Holiday time. But do you want your people back with the same, disappointing motivation?

We all know that in many an organization people live with the horizon of the next weekend, and the “big thing” in their year is when holiday time comes. Finally two or three weeks away from the f…ing workplace. There is even a famous song “Thanks God it’s Friday” to celebrate the end of the nightmare of the work week and the beginning of “true life”.

Well, as a leadership consultant and trainer I wish to help you reflect about how you could use your holiday time to change the way your people come back to work and how the next year will be in your organization. Since I respect your need to rest too, I will keep it simple. Just hints for a reflection. When we all will be back from holidays, I will return on the issue and delve deep into the issue with some operational advice. Ok?

First: how is with your motivation? Why do you go to work every day? What is your purpose? Please don’t tell me that you have become an executive or a manager because of money. Money is but a means; if you look after it is because of what you can buy with it. And you want such things in order to… what is that you want to achieve? Think about it for a few minutes, then go on reading.

Second: would you be at ease sharing your motivation, as emerged from the above reflection, with your people? How would you feel telling it in front of a meeting at your company? How with whom? Peers, close collaborators, laborers? Try to imagine yourself sharing in front of an audience of your people and feel how it is like. Then go on reading.

Third: do you think that your people would understand your motivation as you share it? I mean, will it make sense with them? Will they make the link between it and your job easily? Try to put on their shoes for a few minutes and walk a few steps with them. Then keep the same shoes on and go on reading.

Fourth: while being in their shoes, would you feel motivated to walk the extra mile for you, knowing that you are driven by such motivation? I mean, is your purpose engaging, easy to grasp, motivating for the others to join in in your quest for success and performance? I just give you a hint: we human beings are social animals and thus we are motivated by deeds that have as objective (also) come common good, some improvement of the living conditions of all our kin

Are you transmitting something of the kind?

This brief reflection exercise is my gift for your holiday time, if you are in a part of the World where August is as such. Otherwise, I think it is “light” enough to fit into your work schedule. As a further suggestion let me tell you that a lot of information about the issue of motivation and leadership is available in my most recent publication, Sustainable Leadership which you can easily find on Amazon.com, including a free preview.

Have a serene holiday time, and make sure that when your people are back they will plunge into a haven of purpose, where they will revel in motivation and be happy to serve humanity with their daily deeds.