A Skilled Manager Knows… Carrots Go Better in Soup (the Dangling Carrot Versus the Spark of Inspiration)

TRY THIS ONE ON...

“What would become possible if you knew—actually knew for certain—that you could propel yourself and your company to your highest goals without any external motivators whatsoever? What if you knew your desired productivity from your team was undoubtedly attainable without the need to issue threats or bonuses? …that your excitement about your professional life could skyrocket without praise or a raise? …you and your team could be utterly satisfied and happy from within yourselves starting right now and that the company’s returns would show it?” Inspiration is contagious and more and more leaders are losing the dangling carrot and getting better results...

There’s so much talk these days about “motivation.” It seems that everyone is trying in some way or another to “get motivated” and “stay motivated.” We live in a world of external motivators, in which we often have our eyes on “the carrot”—whether it be the dangling reward of more energy, better health, a higher income, the respect of our colleagues, pats on the back from our team members or just plain happiness. Companies offer incentives in the form of vacations and monetary bonuses to employees who perform well and many parents live by a model that suggests that children should be rewarded for good behaviour and good marks at school. External motivators are everywhere.

And yet, what do you do when the carrot drops—when the external lures are no longer there? Have you really developed what you need within yourself to carry on, to reach your goals and exceed them amidst the constant change that surrounds you? Many people find that, more often than not, it is difficult to find the drive to push on and make all their great dreams and desires come to life from their own strength of will. And this challenge arises precisely because, not only have they allowed themselves to be motivated from the outside for so much of their lives, but also because, as a result of this pattern, they have defaulted into a belief system that tells them that they need external motivators.

People buy into the belief that they themselves need to be focussed on something outside themselves to keep their attention and draw them forward in life, and in turn that others (workplace teams, for example) require them to set up external motivators. Managers often perceive that this is what is expected of them—in fact some believe that it is a manager’s main purpose to steer the boat by way of the external lure—and they’re afraid to try another approach because the boat might never reach the shore.

And then there’s “inspiration”—similar to motivation, but so much more powerful. Inspiration comes from within. Even if you are inspired by something outside of yourself, it is “inspirational” precisely because it gives rise to something natural in you. Inspiration has powerful quality—it is the stirring of your amazement about life and what’s really possible. When you are inspired, you feel a strong connection to the big picture and you have a stronger sense of your place in it. In turn, your physical energy, your ability for positive, innovative thinking, and productivity increase exponentially.

Inspiration rises out of your connection with your personal mission on the planet and is dampened and deadened when your actions are not in line with your values. On the other hand, when you are taking action out of our own inspiration, you naturally inspire those around you, raising their natural desire to produce more and do so more efficiently and better in every regard— then you can put the carrots back where they belong—in the soup.

So how do you let go of the carrot and go about infusing the workplace and your life with inspiration? Here’s what some successful social entrepreneurs are doing, and it’s growing their initiatives and their personal satisfaction with life in ways they never dreamed were possible…

Top 10 ways to get inspired and stay inspired

1. Identify what brings you joy—what really, truly brings you joy—no matter what the judgments of others might be.

2. Make the radical commitment to engage in something that brings you joy every day and then do it.

3. Identify your values and rate their importance, through working with a life or business coach.

4. List your typical daily activities, hour by hour, and scrutinize them to discover how many of them are in alignment with your values and how many of them drain your energy (low energy is contagious too—and your team will soon follow suit).

5. Eliminate 1 draining action you engage in at work per week and replace it with 1 energizing activity.

6. Identify what you wish were different about the world.

7. Engage every day, even in some apparently “small” way to bring this change about (there is no such thing as a “small” task when it comes to changing the world—it’s all profound). Keep a list of these activities and read it over at least once every week.

8. Keep an inspiration file on your computer. Make a note of any and every inspired, innovative and world-changing thought or feeling that you experience throughout your day.

9. Lose the “what if downs”—that is, those “what if” statements that describe everything that could (but had better not) go wrong. Replace them with “what if up” statements, such as “What if we secure the contract and our client sends us even more business?” Share at least 10 “what if up” statements with your team members per day and watch what happens.

10. Identify and list your personal carrots—those external things that keep you going. It’s okay to keep them dangling until you don’t need them any longer. As your inspiration increases, take some risks and attempt to take action without your external motivators. If you really cultivate a strong foundation of inspiration, you will notice your need (and your team’s need) for incentives decreases naturally and swiftly. Make note of the improvements in your mental and physical health and tell your colleagues about them.

A Skilled Manager Knows… Carrots Go Better In Soup

The Dangling Carrot Versus The Spark of Inspiration

TRY THIS ONE ON:

What would become possible if you knew—actually knew for certain—that you could propel yourself and your company to your highest goals without any external motivators whatsoever? What if you knew your desired productivity from your team was undoubtedly attainable without the need to issue threats or bonuses…? That your excitement about your professional life could skyrocket without praise or a raise…? You and your team could be utterly satisfied and happy from within yourselves starting right now… and that the company’s returns would show it…?” …Inspiration is contagious and more and more leaders are losing the dangling carrot and getting better results...

There’s so much talk these days about “motivation.” It seems that everyone is trying in some way or another to “get motivated” and “stay motivated.” We live in a world of external motivators, in which we often have our eyes on “the carrot”—whether it be the dangling reward of more energy, better health, a higher income, the respect of our colleagues, pats on the back from our team members or just plain happiness. Companies offer incentives in the form of vacations and monetary bonuses to employees who perform well and many parents live by a model that suggests that children should be rewarded for good behaviour and good marks at school. External motivators are everywhere.

And yet, what do you do when the carrot drops—when the external lures are no longer there? Have you really developed what you need within yourself to carry on, to reach your goals and exceed them amidst the constant change that surrounds you? Many people find that, more often than not, it is difficult to find the drive to push on and make all their great dreams and desires come to life from their own strength of will. And this challenge arises precisely because, not only have they allowed themselves to be motivated from the outside for so much of their lives, but also because, as a result of this pattern, they have defaulted into a belief system that tells them that they need external motivators.

People buy into the belief that they themselves need to be focussed on something outside themselves to keep their attention and draw them forward in life, and in turn that others (workplace teams, for example) require them to set up external motivators. Managers often perceive that this is what is expected of them—in fact some believe that it is a manager’s main purpose to steer the boat by way of the external lure—and they’re afraid to try another approach because the boat might never reach the shore.

And then there’s “inspiration”—similar to motivation, but so much more powerful. Inspiration comes from within. Even if you are inspired by something outside of yourself, it is “inspirational” precisely because it gives rise to something natural in you. Inspiration has powerful quality—it is the stirring of your amazement about life and what’s really possible. When you are inspired, you feel a strong connection to the big picture and you have a stronger sense of your place in it. In turn, your physical energy, your ability for positive, innovative thinking, and productivity increase exponentially.

Inspiration rises out of your connection with your personal mission on the planet and is dampened and deadened when your actions are not in line with your values. On the other hand, when you are taking action out of our own inspiration, you naturally inspire those around you, raising their natural desire to produce more and do so more efficiently and better in every regard— then you can put the carrots back where they belong—in the soup.

So how do you let go of the carrot and go about infusing the workplace and your life with inspiration? Here’s what successful social entrepreneurs are doing, and it’s growing their initiatives and their personal satisfaction with life in ways they never dreamed were possible…

Top 10 ways to get inspired and stay inspired

1. Identify what brings you joy—what really, truly brings you joy—no matter what the judgments of others might be.

2. Make the radical commitment to engage in something that brings you joy every day and then DO IT.

3. Identify your values and rate their importance, through working with a life or business coach.

4. List your typical daily activities, hour by hour, and scrutinize them to discover how many of them are in alignment with your values and how many of them drain your energy (low energy is contagious too—and your team will soon follow suit).

5. Eliminate 1 energy-draining action you engage in at work per week and replace it with 1 energizing activity.

6. Identify what you wish were different about the world.

7. Engage every day, even in some apparently “small” way to bring this change about (there is no such thing as a “small” task when it comes to changing the world—it’s all profound). Keep a list of these activities and read it over at least once a week.

8. Keep an inspiration file on your computer. Make a note of any and every inspired, innovative and world-bettering thought or feeling that you experience throughout your day.

9. Lose the “what if downs”—that is, those “what if” statements that describe everything that could (but had better not) go wrong. Replace them with “what if up” statements, such as “What if we secure the contract and our client sends us even more business?” Share one “what if up” statements with at least 10 others in your workplace per day and watch what happens.

10. Identify and list your personal carrots—those external things that keep you going. It’s okay to keep them dangling until you don’t need them any longer. As your inspiration increases, take some risks and attempt to take action without your external motivators.

If you really cultivate a strong foundation of inspiration, you will notice your need (and your team’s need) for external incentives decreases naturally and swiftly. Make note of the improvements in your mental and physical health and the health of the company and... don't forget to share your soup recipe with your colleagues.