You Can't Manage People - You Can Only Manage Their Environment

Many leaders don't understand what it means to truly motivate people to perform at their best. Here are three principles of motivation that should help you understand what drives people in the work environment:

You can't motivate other people: While there are many leaders who think they are motivational or inspirational, the word "motivation" comes from the root word "motive," so motivation is what moves people to action. The drive or energy to do something can only come from within the person. People only do what they want to do or choose to do. The question for leaders is not, "How can I motivate people?" The question is, "How can I help people be self motivated to do the right things?"

All people are motivated:  You may be thinking, 'I know some people who aren't motivated'. Well, some people are motivated to do absolutely nothing and some are motivated to do just enough to keep their jobs. Others are motivated to do the opposite of what you want them to do. The reality is, everyone is motivated to do exactly what they are doing right now... that is why they are doing it.

You can create an environment where people are motivated to perform at their best: This should be the first lesson in Leadership 101. The key to getting great performance from employees is to create a great work environment. Unfortunately, many managers believe that the key to great results is to control people, and in the process they create an environment that kills creativity, passion, and performance.

You Can't Manage People - You Can Only Manage Their Environment