Here is the truth: I have never billed myself as a motivational speaker. For eleven years, I have conducted more than 934 training sessions for audiences comprised of salespeople, managers and staff at large.

But after one of those seminars, a gentleman approached me and said, “Mr. Sudesh, you really motivated me today.”

“Thanks,” I said. “But I wasn’t trying to motivate you.”

“Well, you did. I can hardly wait to get back and try some of these ideas. I was planning to move to another job but I might stay here since they signed you up.

Motivational speakers are the rock stars who rack big bucks in just an hour. Everybody hates the but loves their speeches. They are listened to more than Presidents and Pastors.

Over the years I have taken a deep dive on this subject realizing that most people who claim to understand motivation don’t actually have a clue about what they profess to know. Peter Drucker once said: “We know nothing of motivation. All we can do is write books about it.” Hmm. Not the most promising start.

A motive is a reason for doing something. You have a reason for going to work. It could be financial pressure, growth or passion hmmm. Think about it. Can I tell you why you need to go to work? I can’t. So don’t ask me to motivate you.

Some of the things I have realized about motivation that motivational speakers don’t tell you are:

1. Job Clarity is a motivator. The people who claim I motivate them simply mean I facilitate the process of them getting clarity. Think of your early days in at work when you didn’t know what you didn’t know. What you needed was job clarity. And when you finally figured out that when you do your job a certain way, you got a result, you were more motivated. It’s like lifting the veil. The haze is gone
2. Results are a motivator. I can get you many chants but they won’t help. Unfortunately, believing you can do something and actually doing it are two entirely different things. The phrase energized incompetence seems to describe certain staff after attending a motivational speech. Don’t forget the fundamentals. You can’t just get them excited; you have to make sure that you know how to do the heavy lifting required to get the job done, including:
   • Getting face time with decision makers
   • Preparing like a pro
   • Approaching and involving the potential customers
   • Asking questions and knowing what to do with the answers
   • Making compelling presentations
   • Securing the orders.

3. Appreciation. How often do you like being complimented? Experts say the ratio should be 16:1 (sixteen compliments to one rebuke) If you’re a leader, then, build your recognition program around these three Ps that motivate people:

• Purpose. Your recognition program’s purpose is to let staff know that you appreciate their contributions on a regular basis.
• Precision. Recognize only meaningful and measurable facts precisely “You’re doing a great job” is meaningless. “You’ve increased sales in Uganda by 7 percent in a month” is specific.
• Played down. You don’t have to ring a bell or throw confetti. Don’t pile on the praise or overdo it. Simply voice your appreciation, pay your compliment, and move on.

“Employees are motivated by their own inherent need to succeed at a challenging task. The manager’s job, then, is not to motivate people to get them to achieve; instead, the manager should provide opportunities for people to achieve so that they will become motivated.”

Stay motivated! Enjoy your week!