One of the core tasks of team leaders is keeping motivation and inspiration high. This doesn’t mean all great leaders are charismatic and inspiring. In fact, the opposite is often true. Motivating employees isn’t about what you say to them, it’s about understanding what they’re seeking from work.
And while understanding the unique desires of each team member might take a while, there’s a proven model for understanding human motivation that just might help you uncover your team’s motivation mysteries faster. In the mid-1980s, researchers Edward Deci and Richard Ryan outlined a model of motivation called “self-determination theory.” Their theory posited that intrinsic motivation comes in three forms: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
In this article, we’ll outline each pillar of motivation and offer some practical ideas for leveraging it to motivate your employees as a leader.
0:00 Introduction
1:51 Autonomy
4:21 Competence
5:47 Relatedness
7:42 Conclusion
Often just looking at this list of three pillars of motivation, one becomes apparent as lacking on your team. If so, start focusing there first. But don’t neglect the others. Individuals need all three to feel optimally motivated, and a team needs all three in order to do its best work ever.
//DO YOUR BEST WORK EVER
If you liked this video and you want to help your team do their best work ever, check out the free resources we've compiled at https://davidburkus.com/resources
//ABOUT DAVID
One of the world’s leading business thinkers, David Burkus’ forward-thinking ideas and bestselling books are helping leaders and teams do their best work ever.
He is the best-selling author of four books about business and leadership. His books have won multiple awards and have been translated into dozens of languages. His insights on leadership and teamwork have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, USAToday, Fast Company, the Financial Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, CNN, the BBC, NPR, and CBS This Morning. Since 2017, Burkus has been ranked as one of the world’s top business thought leaders by Thinkers50. As a sought-after international speaker, his TED Talk has been viewed over 2 million times. He’s worked with leaders from organizations across all industries including Google, Stryker, Fidelity, Viacom, and even the US Naval Academy.
A former business school professor, Burkus holds a master’s degree in organizational psychology from the University of Oklahoma, and a doctorate in strategic leadership from Regent University.
//SPEAKING
Like what you heard? Find more on David's speaking page (and find out about bringing him to your company or event) at https://davidburkus.com/keynote-speaker/
//CONNECT
+ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidburkus/
+ Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/davidburkus
+ Facebook: http://www.FB.com/DrDavidBurkus
+ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/DavidBurkus
//MUSIC
"Appreciate That" by David Cutter https://www.davidcuttermusic.com

---

Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/david-burkus/message