Mind Matters
The psychology behind motivation can enable your team to reach their full potential, writes therapeutic coach Lynn Scholes
Motivation refers to the processes that drive our behaviour, directing us toward a particular goal or outcome. The psychology of motivation involves understanding why people are motivated to pursue certain goals and how this motivation can be influenced or enhanced.
There are several different theories of motivation that attempt to explain why people behave in certain ways. One of the most well-known theories is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which suggests that people are motivated by a series of needs, ranging from basic physiological needs like food and shelter, to more complex needs like self-actualisation and personal growth.
Additionally, there are other theories of motivation that emphasise different factors, such as cognitive factors like goal-setting and self-efficacy, or social factors like social support and reinforcement.
Overall, the psychology of motivation is a complex and multifaceted field and there are many different factors that can influence why people are motivated to pursue certain goals. Understanding these factors can help individuals and organisations create environments and systems that support and enhance motivation.
When James Sale began to research what needed to sit behind a tool that could accurately measure a person’s motivation, he began a long and deep journey of discovery. Not only did he need to establish what are the common motivators but a way to determine the relative importance of them all and how we measure the level of motivation for each one.
He studied many theories and found that the most accurate measure was a tool based on three theories, Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, the Pillars of Career and the Enneagram. Taking all these and creating the personal inventory gave us the Motivational Mapping tool, which was the world’s first tool to measure motivation. Up to this point in time, ‘motivation’ had been invisible – but not any longer.
When looking at a profile we can see exactly what motivators are important and how well they are being met. Motivational Mapping provides us with an enormous amount of knowledge, allowing us to communicate better within our teams, how to understand and motivate our colleagues, how to retain our team – it is a key psychological component of creating high performing individuals and teams.
The mapping tool makes the invisible visible, allowing us to understand individuals at a deeper level and understand what we need to do to support them and the wider team, to achieve their full potential. The payback for companies is not only in success and profit, but in having teams of highly motivated individuals who are happy and satisfied in their roles.
Lynn Scholes is a writer, therapeutic coach, trainer and speaker working with individuals and companies
To find out more contact Lynn on 07753 579745 or go to: focus101.co.uk
