We believe that what motivates us will motivate our team members. We’re off-base when we have this mindset.
Our motivations are not the motivations of our team. They may not get hyped up by:
- Meeting this quarter’s numbers
- Continued advancement
- Dream vacations
Photo by Artur Voznenko on Unsplash
They’re also not passionate about what we’re passionate about. Everyone has different passions. We have to discover and kindle our people’s passions. This will not only motivate them but also create dedicated, loyal team members.
What does it take to kindle your team members’ passions?
Kindle Your Team’s Passion
What are some ways that you can kindle your team’s passions? Whether it’s an individual or collective team, there are ways you can discover their passions and then kindle them. Along the way, you may even kindle your passion.
I like to ask team members and those around me a few questions. These questions will get their minds turning, dig into their passion, and help you understand the team members. Use the following questions to figure out the passions of your team:
What excites you?
Imagine someone coming to you and asking you what excites you. You could probably rattle off a long list of items. It may be watching baseball, going for a run, or designing software to make people more efficient.
You may think there’s nothing you or the organization can do to help with the things that excite your team members. But you’d be wrong. You can engage with the things that excite them.
If you discover your team member’s passions include baseball, could you livestream the Detroit Tigers game every Friday? What if they love fountain pens? Let them pick out a fountain pen they can use to take notes.
Orrrrrrrr…..
If it’s graphic design, help them develop their graphic design skills by offering courses and training. The same goes for coding, leadership, etc… Tap into what excites them and give them an outlet to experience it.
What makes you sad?
There are lots of things that make me sad. The fact that 1 in 2 children die due to a lack of clean water. Child and animal abuse. Church abuse. And more…
I’ve found outlets to help alleviate some of these issues. Others are still being worked on. Yet, I know what makes me sad, am figuring out ways to find a solution to them, and moving toward it.
Your people are saddened by issues you can be a part of the solution to. Or you can help them become a solution.
Find ways to make their work support what makes them sad.
What’s your dream?
We all have dreams. Some are big; some are small. I recently shared a blog post asking What’s your dream?
You understand your dream and how it drives your passions. Discover the dreams of your people, and you can harness their dreams and turn them into passion for the work they do.
Passion Will Engage
The more you ask these questions, the more you’ll understand the people you lead. You’ll discover what excites them, makes them sad, and their dreams.
What can you do with these three pieces of knowledge? You can engage your people.
As stated above, you can use what you find through these questions to create a work environment that makes people want to come to work and not just need to come to work. That’s an attitude any leader would want: People desiring to come to work.
The more you engage their passions, the more engaged your team members will be.
