Staying Motivated Can Be Exhausting

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For those of us living in the northern hemisphere, we’re in the middle of a long and hot summer. And for those of us living in the southern hemisphere, it’s a bit chilly.

For me, being in the middle of a process, be it a long season, a long project, or even a long transformation, can get a little heavy. This week, I’m sharing some hints and tips on what it means to stay motivated when things are tough. You may even need to motivate those around you, or just remind yourself that this big thing you’re trying to accomplish will be worth it in the end.

1. To inspire your employees, lead with clarity.

Here’s a great article from Inc. Magazine on the seven things all successful managers do to inspire their employees. The content of the article came from a response posted to Quora from Brad Deutser, author of Leading Clarity. Feel free to read the highlights from the Inc. article, but if you really want to go deep into business management and motivation, feel free to check out the Quora feed. It’s pretty interesting.

2. Understand the top motivating factor to get the best from your people.

This article from The Balance Careers goes into the bigger realities about motivation. Do you or your employees feel like you’re being treated fairly? Do you feel like you have control over certain circumstances at work? Are you and your ideas respected? What can you do to contribute to an environment with higher morale?

3. The goal is to improve quality of work and productivity.

Well, it wouldn’t be a top-five list without my favorite … stats from Gallup. This article by Forbes reinforces everything I believe to be true about management in the workplace — disengaged employees always lead back to poor management. If you need further evidence that motivation is important, there’s this: “Gallup estimates the cost of poor management and lost productivity from employees in the U.S. who are not engaged or actively disengaged to be between $960 billion and $1.2 trillion per year.”

4. How to build motivation in the workplace quickly. 

Sometimes (many times) all it takes is a small shift or change in approach to get the motivation and engagement we want from our teams and employees. This article by leadership-central.com gives quick and easy suggestions to create a paradigm shift. Be warned, however, motivation is not one-size-fits-all. Different people respond to different motivators.

5. And if you need some inspiration yourself, take a look at some of these quotes from powerful women. 

On a final note, sometimes we just need a reminder of how strong we are, and how much we are capable of accomplishing with the right mindset. Make sure to take a look at this list from Swirled on what some of the most powerful women in history have said as they faced great challenges.

 

Christina Holloway is an executive coach and business coach. She helps executives and entrepreneurs grow their companies faster, create results-driven teams, and increase profitability. She has been featured in ForbesThe Huffington PostAddicted2Success and Fast Company. If you’re interested in working with Christina, take a look at her strategy sessions and contact her to get started.

Christina Holloway