Alice: “Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
Cheshire Cat: “That depends a good deal on where you want to go.”
Alice: “It doesn’t much matter where.”
Cheshire Cat: “Then it doesn’t matter which way you go!”
Through the Looking Glass – Lewis Carroll
One of the key 13 drivers of motivation is CLARITY.
In my experience, employees lose their motivation when they can’t see the big picture or destination of either their job or their organization. In some cases, organizations have created this. Henry Ford was said to have quipped “Why, when I ask for a pair of hands is there a brain attached?” Today, high performing employees have a keen sense of strategic direction or they go out of their way to find it. Younger employees seem to be entering the workforce with a driving desire to find out the big picture, deciding only then if they want to be part of it.
It’s no wonder that CLARITY is a big driver of motivation.
How does this affect us on a personal level though? It might be more evident than you think:
- My life doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
- This relationship doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
- My career doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.
- A year has gone by and nothing has changed for me.
- Same old S***, different day.
Being career-driven isn’t the answer here, but having a sense of goals and the big picture is. If you have ever uttered the statements above, may I suggest the following?
- Adopt the mindset of a child – ask “why” often.
- Set some SMART goals each year, then put in a plan of action to accomplish them. Make sure they are tied to some sort of end-state you desire.
- Spend some time thinking about what your ideal state would be. Describe tangibles and intangibles.
Having CLARITY is the key to planning a positive present and future state. Take some time this week personally to work on yours. If you’re a manager, make sure you do what you can to clarify the big picture. Your employees will be very grateful!
