Lots of managers seek assistance with ideas to motivate their team. Unfortunately, motivation is not something that can be given to you. Motivation comes from within, and regardless of a leader's efforts, a person will only feel motivated if they choose to be.
In human behaviour we have two forms of motivation.
The first form is intrinsic motivation. This comes from within an individual. It is driven by personal satisfaction, curiosity, or a sense of achievement. Examples can include feeling accomplishment after solving a challenging situation, enjoying a task because it is interesting, and developing a skill for the love of learning.
On the other side we have extrinsic motivation. This is influenced by external rewards or pressures.
Both types of motivation play a role in human behaviour, and the balance between them can affect performance, engagement and long-term commitment to a task. The role of the leader is to understand how these two forms of motivation will resonate with individual staff.
It boils down to what we call ‘knowing your people’.
There are leaders who believe they just need to place chocolate in the staff room to motivate their team. They are convinced that these token rewards are strong motivators. This belief likely stems from a reliance on extrinsic motivation and in some cases outdated management practices.
Many of the team will not be extrinsically motivated by this, and those that are might reflect that the chocolate is a gesture.
So, what can nursery leaders and managers do to embrace the two forms of motivation in their settings?
In these cost-conscious times, the least costly is a personal thank you, or if an individual wants, public recognition. I always like to keep a packet of thank you cards; I encourage leaders to do the same so they can write a personal note at any time to one of the team.
