‘Recognition’: The Most Effective Motivator ?

I was going through an analysis of effective motivators at work on LinkedIn, expertly put across  by Eric Partaker, an accomplished entrepreneur and CEO coach based in the United Kingdom. My decently long stint in the work place and exposure to a varied environment nudged me to think about Eric Partaker’s post in the context and background of my own experiences, which is the basis of my article today.

Influencers of Motivation

As per Eric Partaker, motivation at work is influenced by various factors. Prominent among them are autonomy at work, inspirational managers, promotions, increased remuneration etc. A few workers are just self motivated. Having an opportunity to work and earn a living is in itself a massive motivation to put their head down, work hard and contribute. However, the most significant element of motivation as per Eric Partaker is ‘recognition’ at work. 

Me and Eric Partaker on the same Page

I was under the impression that in this fast moving world, greater autonomy and attractive remuneration packages would be major contributors to motivation, I was pleasantly surprised to see ‘ recognition ‘ stealing a march by big strides over them. I was also reassured that my own views about motivation were not off the target and though Eric Partaker’s analysis may not be the gospel truth, the fact that we both represent diverse markets and continents and have the same view, is proof enough that recognition is indeed a crucial factor when it comes to motivating people.

Recognition : My Personal Experience

Human nature is such that a word of appreciation not only brings positivity in the individual, but generates immense energy, which leads to an enhanced output. More importantly, if the recognition is from a senior at work, the degree of motivation increases manifold. It is factual and also experienced personally that appreciation and recognition of your work at the end of a hard and challenging day, evaporates the physical and mental stress and rejuvenates the body and mind to pursue challenges with renewed vigour the next day. Similarly, if there is no recognition, the burden of work and the challenge at hand generate huge amount of stress. Even a big pay packet, in these conditions may not necessarily serve as a positive motivating tool. Indeed, a few good words of reassurance and appreciation outweigh money at times.There is also a difference between recognition in private and recognition in front of superiors and a larger audience. Bigger the audience, bigger the inspiration, bigger the motivation. 

“ Recognise Me “ – A Critical Factor For Leaders

Leaders therefore need to look at ‘recognition’ while managing a team. “ Recognise Me “ , is what the employee needs, to keep going and leaders who appreciate this factor, go a long way in building highly robust, objective oriented, winning teams. A winning team eventually will generate promotions and enhanced remuneration. We just need to recognise the catalyst. 

Appreciate people, recognise their work, energise them and spread positivity.

Read Quick, Read Better @ rizkhan.in