A workplace is more than just about meeting your deadlines, acing boardroom presentations or chasing perks and promotions. It’s a place that helps you leap into the professional world, bring your passion to life, and contribute to the world through your capabilities.
When you go to work every day, you embrace yet another opportunity not just to grow but also to turn a collective dream of an organisation into reality. For goals that are bigger than yourself, the effort needed is also more than what you think you are capable of. It means being motivated enough to step outside your comfort zone.
However, the thing with motivation is it often succumbs to pressure and ennui. To tackle this issue, organisations and corporates offer perks and benefits such as performance-based incentives, convenience services such as free meals, pick-up and drop services, and even paid vacations to keep their employees motivated. Yet, motivation may still be the hardest fought battle for both an organisation and its workforce.
Apart from monetary concerns that can be addressed, the most common complaint at any workplace is one of the missing joy or connection with the job. So, where is this joy likely to emerge? Who is responsible for creating this joy? Everyone knows the answers to these rhetorical questions but seldom does this knowledge reflect in behaviours. That it’s you who needs to take charge of creating joy and satisfaction in your work, is a thought that often gets lost in the cut-throat world with colliding interests and intentions.
Finding a job that you love is the dream, but how would this dream thrive where there is demotivation and dissatisfaction? So what’s the answer? The trick is to love what you have. With a shift in the way you approach your work, relationships at work, and your expectations from your job, you can find happiness that doesn’t threaten to fade away every Monday. As Brazilian footballer Pele once said, “Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.”
To make your work ‘work’ for you, Soulveda shares ideas and perspectives to help you rediscover the motivation and enthusiasm at your workplace.
Happy people and a healthy environment keep stress away.
Make friends
When you find a friend or two in your colleagues, the workplace becomes more like home, and colleagues like family. Sharing ideas, working as a team, eating together, socialising after-hours bind people together, serving as a strong motivator. The work we do is an extension of who we are. How we feel within is what we bring to our work. If we feel connected with the people around us, we are sure to do well.
Get over the negativity
Negative talk, gossip or slander can poison relationships beyond repair. When these relationships belong to the workplace, the complication can get out of control. So, steer clear of interactions that breed negativity. Be part of healthy, constructive, forward-looking conversations, and contribute to building a positive environment where everyone respects and appreciates each other. Happy people and a healthy environment keep stress away and allow you to focus on professional growth and success, the whole reason why we work.
Taking ownership means doing what an owner would do.
Don’t compare, don’t judge
Don’t compare yourself with anyone, and don’t judge anyone nor let the judgement of others affect you. People are different, and so are their abilities and what they bring to the table. Drawing comparisons or making false assumptions about your colleagues can lead to jealousy, insecurity and serious unpleasantness. Your judgment doesn’t define others, and no one else can define you.
Take ownership of your work
Taking ownership means doing what an owner would do. It is one of the most coveted qualities of a professional that can truly distinguish one from the others. When you take ownership of your work and the outcome, you assume responsibility and stay focussed on the bigger goals. You think and act like a leader, and in doing so, you become a source of inspiration for others. “The price of greatness is responsibility,” said Winston Churchill.
Motivation in the workplace can still be a challenge because it requires more than just external incentives like perks and benefits.
To rediscover motivation and enthusiasm at the workplace, one can focus on building positive relationships with colleagues, avoiding negativity and gossip, refraining from comparisons and judgments, and taking ownership of their work.
Making friends at the workplace, fostering a positive and healthy environment, refraining from comparisons and judgments, and taking ownership of one’s work are some strategies to make work more enjoyable and fulfilling.
Taking ownership of one’s work means assuming responsibility, staying focused on the bigger goals, and acting like a leader.
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