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The Clue to Motivating People? Simply ask...

29/2/2016

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Gloomy reading from HR Magazine which recently reported that in 2015 34% of UK employees could not think of one occasion on which they felt motivated at work. The top motivators were said to be a good work/life balance (45%), a credible and motivating boss (25%), and a supportive and motivating team to work with (19%).  ​

The difficulties with such studies is that whilst they are interesting and provide some useful pointers, they blur levels of meaningful detail which in this case relate to individual difference. It is a simple fact that people are different - they are motivated by different things and at different times. Their needs are different. Whilst 45% of respondents might have said that a good work/life balance was their main motivator, what that means will vary for all of them (and of course 55% didn't report it as their main motivator). We should also probe whether such external factors are actually motivating ones. Work in the area would suggest that they aren't. It is most likely to mean having control over working hours/location and flexibility.

In motivational science terms, the aspect of control is the most important feature. Unfortunately, the kind of approach reported seems to imply that people are a passive lump to which things can simply be done in order to achieve a different outcome. This thinking is probably at the heart of most disengagement and lack of motivation among people!

To enable people to do their best we need to engage with them (with each other!) as unique adults who have potential, and work with them to understand their drivers, values and needs. In collaboration, employer and employee may then create an optimal working arrangement.
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The Importance of Career Satisfaction

19/2/2016

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In January I took part in The New World of Work at Cambridge University's Judge Business School. Through the day I coached a number of women all of whom had just returned to work after maternity leave or were about to do so. I anticipated that these sessions would focus on matters of work/life balance, time management, etc. Instead they all focused on problems and dissatisfactions in their careers such that every one of them wanted to talk about finding a suitable alternative career direction. ​

This won't come as a surprise to the authors of a London School of Business and Finance (LSBF) report that found that 47% of the UK professional workforce are looking to change careers. The implications of this - both in terms of potential staff turnover and the lack of engagement - are enormous. The percentage was much higher (66%) in millennials (18 to 35 year olds) - of these 54% intend to make a career move in two years or less. If we are to retain talented and performing people we need to ensure that they are finding their work appropriately rewarding. This is becoming increasingly important; the millennial generation is less willing to accept the conditions that older workers take for granted. 

What are the key factors in career satisfaction? These vary from person to person (and an effective line manager will be attuned to these needs in his or her team) but are likely to include:

- clarity of role and goals
- appropriate recognition of value and contribution
- meaningful work that has a clear purpose
- work that enables each person to express his or her skills and attributes
- opportunity for advancement
- to be respected and supported 

In our work we find that reports of career dissatisfaction almost always come as a surprise to the manager and employer. An effective, and simple, first step is to understand what satisfaction means to each person and then to ensure that it is meaningfully assessed.

38% of UK professionals surveyed don't want to make a major career change at this time because they report being satisfied in their jobs. Those engaged and performing well will predominantly be found among that 38%. 
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Understanding Dysfunctional Behaviour at Work

10/2/2016

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Given our expertise in coaching psychology we are sometimes asked to work with challenging and difficult people to help them find more appropriate and constructive behaviours in the workplace. More frequently we encounter so-called 'dark' behaviours in our coaching work - sometimes directly with the coachee but more commonly when identified in leaders, managers and colleagues.  ​

Generally these are 'unhelpful' behaviours that people express when they are stressed and under pressure. More extreme are the personality disorders such as narcissistic and psychopathic personality disorders which are more common than many people realise (it is estimated that approximately 10% of the population have psychopathic tendencies and another 10% have either a borderline or a narcissistic personality disorder).

Whether the individual is expressing highly stressed behaviour or a personality disorder, the negative impact on people and business can be extreme. This is exacerbated by the prevalence of these disorders in people at senior levels in organisations where their power and influence is heightened.

People with these behaviours are generally difficult to work with and to manage. Understanding of these behaviours in the general population is limited. The following article from Psychology Today nicely and clearly explains narcissism at work and provides some accurate and reliable indicators to watch for: Narcissism at Work. If you would like to discuss these behaviours in your business and how we can help get in touch. 
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Dealing With the Bad Stuff

4/2/2016

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A couple of weeks ago during a busy coaching week I met with a number of new as well as existing clients. I was struck by the fact that a significant proportion of them had recently experienced extremely difficult life events or were in the process of doing so. They variously described experiencing a miscarriage, the loss of a parent, diagnosis of a seriously debilitating illness, discovering that their teenager was self-harming, the death of a child, a partner's infidelity. Hearing about these events in such quick succession and in a short space of time was striking. It brought home to me just how commonplace these very difficult, often tragic, life events are. 

This is the kind of stuff that we deal with throughout our lives. If we are lucky, we  may escape many of them but most of us will certainly experience "bad stuff" at some time or other. What was striking to me was that all of these people were quietly struggling with these events whilst trying to keep everything else going - including work.

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  • Home
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