Are you motivated when you decide to binge-watch something on Netflix? What about when you put in endless hours completing a task.

According to dictionary.com, motivation is the reason someone has for acting in a particular way. Given this definition, no matter what you are doing you are motivated.

Motivation in the corporate world

Too often, in the corporate world, we use the word “motivation” to talk about someone who is working hard.

Someone working hard is motivated. The hard worker might be motivated by money, promotion, recognition, ethics, or any number of other variables.

It’s also true the person not working as hard is motivated. When someone is not producing, they are motivated to act in the way they are. It could be fear, personal issues, health, a lack of vision or purpose and more.

Everyone around you is motivated. The question is: What IS motivating them?

Motivating in leadership

Take, for example, the highly motivated person. People might focus on how much they produce when motivated by recognition. People who produce lots may not be paying attention to quality.

The person who is hardly motivated might need your help. What if this person is dissatisfied with something at work? Wouldn’t you want to know what is wrong so you can correct it?

A dog trainer we went to used to say “you can teach your dog to do anything, just be careful what you teach your dog.”

The same holds true for motivation: You can motivate people to do almost anything. Just be careful what you motivate them to do.

You can motivate them to do amazing things. You can also motivate them to quit. Pay attention to what gives them reason. Their reason is the important thing.

You’ve got this.