Is It Possible to Teach Someone to Be Motivated?

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Regardless of which leadership style you champion, being a leader often means that your success is contingent upon the achievements of those you lead. When your organization prospers, you earn the credit. If the organization falters, the leader is accountable. Thus, it is incumbent upon decision-makers to hire supportive and “motivated” employees who can execute the organizational strategy and mission, which, in turn, makes the leader look good.

But what exactly are motivated employees? Classic definitions of motivated behavior suggest that the intensity and direction of goal-directed effort determine our degree of motivation (Hoffman, 2015). First, let’s set the record straight that there is no such thing as being unmotivated.

Although strong evidence supports qualifying academic motivation (Pintrich & Zusho, 2002) and personal motivation as a depletable (Muraven & Baumeister, 2000), suggesting that people are not motivated is a common misconception. The “NoMo” portrayal is nothing more than a convenient label commonly used by parents, teachers, and uninformed leaders to describe someone who does not meet the performance expectations of the person making the evaluation. In practice, saying that someone is unmotivated is our way of comparing the goals, effort, and performance of that individual to ourselves, which often leads to faulty conclusions concerning what actually motivates the individual.

Why motivation is unteachable

Teaching someone to be motivated really means persuading another person to ascribe to the same values and beliefs that appeal to you. If another person perceives the benefits or usefulness of reaching a specific goal like you, then you will perceive that individual as motivated. Conversely, it’s easy to be frustrated by anyone who has different priorities than you or works at a different level of intensity or pace. Considering the relatively stable nature of motivational beliefs (Eccles & Wigfield, 2002), it is unlikely that we can teach others to be like us, leaving two viable alternatives.

First, we can take a command-and-control approach and insist that others adapt to our values and beliefs by actively supporting our wishes and desires. Leaders who assume this autocratic posture erroneously believe that promises of promotion or raises or threats of termination will influence belief change and accelerate performance. Unfortunately, the command-and-control leadership style backfires and often results in employee frustration, disengagement, and eventually turnover (Bhatti et al., 2012).

Instead, a savvy leader will model motivated behavior by instilling autonomy in others. Creating a culture of autonomy implies that staff feels they have the ability to express their perspectives, have flexibility in deciding the best way to do their jobs, and have no fear that a singular mistake will derail their organizational potential. Autonomous leaders provide choices, cultivate inclusion by respecting diverse perspectives, and encourage individuals to be creative through innovation. The inclusive leadership style encourages others to take calculated risks (with measurable payoffs) that have the potential to move the business forward.

Specific strategies encourage motivated behavior

While we cannot “teach” motivation, we surely can model appropriate behavior and teach strategies that allow others to set and reach their goals. Broadly, the strategies can be classified as “motivational regulation” strategies because the behaviors are intended to be self-initiated by the individual as a means to moderate the typical peaks and valleys associated with daily motivation. Here are five motivational regulation strategies (Wolters & Rosenthal, 2000) that can help you stay motivated and focused:

• Visualization: Use the power of visualization to create a mental image of your desired outcome. Keep thinking about the final product and how achieving the results will make you feel.
• Positive self-talk: Practice positive self-talk by using affirmations, encouraging yourself, and replacing negative thoughts with positive ones to maintain motivation.
• Self-reward system: Establish a system of self-rewards for achieving milestones or making progress toward your goals to keep yourself motivated.
• Restructuring your environment: Eliminate factors that disrupt your concentration and focus, including a temperature and noise-regulated work area, limits on social media use, and being physically well-rested and nourished for optimal performance.
• Self-reflection and self-care: Take time for self-reflection and self-care to nurture your mental, emotional, and physical well-being, as a healthy mind and body are crucial for sustained motivation and performance.

Lastly, progressive leaders can take an active role by encouraging positive self-beliefs in others. Positive self-views are important because after controlling for experience and background knowledge, those individuals with higher self-concepts are more productive, happier, and willing to share their expertise with others.

One positive belief-building approach is inspiring a sense of work community. Flowerday (2016) advocated gathering individuals together and asking them to identify three experiences or beliefs they have in common with others. Then, to respect individuality, she recommended identifying three factors that distinguish individuals from each other. This activity builds group cohesiveness and is especially helpful in identifying cross-cultural similarities among employees while concurrently motivating individuals to excel because their voices are heard. Ultimately, you cannot teach motivation, but you can teach positive values and effective work strategies.