How to Build Achievement and Motivation at Work
What is Achievement and Motivation?
Achievement and motivation is demonstrating the motivation to work hard, be successful, achieve difficult goals, and complete challenging tasks.
The Importance of Achievement and Motivation
Did You Know? Aggregate data from SIGMA’s web traffic analysis indicates that Achievement and Motivation is the most viewed skill in SIGMA’s Leadership Competency Framework.
Eight Ways to Build Achievement and Motivation
Would you like to build achievement and motivation at work and among your team? Below are eight on-the-job activities you can use to help you get started. We strongly recommend that you do not try all of these at once; start by picking one activity and pace yourself from there. Depending on your schedule it might only be feasible to do one activity per week. Note that some activities will also need to be repeated in order to develop achievement and motivation, not just as a leadership skill, but as a character trait.
- Consider what motivates you; make a list of internal and external drivers of motivation. Internal drivers may include a sense of purpose, loyalty, or simple enjoyment of the work itself. External drivers may include benefits, vacation time, compensation, recognition, or opportunities for networking and advancement.
- Set a goal that is aspirational and challenging. Break down the goal into smaller tasks and create an action plan for how you will accomplish those subtasks.
- Take five minutes at the start of each day and make a short list of what you would like to accomplish; prioritize your goals so that you know which must be done that day, and which can be re-allocated if more pressing matters arise.
- When setting goals, make sure they are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART Goals); this will help you stay motivated and make it more likely that your goals will be achieved.
- Share your goals with a manager or co-worker. Accountability can be a great motivating factor and improve the probability that you will achieve your goals.
- Recognize and celebrate your personal and team accomplishments to boost motivation and reinforce a sense of accomplishment and self-efficacy.
- Keep an ongoing resume of accomplishments; building this record can be motivating and rewarding in and of itself, but it will also prove useful for recalling and speaking about your accomplishments when necessary.
- Consider whether you are working to the best of your abilities. If not, think about goals, habits, or rewards you can put in place to help you do your best each day.
Download the Achievement and Motivation Competency Guide
These tips are a part of SIGMA’s Achievement and Motivation Competency Development Guide. Download the free PDF below for a complete list of tips and tricks for developing this critical leadership skill.
SIGMA Can Help
Since 1967, SIGMA consultants have helped thousands of organizations across North America develop their people potential and increase organizational effectiveness. Explore our assessments, coaching, and consulting services below, and contact us if you would like to speak about creating a custom plan for your organization. Develop your achievement and motivation as a leader with SIGMA today.
Leadership Skills Profile –
Revised™ (LSP-R)
Take our flagship leadership assessment and see how you score on achievement and motivation.
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Looking for More?
If you would like to speak with a consultant about how to develop achievement and motivation at your organization, contact us below. We would be happy to share what we’ve learned from client experience and talk about the specific needs of your organization and your team.
Glen Harrison is an organizational transformation consultant and succession planning expert. Over the course of his career, Glen has worked with one-third of the Fortune 500 list and with every level of government in Canada and the United States. Having worked with numerous clients to build robust succession plans from the ground up, Glen has extensive experience in the application of SIGMA’s products and services to help organizations realize their people potential.