Worker, motivate yourself.
So, I started a race a couple of weeks ago and wasn’t able to finish it. A first for me and, well, I didn’t like the feeling too much!
On the positive side, I am now well motivated to complete next year’s edition. I now understand exactly what is involved, I love the type of running and I know what not finishing feels like.
The race was the superb Garmin MTR Skyline, a 35k race over the 9 highest peaks in the Mournes, and for the last 5 years has been part of the UK Skyline series. This year there were competitors from 18 countries, and when entry opened in March it closed later that day as the limit was reached. One might call it a popular event.
Friends of mine who had completed it in recent years told me of the challenge it posed, with one (who competes for Ireland) vowing never to do it again. However, it was on my list, so I entered and planned my training year around it.
Plans never seem to, well, go to plan, and whilst I got miles in, even completing the glorious 40-mile Causeway Coast Ultra in September, there just weren’t enough mountain miles.
So, a more difficult than expected climb to the saddle had me trying to make up time on the downhill Brandy Pad where I tripped and jarred my back. But no excuses, it just didn’t work out this time.
Long story short, after 11 miles traversing a few mountains I stopped at half-way. I came in a minute after the cut-off time, so I wouldn’t have been allowed to continue anyway, even though in reality I had no plans to. However, now I’m more motivated than ever to finish.
So, I will make the plan, put the effort in, do the long (mountain) miles, the strength training, get the nutrition sorted – all the stuff I had planned to do, sort of, this year but didn’t really have the motivation.
It’s the same in a work context, where understanding exactly what is involved, loving (or at least not hating) the type of work and knowing the feeling of doing well (celebrating success) compared to not finishing. Nobody is motivating me – I’m motivating myself, now I know the facts.
That’s the best way to get the best performance. Give your workers the facts and the freedom to motivate themselves. How many organizations consider this for their workforce?