Motivation

All research indicate that motivated employees are more productive and create better results. That's why there is a lot to gain, if you're able to motivate your employees. Here, you'll find different ways of approaching motivation.

MOTIVATION

Why you procrastinate

It’s extremely annoying yet perfectly normal. Everybody procrastinate from time to time. Even the most productive people. But how can some people remain so productive while you feel procrastination prevents you from doing your job? They are productive because they know the reasons behind their procrastination and they know how to handle it. And you can too.

Middle manager: How to lead upwards

Did you know that out of all groups of employees in Denmark, the most stressed are middle managers? According to Annette Klausen Bengtson, who is the author of the book “Too Lead Upwards”, there’s a good reason for this. As a middle manager, you find yourself right in the middle of expectations from your employees and demands from your boss.

Turn motivation of your coworkers into a habit with these three steps

THEME | You've let go of the stick and the carrot. You've figured out what motivates your coworkers, looked at their individual needs, goals and so on. You may even have planned how to proceed, because motivated coworkers are more important than anything else in your company. But still, nothing happens.

Herzberg's 9 motivational factors: How to motivate your employees

TOOL | What do we want from our jobs? Higher salary, security, good social interactions, possibility of growth and advancement – or is it something entirely different? This is an important question, because it is the foundation of motivation, the ability to engage your colleagues in a way that makes them perform at their very best.

Volunteering and motivation

THEME | The volunteers want to make a difference and be part of developing and changing the cause they believe in. They are motivated from something other than salary and this is what needs to be recreated in corporate life in order to achieve the same level of motivation.

Rewards damage your (employees') results

THEME | In several companies it's normal practice that the company's CEO receives a large bonus when things are going well. The purpose is, of course, to motivate the CEO to bring his best performance. But research shows that monetary rewards doesn't really have the desired effect. In fact, monetary rewards have the opposite effect on us. We become less motivated, less creative and perform worse.

KPI: You can't win without a goal

TOOL | As executive it is your job to have a clear view of the big picture. You must clarify the company’s vision and mission and know in which direction the company has to move. In a complex company where (almost) everything is measurable and where many different aspects of your business can influence your overall mission, this is not an easy assignment.

Criticize me, it makes me better

TOOL | Do not be afraid of handing negative critique (feedback) to your coworkers. Especially experts actually are motivated to do their work even better from negative – but always constructive – critique.

It's proven: A good workplace performs better

TOOL | Both in the private and the public sector it is the same song: Produce more with less money and also increase the employees' work satisfaction. And everything indicates that the problem isn't getting any smaller in the future. The competition keeps growing and prices drop. That is why productivity and efficiency is still one of the hottest topics among many companies. But the path to higher productivity and quality is not always “running faster”. Rather, it's about creating a common language, common goals and mutual respect.

How to build trust through your behavior

TOOL | In Speed of Trust – The One Thing That Changes Everything (2012) Stephen Covey talks about every interaction between humans is a moment of trust, where you construct or deconstruct trust through behavior. That is why it is important to show a behavior that creates trust.

Speak the language of your coworkers

TOOL | Do your coworkers seem demotivated? Is the mood down and tense at the office? Perhaps it is because, you don't recognize your coworkers the right way.

Gratitude makes your coworkers more satisfied, you healthier and your marriage happier

TOOL | Your mother wasn't completely wrong, when she tried to teach you to say “thank you”. Research within a wide range of areas show that good old fashioned gratitude has a positive effect on, among other things, your work life, your relationship and perhaps more surprisingly; your health.

11 psychological hacks that helps you reach your goals

TOOL | We all know how important it is to be able to reach the goals we set for ourselves. But far too often it does not succeed. We give up halfway or before we actually get started. And it is not that strange that we often fail. Our brain is not always cooperative.

Here's what almost everybody gets wrong about the 10.000-hour rule

TOOL | How deliberate practice, top-to-bottom thinking, feedback loops and flight of ideas are connected to success. And the explanation of why I'll never excel at French.

Are you more productive just before deadline? You'll probably miss it

TOOL | Research shows, that those of us who prefer working under pressure jeopardizes the deadline of the entire team. But these three simple pieces of advice can help you and your team reach your goals.

Decision fatigue: Why you make bad decisions when you are tired

TOOL | Psychologist Roy F. Baumeister’s research show that there's a limit to the number of good decisions we are able to make during a day. The more decisions, small or large, we have to make, the worse they become. And at the end of the day all of us will typically decide on an infinite amount of things. Which drain our willpower.

Why you don’t want to choose

TOOL | Why do students get less homework than earlier, why don’t you have the energy to find the cheapest phone company, and why are we less satisfied than previously? According to psychologist Barry Schwartz, the surprising answer is that we aren't able to handle the freedom of choice that we so eagerly strive for.

Empty work. Are you bored at work?

TOOL | When I worked as a ticket seller at a public pool, I'd sometimes spend most of my time studying, playing solitaire or chatting to my coworkers. Sometimes, there simply wasn't enough customers to keep me occupied the entire day. And it seems, I am not the only one who've experienced this.

The Zeigarnik effect – you remember things better when you're interrupted

TOOL | Are you also still thinking about that thing, you didn't finish yesterday? And are you wondering, why you've been following the same stupid TV-show for the past four years? There's a reason for why you do these seemingly random things. It is called the Zeigarnik effect.

How you make your decision is just as important as what you decide

TOOL | Far too many executives are dependent on conventional economic calculation tools when they have to make a decision. For example, if they should develop a new product or expand into a new market. It works perfectly well in situations where the company has a clear view of their possible choices and the consequences that follows.

4 paradoxical reasons why you do everything in the last minute

TOOL | Do you sometimes feel powerless, too, when, once again, you procrastinate on that 'one' important assignment, you know you have to do? Then you are certainly not alone.
JOB SATISFACTION

Recharge your energy

TOOL | Nine fun activities or exercises to give you more energy for when you have a seminar, course or long meeting. They can also be applied in groups that needs to get to know each other better.

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The Happiness Model

TOOL | Everybody wants happiness at work, and we must create this ourselves. It is not handed to us. Karin Krogh’s Happiness Model spreads happiness wherever it goes – now it's reached you.

10 things you should stop doing to be more happy

TOOL | The road to a happier life as executive and a more positive perspective on your workday depends more on what you DON’T do than what you do.

Happiness and success are inseparable

THEME | We all know this. But that happiness affects our work effort, creativity, level of energy, our way of being around other people and our ability to solve problems is perhaps new information to most.

What every company should know about emotional relations

TOOL | To help your customer you must know what challenges, successes and focus areas he has.

The most important indication of an executive’s success: Emotional intelligence

TOOL | Your abilities as executive is said to be the most important factor in the satisfaction of your coworkers. Therefore there can be great advantages to gain from working on your EQ, which means your emotional intelligence.

Positive psychology

THEME | Psychology is for all, and we must learn to use it actively in our work. Psychology must also address purposes regarding making ordinary people stronger and more productive and identifying and promoting great potential.

Positive psychology – exercises and good advice

TOOL | We know because we've been there: The optimistic, trusting, present executive ignites significantly different feelings in her coworkers than the pessimistic, critical, busy boss. Executives characterized by positive feelings develop coworker’s feelings in the same direction. Feeling positive promotes efficiency and creates better results.

Positive psychology (1/3)

VIDEO | Many leaders focus on problems and on correcting errors. But according to Thomas Gedde Højland there is a lot to be gained from by noticing the things that work.