Movitation to develop success

Without doubt, every successful person is motivated by someone or something, but what about self-motivation?, if our self esteem is low, how can we be self-motivated. ?

We can read The Oxford Dictionary definition in so many different ways. From a business point of view, for example, one sales person's motivation may derive from home and family, wanting to maintain and improve lifestyles. Another sales person's motivation may be as simple as keeping their job!

If dangling the carrot doesn't get the donkey moving, beating it with a stick will, that is the rationale behind 'the carrot and the stick'.
A sales person is constantly under pressure from others and usually it cascades down through the ranks. A sales manager is under pressure from an executive or director who in turn is under pressure from shareholders or the board of directors.

Culture certainly dictates how we are motivated, take two English speaking countries such as Britain and America we both have differing ways of motivation and what seems to work in the USA doesn't necessarily work in Britain.

Individuals respond to different types of motivation and not all styles work for all types. The 'carrot and stick' method for instance is not the only tool available to motivate people.

No matter whether you are a politician, private individual, business person, industry leader, athlete or even student, the bare mechanics of achieving success are almost identical, it is the packaging that is totally different.

Success is within all of us, the seeds are there but nurturing them and channelling it in the right direction requires the right tools. These are very specialist tools. Not every Tom, Dick or Harriet possesses the skills to actually use the tools and I dare say that in the wrong hands, they can be very dangerous, possibly having adverse effects.

Take an athlete, It isn't just their legs that make them run faster; it is an attitude that has been developed with help from a professional using the right tools. The athlete's trainer knows the athlete inside and out, the trainers knows which buttons to press that will evoke certain emotions to achieve the intended results, they are the trainer's tools.

In business these tools may be training courses and workshops organised by people performance specialists and motivational managers.

Another aspect to success motivation is mentoring. A mentor, life coach, or business coach isn't new but, until recently were exclusive to Heads of State, Blue Chip business leaders and top sportsmen.

Mentors do not strictly need to work on a one to one basis, indeed a mentor can council groups of all sizes, such as business departments and teams. Executive Coaching and Mentoring is an essential part of business development.

Searching for a business trainer can be a minefield and there are certainly plenty who claim to be qualified business and personal development trainers, but what qualifies a trainer? - The big question is Who trains trainers to train?

It's easy to look at a consultant as someone you might ask the time and he'll take your wrist to look at your watch and thenthen tell you the time.

The title 'consultant' is widely used and some would say abused,

Financial Consultant = Insurance Salesman
Crime Prevention Consultant = Alarm Salesman.

A poor unqualified trainer may also come into that scrutiny - The old maxim comes to mind "those that can do, do. Those than can't do train!"

If The Law of Attraction works on the belief that "like attracts like" - your business or personal development trainer may be on the same level as you; we'll look at The Law of Attraction in detail later.

A successful business or personal development trainer will have all the trappings of material success as well as a very long list of extremely successful clients who be happy to confirm the credentials of the trainer.

There might be a mass of self imposed trainers with questionable credentials, equally many businesses still deploy the skills of reputable business and personal development trainers but let's face it, if you haven't got a genuine background, checkable expertise and reputation, you are unlikely to get anywhere near the boardroom ... if someone else is doing their job right!.

If someone has been tasked with seeking a professionally qualified business and personal development trainer, the onus is on that person to double check the repuation and credentials of the trainer ..could this be another case of The Law of Attraction and "like attracts like?

Business coaches are deployed because they not only understand the mechanics of a commercial organisation but they see its issues from different angles.

Each of us may have experienced a situation where a solution to a problem was right under our nose, yet it took a third party to identify the problem and provide the solution.

During my research of case histories where businesses have deployed the skills of a coach or mentor and achieved dramatic results, some admitted to initially being very reluctant to reach out, almost as if it was a cry for help but then quickly realised that it was no different than talking to a project manager If a company has problems, pride has to come before the fall.

Heads of states all use consultants often to resolve political conflict and it isn't unusual for office politics to prevent commercial progress and slowly stagnate, totally under the noses of senior management.

It is only when 'an outsider' looks in to see the situation as it is that positive changes are made.

Does your organisation have that fine balance ?

Do you feel that your business is suffering from high staff turnover because they are not up to the job ... or could it be a deeper internal problem? Are line managers and supervisors suppressing talented people to protect themselves and their own job?

Are there 'hidden stars' within your staff pool but you just don't know who they are?.

It is a good idea to invite staff members to join a 'think tank' for creativity and innovation. You will quickly see the different types of people and their potential. When inviting comments and suggestions, always welcome and thank responses, don't mock the ones that you feel 'unorthodox'.

The sheer fear of change often slows down positive progress, some people don't like changes, others worry about their future.

Consider a seminar or course relating to the acceptance of change. this might smooth the way and build confidence.

Strong and well established businesses can appear to have 'peaked', the board of directors might believe that it has reached its full potential and are riding on the crest of a wave. Outside the boardroom the realty could be that it has passed its 'sell by date'.

Companies may feel that if they deployed the skills of a business coach it may appear to be a negative move, an admission that they've got things wrong.

If we take a simplistic view that most of us take our cars to the workshop for a service not because they are in need of repair, a thorough service will tune the engine and ensure performance and reliability. On that basis, is your business due for a service?

I mentioned earlier that I would look a little deeper into 'The Law of Attraction' and I suspect that it really requires a whole new lens to fully investigate.

Although the worldwide web abounds with books and eBooks relating to 'The Law of Attraction', it isn't a new theory by any means. 100 years ago we had 'The New Thought Movement' and the saying "like attracts like".

In the early 1900's there was Bruce MacLelland's book Prosperity Through Thought Force, in which he stated
"You are what you think, not what you think you are".

Then there was "The Science of Getting Rich" by Wallace D. Wattles and his claim;
"that truly believing in the object of your desire and focusing onto it will lead to that object or goal being realized on the material plane"

Napoleon Hill, probably more famous for his book Think and Grow Rich, also released The Law of Success in 16 Lessons (1928) which incidently references the Law of Attraction.

In 2006, the film The Secret was based on the "Law of Attraction" which developed into a book of the same title in 2007.

In August 2008, Esther and Jerry Hicks's book Money and the Law of Attraction: (Learning to Attract Health, Wealth & Happiness) was in the New York Times Best Seller list.

The reason why I added this part relating to 'The Law of Attraction' and 'Like Attracts Like' is that I initially referred to it as attracting your own type whereas it is based on living your dream, imagining that you possess great wealth and success for it to come into your life.