Motivation Archives - TODAY INDIA

Goals and Objectives for Motivation That Lasts

Zig Ziglar was a masterful motivator. A client once challenged him by stating that his motivational efforts only lasted for a day. Zig replied, “You’re right; and that’s why I suggest motivation on a daily basis.” He also offers his “Day Before Vacation” story. Think about your last day at work before you went on vacation. Did you get as much done in that day as you would normally get done in two, three, or even four days? Have you ever considered how this could be used to motivate employees?

How many people sit down a day or more before a vacation and make a to-do list? It’s quite common. The list is pretty clear. As you complete a task, it’s scratched off and your mind jumps to the next step. You probably even tackle the hardest or most critical ones first. You’re performing like a “clean-up” engineer on steroids, tearing through the list efficiently and by the numbers. You know that you want no distractions to your planned “vacation mind-set”. As the list gets shorter, you feel your energy rise. Everyone had better get out of the way; this race horse wants to run!

Let’s have a look at the principles behind this focus and how it would apply to your employees’ performance and development. Of course, it’s probably not very practical to schedule rapidly-impending vacation days on a regular basis simply to build up ‘organizational steam’. But with some initial positive experiences, the internal sense of satisfaction can ultimately transition into a pattern of motivation every time the slate is cleaned.

Over-arching goals are very useful in keeping the focus on quarterly or annual objectives; or even 5-year plans. But the short term goals are the ones that ultimately close the gap. Helping staff learn to appreciate the value of goal achievement is critical to consistently ending up the year where you want everything and everyone to be; on top of the world!

Every employee should have their own personal set of goals; each one demonstrably connected to the achievement of the organizational goals. These should be mutually identified and agreed to by the individual and by management. It would be imperative that mandatory quality achievements would supersede any rate-of-completion standards. This is really nothing new here, but it is one of those minutiae that can get lost in the fray as organizations become more obsessed with “just working harder”.

The goals are really about making everyone happy. Objectives are a measure of goal achievement. Happiness is discovered by reaching the objective of the goal. Can the boss count the dollar signs of durable success of the organizational efforts at the same time that each participating member realizes the satisfaction of completing a job well done? No one is jumping down anyone’s throat and the smiles can be counted everywhere; happiness abounds. That is motivating!

Keep in mind these three essentials of goals:

1. Objectives must be measurable.

2. Objectives must have a time frame.

3. Objectives must be attainable.

It’s a sign of a struggling workforce when people simply ‘show up’ for their job. That is really more about collecting a paycheck. It does not reflect an engaged workplace. How engaged are the people where you work?

Security Job Motivation

David Cameron has launched a task force to help businesses motivate their staff which, considering the unemployment figures, might translate as misguided energy. How about some inspiration for the millions of jobseekers David? Here are a few tips to keep your grey matter stimulated.

Staying positive when you’re searching for jobs we know is easier said than done, keep your eyes firmly focused on your SIA Licence, it’s one positive and one you worked hard to earn. The major problem with on-line job applications is the lack of one-to-one communication, if you’re not short listed you’re unlikely to be told, unfortunately that’s the way the job market works right now. There is one tactic you can employ here though. If there is a contact number, and you haven’t heard anything for a few days, call to check your application has been received; if nothing else it shows your enthusiasm and opens up a dialogue.

Be sure your CV and cover letters are up-to-date. This might sound obvious to you, but if you use a standard cover letter for all your applications in a PDF format, chances are it’s dated the day you wrote it; PDFs don’t auto correct dates and times Microsoft Word will. Whether you’re applying for a job as a SIA Licence Door Supervisor, Security Guard or a CCTV Operator the standard of your communications is important, use a spell checker; you’d be surprised at the number of spelling errors that crop up in job applications. A good tip here is to get someone to read your cover letter out loud to you. This might sound crazy, but it will give you a good idea how you sound to the recipient.

So now you’ve fired off ten CVs and had two calls for interviews. Celebrate! It doesn’t have to be a slap-up meal at the Ritz, have a coffee or a drink with a friend. If you’re really enthusiastic, who knows they might even pay! Rewarding yourself is really important; it stimulates bits of your brain called the lateral hypothalamus known as brain stimulation reward (BSR). Don’t have too much stimulation though especially if your interview is the next day.

Don’t become a job search slave; spending hours glued to your email inbox constantly tapping the refresh key can have a negative effect on your BSR. Treat your job searching as a routine task, create a manageable schedule of say three hours a day and stick to it. For the rest of the time do something positive, see friends, take a walk, but don’t head for the TV remote control, daytime television is just as depressing as newspaper headlines about the recession.

Now you might think this next comment is really off the wall, eat well, being unemployed doesn’t mean you have to eat junk. We’re back to the BSR here, reward yourself with brain food, okay so you might not be the best chef, but remember fruit is the fastest food you can get your hands on and it’s cheap too. It’s important that when you do turn up for your interview that you look healthy and are alert. Snacking in front of the TV is great on a rainy Sunday afternoon, but too much of it can lead to depression which isn’t going to help your motivation.

See interview knock-backs as positive practice not negative as a de-motivator. It would be great if you did, but it’s unlikely you’re going to get the first job you apply for. Every time you interview its practice for the next time, even great actors constantly revise their stage rolls that’s how they perfect their skills in front of an audience. Do any of these sound familiar: Why bother I won’t get it? It’s a waste of time there’ll be too many applicants? The competition is too stiff I give up. Erase any or rather all of these from your vocabulary right now! You will get there eventually persevere and remember to concentrate on your SIA Licence its proof you’re worthy.

On a positive note, if you need help with your CV, Get Licensed has launched a brilliant app to help you build a polished and professional CV in minutes. CViZ enables you to create exactly the kind of CV recruiters are looking for, and it’s really easy to use too without any word processing skills needed. The CViZ app will provide you with a fully formatted PDF to store anywhere you like – you can even store your CV on your android phone to enable you to respond to job ads on the move within seconds.

The security industry is the fastest growing employer in the UK and is possibly the one and only sector that isn’t affected by the recession right now. By staying motivated you’ll soon find yourself in a rewarding job and remember your expert training with Get licensed is the one thing that will single you out from all the other applicants our reputation relies on your success.

Secrets of Motivation

If you want to experience how motivated athletes are with the deck of physical athletic cards stacked against them, then attend a Special Olympics Championship. The athletes participate because they can, want to, and excel in multitude of different sports.

Ask any competitor, “Who won?”

They’ll respond, “We won.”

“Who had their best time?”

“We did.”

“Who’s going to win next time?”

“We will.”

Your rational mind’s inclination is to correct them and tell them otherwise but you would be wrong.

Every athlete at any Special Olympics event not only think they won, they know they won.

And they’re all right. They won qualifying to get there. Everyone wins in the experience because the Special Olympics organization, volunteers, and donors gave them the opportunity. Athletes arrived brave enough to run on the field, jump in the water, or balance on a beam. They competed with confidence, competence, and concentration to do their best among a few hundred of the best athletes in the state. They displayed class and sportsmanship beyond perceived normal comprehension of what is accepted and even encouraged on a professional big league field, court, or track where championships are broadcasted all over the globe.

The perfect sporting event occurred when the best, bravest and most positive attitude athletes at a Special Olympics Championship competed. Realize there are similarities between the Olympics and Special Olympics. Competitors arrive amped up, with extra equipment, and more coaches and team managers than weekend warriors. The differences are the Special Olympians leave behind their labeled handicaps of predisposed limitations and other public prejudices to put forth their best effort on the line.

In the Olympics, athletes tend to bring their limitations to the forefront when not living up to their own hype.

One swimmer, 10 year-old Hayes, was disqualified in the 25 yard breaststroke event. She changed strokes after falling behind two 18 year-old competitors. Hayes was on the verge of crying because she thought her dad was angry with her for the DQ. She also didn’t want to swim in her next race. I told her the most important thing was to participate and have fun. She smiled in relief and went on to her next race and tried her best to win.

These participants and coaches get to experience the same feelings as “normal” athletes who engage in sports through schools, clubs, and other athletic associations. This includes the discipline of learning new skills, training, teamwork, and the actual emotions of a competitively measured contest. We all learn that the most important measurements of the event are not the time or distances or heights achieved but the number of smiles displayed, pumped fists in the air, hugs awarded, and sighs of relief that the special athlete achieved something they were unsure of at the start of the event. All participants are winners for their involvement.

Volunteer at a local special recreation event. Donate time, money, and most of all the love of sport for all to enjoy.

Why did you volunteer at a Special Olympics competition or fundraiser? What did you learn from athletes you didn’t expect to experience? Did this help you approach future races differently?