Leaders and the human resource professionals bemused in various organizations.
A leader is often perplexed if he has to constantly motivate his team. Imagine that you are driving a car. The car moves forward only if you put a pressure on the accelerator. Once you remove the pressure, the car comes to a standstill. The same theory applies to your organization. Once you stop the motivation, your team members start stagnating. A follower has a tendency that he always looks up to his leader for inspiration. Motivation inspires change, focus, ambition, progress and this is what makes the world go round.
So how do you motivate your team? Do you have a penchant to apply the age-old theories propounded by the great visionaries and social scientists for motivating your team? Because many of us really do not want to devise our own mechanisms and fondly rely on old school thoughts as they are considered safe'.
One has to understand and appreciate that no theory, no matter however good, can be put to practice unless the ground realities are tested.
There is no thumb rule for motivation. What is applicable to one person may not be of a general view and would not be applicable to all others in the team. Each person has his own individual personality & traits and has to be encouraged as per his personality trait.
Understanding the individual team member is the key. Remember that you cannot treat every person the same way. Also remember Theory X & Theory Y. As long as you, as a Leader, believe that your team will work and deliver on the standards there would be no concern.
Understand that motivation is not only important as a tool for achieving your monthly targets or the long term goals but also because it puts you in control of your life. You will gain influence over others and inspire them and their lives and empower your own self with confidence.