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By Donna Deeprose
The following tips are from "Smart Things to
Know about Motivation" (Capstone Publishing, 2003), by Donna Deeprose.
Of course, it would be nice if you had a boss who
would provide you with plenty of motivation and encouragement. But,
in truth, motivation is internal. Others can change your external situation,
giving your internal motivation some space in which to flower. But only
you can search out the motivation within you and put it to work energizing
yourself on the job.
Here are simple ways you can motivate yourself:
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Reward yourself when you've done what you know is
a good job by going out to a special dinner, for example. Take a friend
along to keep reminding you of how great you are.
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When you need to be reminded of how important your
work is, sit down and make a list of all the people who depend upon
you and all the worthwhile outcomes to which you have contributed.
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When you feel your job is going nowhere, volunteer
for a project that's quite different from your routine or take a course
in something entirely new.
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When the organization you work for seems to be adrift,
craft your own vision and seek out tasks that are relevant to it.
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When the atmosphere that surrounds you is charged
with negativism, seek out the company of non-cynics. Every
organization has some, and if you quell any thoughts of your own that
they are naïve, you'll be amazed at how much better you will
feel in their presence.
How to motivate yourself when faced with a dull,
boring project:
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Enlist a colleague or your employees, not because
misery loves company, but because you can bounce ideas off each other
and it's more fun that way.
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Concentrate on being creative. You don't have
to do things in the same old dull manner. Brainstorm more interesting
approaches.
How to motivate yourself when faced with an "impossible"
project:
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Enlist the help of an expert. Somebody somewhere
has probably done it before and is willing to tell you how.
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Even people who tackled similar tasks without success
can be helpful. They can tell you the traps to avoid.
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Ask yourself: "What can I learn by attempting
this, even if the outcome isn't a big success?"
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Talk to the people who came up with the assignment
in the first place. Why do they think this will work? What's their
bottom line? If they were to do it themselves, where would they start?
How to motivate yourself when faced with a thankless
project:
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Put in writing all that goes into this project
or task. If you haven't started it yet, draw up a plan of action
with anticipated times. If you are already involved, keep a log. Present
it to your boss or whoever is involved to demonstrate all that is
involved.
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Negotiate. Ask for what you want in return.
Compensation time perhaps, if this project eats into your personal
time or the time you need for your other work. At the very least,
ask for recognition for your efforts: a letter to your boss's boss
perhaps, copied to you of course. Or acknowledgement in front of your
peers.
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Reward yourself. Establish milestones in the
performance of this thankless project and reward yourself when you
reach each one. Do it publicly to remind other people. Bring in a
cake and share it, for example.
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Post a big calendar on your wall and mark off your
progress in big symbols that no one who walks by can miss. When
people ask you what it's about, tell them. If they don't ask, find
a way to tell them anyway.
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This tip should be starred. If you are not
doing this alone, if people reporting to you or your peers are in
this with you, make sure they don't work thanklessly. Give them plenty
of recognition. Have celebrations. Give fun prizes. Recognize and
reward them until they are really charged up and you catch some of
their fever.
Donna Deeprose is the author of "Smart Things
to Know about Culture," "Smart Things to Know about Managing
Projects," "How to Recognize and Reward Employees" and
other books. She has also written the Express Exec modules "Project
Management" and "Global HR" and is co-author of a business
simulation, Teams@Work. Ms. Deeprose can be reached at ddeeprose@yahoo.com
Click here to read our Members-only
exclusive interview with Donna Deeprose.
Also consider these AMA seminars on related topics:
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