Let's Get Motivated!

Leaders today, more than ever before, have to win people's cooperation. And there are two main ways of doing so:  motivation and inspiration. Although the two words are often used interchangeably, they actually mean quite different things depending on what you want to achieve.

Motivation is about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal. When you're motivating people to do something they may not necessarily want to do, you have to offer them something they want in return.

When coaches give their teams a pep talk during halftime, they are using motivation. They want their players to charge back onto the field or the court with renewed energy and focus, even though they may be too tired or disheartened to try. Their reward? Victory.

• Tell people exactly what you want them to do. Motivation is all about getting people to take action, so don't be vague. Avoid generalities like, "I want everyone to do their best." Say, instead, "I need you to come in over the weekend so we can get this project done on time." 
• Limit the amount of time or effort that you're asking for. It's easier to ask people to work late work one night or even every night for a week than to expect them to work late indefinitely. Set an end date. 
• Share in the sacrifice. Leaders don't ask people to do what they themselves aren't willing to do. Roll up your sleeves and share the load. 
• Appeal to their emotions. People are also motivated by (and prefer to be motivated by) positive emotions such as excitement, pride, a sense of belonging and the thrill of achievement. 
• Give people multiple reasons for doing what you want them to do. You can give your own reason or the organization's reason for requesting the action. "If we don't get this project completed on schedule, we'll lose the contract." But the best reason of all is always personal. It would be nice if you could give your people extra days off or even a bonus.

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About the author: As an executive speech coach with more than 25 years of professional experience, Chris Witt is author of the newly released book, Real Leaders Don't Do PowerPoint, and founder of Witt Communications. He helps CEOs gain board approval and company-wide support for initiatives. Witt also empowers newly promoted managers and entrepreneurs to grow their businesses through the power of effective speaking and presenting. In addition, he works with technical experts to simplify their presentations to win multi-million dollar contracts.

Keep Your Workday Sanity

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With all the recent layoffs, those who are still employed face a tough dilemma. On the one hand, they're grateful for their job, but on the other hand, their workload may have become too much for one person to bear. In fact, many people are now doing the work of two or even three people. Their mantra has become, "There's simply never enough time."

Whether the issue is that you have too much to do, too little help, too daunting a task or all of the above, you can feel like there's no way to keep up. Fortunately, you can start to take control by learning to maximize your time.

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MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME

Strategy No 1: Go to the Calendar
You stop taking every e-mail, phone call, meeting and problem as it comes up, and instead you start scheduling things in a way that makes sense. Going to the calendar means literally opening up your calendar, turning on the PDA, getting out your schedule, and physically putting into place a written, concrete plan to use every hour in the most productive way.

The key to making this work is to start with a blank calendar and address the tasks, projects or activities that matter most to you first, before you take those calls and e-mails. Ask yourself, "What's the best use of my time?" and "Where am I going to get maximum value?" Schedule those things first. Then you can see where the other tasks can go in your calendar. You may find that not everything can fit, and that's okay. If you're focusing on what matters most, the secondary items can usually slide. Either you'll realize they are just "busy work" that doesn't really need to be done, or you'll suddenly see shortcuts to the tasks that you did not realize before.

Remember, just as you can control your time, you can also control your calendar. Don't let it control you.

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Source: Dr. Joelle K. Jay, Ph. D., is an executive coach and the senior managing partner of the leadership development firm, Pillar Consulting. She strategizes with business leaders to enhance their performance and maximize business results. Her clients include presidents, vice presidents, and C-level executives in Fortune 500 companies. Joelle is the author of The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership.