Michael DeSafey | Executive Recruiter and HR Professional
What’s Your Motivation Style? Learn How To Leverage It
What’s Your Motivation Style? Learn How to Leverage It to Achieve your Career Goals
Do you know what motivates you to reach your objectives? Do you have an internal drive to move forward, or do you require external inspiration from others? Understanding your motivation style and knowing how best to utilize it is crucial for career success in the construction, engineering, and environmental sectors.
This blog provides career advice on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, along with pointers for utilizing your motivational style to accomplish your professional objectives.
What are Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations? How do they Differ?
Personal interest or delight in an activity is the source of intrinsic motivation. Since it is independent of incentives from outside sources, intrinsic motivation frequently lasts longer than extrinsic motivation. If you are intrinsically driven, you are more likely to be emotionally invested in your work and persevere when facing difficulties. Intrinsically motivated people are often self-starters and need less direction from others.
Extrinsic motivation is derived from outside influences, such as incentives, penalties, or approval from others. People driven by external factors can require more oversight and direction from their employer to keep on track.
Occupational Examples of Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivations
You might be curious about how extrinsic and intrinsic motivation interact at work. Let’s look at a few examples.
Intrinsic Motivation:
- You prefer working on difficult assignments, and you get a sense of satisfaction from finishing them.
- You have the internal drive to keep up with professional news and developments.
- When you complete a task to the highest standards, you take pride in your work and are satisfied.
Extrinsic Motivation:
- Your supervisor sets objectives for you to meet to earn a bonus or boost in salary.
- You put in a lot of effort to get the respect of your superiors or peers.
- You keep working outside of your normal work hours to complete a task, since you are aware of the repercussions if you don’t.
How to Use Your Personal Motivational Style to Reach Your Career Goals
If you have intrinsic motivation, you can use your initiative to volunteer for leadership positions or take on more duties at work. You may increase your chances of getting promoted by taking on more work and demonstrating your leadership skills to your superiors.
By exploring chances for professional growth or continuing education, you may also harness your intrinsic desire to become an authority in your field. You will be more prepared to assume leadership roles and develop your career if you increase your knowledge and abilities.
On the other hand, if you are extrinsically driven, you may use this quality to create externally validated objectives, such as securing a raise or a promotion. Although the inner drive is crucial, external variables like these can also serve as effective motivators to help you achieve your professional objectives.
Extrinsic motivation may also help you foster productive connections with your superiors and coworkers. Your chances of being promoted will increase if you establish good relationships with people in positions of authority.
Can Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation Styles Be Used Together?
It’s possible to utilize both internal and extrinsic motivation to accomplish your professional goals. Extrinsic motivation can offer benefits from the outside world that can help you to continue moving forward. You will be more likely to maintain your involvement in your job and your drive to attain your objectives if you pursue personally fulfilling and externally validated goals. In contrast, intrinsic motivation will keep you engaged in your task even when times are rough.
You can position yourself for success in any profession using a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic drives. For instance, you could be driven both by your (intrinsic) desire to master your area of specialization and your (extrinsic) desire to earn a higher wage. By combining these intrinsic and extrinsic drives, you can develop a well-rounded strategy for achieving your goals.
Additionally, you are more likely to persevere through tough times or difficult tasks if you are engaged in work that you find intriguing and challenging. However, if you also know there will be a benefit for finishing the project (such as a bonus or salary increase), this will provide you with additional incentive.
Conclusion
Regardless of what your own personal motivational style might be, there are ways to use it to further your career goals in the environmental, engineering, or construction sectors. Extrinsic motivation might offer you external incentives and recognition, while intrinsic motivation will help you remain motivated and engaged in your task. Combining intrinsic and extrinsic motivation can help you develop a well-rounded strategy for achieving your goals.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering, and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing: www.webuildstaffing.com. To learn more about Michael, or to follow his blog, please visit www.michaeldesafey.com.
Ways To Increase Your Employees Morale – Free!!
Ways To Increase Your Employees Morale – Free!!
As a professional recruiter who has been working and recruiting professionals in the environmental, engineering and construction industries for over 18 years now at Webuild Staffing, I have talked with many managers who find it hard to motivate employees.
As a manager you have the responsibly to manager your employees, motivate them and keep the morale of the office high. Studies have shown the companies that have high level of morale prosper significantly greater than low morale organizations.
Historically, larger companies have offered bonuses, trips, prizes to keep performance and morale high, but if your organization does not have the budgets or capacity to offer those types of morale boosters. Here are a few tips to improve morale without taking a bite out of the budget.
Genuinely Show You Care About Your Employees…
For most employees that office is their second home. They spend a significant amount of time every day at the office, but it is their second home. They have families, interests, activities that matter to them outside of the workplace. So showing an employee that you care is one of the easiest ways to reward them. Allowing an employee to take care of their family life is one of the greatest rewards you can give an employee. Let them take a day off, send them home early, if they need to take care of a personal issue during working hours; let them do it. Having an employee whose family is happy will go a long ways in boosting company morale. The employee will be more productive, care about the company greater and encouraged to work harder.
Recognize Employees For Their Hard Work..
When you hire an employee you expect them to work hard and do a good job. But when someone goes above and beyond expectations and works hard to help the company. Employers need to recognize it; which could be anything from offering a simple thank you or an employee of the week recognition to a plaque for exceptional performance.
Most individuals value personal recognition over anything else in the workplace. If they know they are being acknowledged for their hard work, they only need simple recognition to keep their morale high.
Focus On Achieving A Goal ..
Companies have a strategic direction, goals they are trying to achieve. Employees work to achieve those goals every day, but reminding an employee about the good they are doing, the people they are helping, how the company benefits a wide variety of customers and/or people lives are positive reinforcement for employees to do a good job. If they can relate to their customers, see the impact their products, services are having on the community as a whole. Morale within the company will jump greatly.
If customers recognize an employee’s hard work, let the employee know about it. If a product or services impacts a specific customer in a life changing way, let the employee know their work greatly influenced that person’s life. If an employee recognizes their hard work is paying off, morale will jump greatly throughout an organization faster than any other reward that can be offered.
The above tips are only a few of the many ways in which you can reward an employee and keep company morale high, without affecting the company’s overall budget.
Michael DeSafey is a leading executive recruiter for professionals in the construction, engineering and environmental industries. He is currently the President of Webuild Staffing (www.webuildstaffing.com). To learn more about Michael or Follow his Blog please visit www.michaeldesafey.com