Through the study of Organizational Leadership we are able to understand what it takes to lead people, and ultimately, an entire organization of people, to success. It involves understanding the true value of good leadership and the responsibility that leaders have because of the direct impact they have on their organization. Selecting a good leader that understands what it takes to motivate people and inspire them to follow their direction, is critical to the ultimate success of any organization. But, Leadership doesn't start and end at the top, encouraging leadership throughout the organization is the ultimate goal.
Leadership involves having a vision, and being passionate enough about your vision that people around you want to be a part of it. A true leader inspires people and encourages them to work toward a common goal, while simultaneously facilitating strategic planning and ultimately guiding the entire organization to success.
One of the most valuable things a leader can conquer is the issue of motivation. In my very first course, during my very first semester at ASU, we were assigned to participate in an online simulation called "The Manager's Workshop." The topic of the first section of the simulation was motivation and the content I learned then, continues to be what I consider, one of the most important things a leader can understand. ,
"Motivation is an issue of direction and intensity"
If we want to fully understand motivation, we need to first understand how people select direction and how much intensity they will devote to that direction...
People often fail to meet targets and goals because they lack either direction or intensity.
PERSON #1 - "comes up short" - this person successfully selects a target (direction) but lacks the intensity required to reach the target and ultimately comes up short
PERSON #2 - "hits the mark" - this person successfully selects a target (direction) and possesses the appropriate amount of intensity required to hit the target
PERSON #3 - "overshoots" - this person has plenty of intensity but no direction causing them to shoot right past the target
Our job as leaders is to identify ways in which we can influence the various directions people choose, as well as, influence the amount of intensity they will use to pursue the desired target/direction.
DIRECTION: Why do people choose undesired targets?
Generally people will choose an undesired target when they don't know what target to choose because they are ultimately confused about which direction is more desirable and important to the organization.
INTENSITY: Why is intensity sometimes too low?
The target isn't attractive enough to pull our attention toward it
The stress and pain of intensity is just too much for some people and they simply arent willing to work that hard
Other attractive targets are pulling some intensity
Underestimated how much work needed to meet the goal
It is our responsibility as leaders to use this information to obtain the highest level of motivation from our followers by positively influencing both direction and intensity.