What are “un”motivated people? They are people who have GREAT ideas, GREAT thoughts and a plan to get there. They are, for all intents and purposes, motivated. Except they’re not. When it’s time to execute, time to run with the idea, they look for someone else to carry the load. They’ll provide a myriad of reasons why something can’t be achieved or done.

Now it should be noted that these are not lazy individuals, nor individuals who cannot be productive on their own.  They just need assistance in the ramp up and usually are able to literally run with it from there.  I know several such people and I’ve learned to adapt a leadership style to apply to this type of individual.

DC’s Tips to Motivating the “Un”motivated

1. Identify the common thread in their excuses
   Many will make excuses that share common themes – usually a dependency on someone else to start a project, having no idea what they are doing/how to get there, etc.
2. Remove those excuses through proactive speech
   Now that you know how and where they’re going to go, you can guide conversations accordingly.
3. Build short term management solutions that “milli”manage them
   Micro management is seldom successful in these situations and actually ends up infuriating the individual.  I prefer to “milli”manage them.  It’s a little more hands off than micromanaging, almost like a training wheel on a bike. Using what you learned in #1, remove barriers to entry before they’re presented.  It helps them get started and build confidence in the process, project or task and sets them up for success.
4. Reinforce positive behaviors
   Usually once you get past the initial run, the individual is off and running at full steam as a productive, motivated team member.  Remember to reinforce things they’re doing right (and it never hurts to continue to mention 1-2 opportunities at a time should they present themselves – just becareful they don’t become demotivators)

DEC

We were talking through a variety of topics when I interjected “I haven’t been firing on all cylinders” (he’s a car guy) “and I can’t figure out why. Productivity is consistent but something just doesn’t feel right.” All at once, weeks of pondering had been resolved with once sentence: “It’s very obvious. When you’re not innovating and creating, you’re bored. It’s very obvious that’s what’s going on. Think about it.”

And with that statement of truth, the first half of the riddle was solved – I was bored. It lead me to deeper analysis as to what/how drives me and my thought processes and how this could come to pass. I am definitely working on “new” things – well digging deeper into them I suppose. I have several major projects across several platforms poised for mega launches on gigantic scales – and I had innovated several solutions I was developing in the last couple of months.

To further add to the irony, not but a month ago I updated the signature on several of my e-Mail accounts to one of my favorite Steve Jobs quotes of all time – “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” I am the one my teams look to for innovation consistently as I believe it’s not a matter of if – but how.

Alas, my friend was still right. I am left wondering on what scale my appetite is poised to solve some big Kobayashi Maru only to prove in fact there is a way to win. The Leader inside of me continues to desire new challenges and opportunities to wow and amaze with new creations – be them products, ideas, thought processes or approaches.

Stayed tuned – more to come – definitely.

DC

More via TechCrunch: More via TechCrunch

More via TechCrunch: http://techcrunch.com/2012/09/12/apple-store-is-down-5/

Inspiration is something that allows you to dream above and beyond your typical thought process. It could be a person, an idea, an image — anything that “sparks a different wat of thinking”.

What inspires you? Many of the things that have influenced me of late each require their own separate post.

More to come.

That, of course, leads to a self-fulfilling negative prophesy of not being able to achieve anything until you exit that loop. That said, how do you drive focus? Prioritization and task management have always been keys for me. This Blog has become another outlet to re-align thoughts and provide a break in the consistent churning of ideas, thoughts, projects and to-dos that constantly crop up in my mind.

When all else fails, try to go back to a basic to-do list that contains the core concepts of what you’re seeking to accomplish – regardless of how elementary they may seem. You’ll be glad to tick things off and it will help you regain a conscientious state of the “big picture” which, in turn, will drive your focus.

One of the most effective things I have discovered is not just the need and ability to make a to-do list – but to break each tasks into individual achievable tasks. Think about it, you feel rewarded – almost a rush of endorphins – when you successfully complete a task. So when you have longer projects you’re working on, you can actually IMPROVE your productivity by creating manageable segments. In short, by breaking it into smaller tasks, you give yourself the opportunity to not feel so overwhelmed, the opportunity to take breaks in between each chunk – and you get that special rush when you check off each piece!