Something I have noticed in the last year are the managers who tell me that the staff constantly need motivating by them rather than being internally driven.

Motivation is used to describe a person's drive or desire to do something. What many people lack in seeking motivation to do something is motive i.e. what is in it for them.

People who are intrinsically motivated are usually more successful than people who rely on external influences to motivate them.

Here are some ways to become more intrinsically motivated:

1. Understand your motive i.e. your reason for doing what you do. If you are just there for your pay cheque then motivational levels will be low.
2. Get inspired to work towards a bigger picture or dream. Inspiration usually drives us to work toward a positive desired goal.

• Break your goal down into milestones, so if your goal is to gain a promotion by Nov 2018, then identify NOW what you need in terms of qualifications and experience to get there. From these break it down further so you can celebrate the milestones and know that you are getting closer to the promotion. We need to stop to see how far we have come or the road can seem long and difficult to navigate.

1. When you achieve your goal, celebrate BIG and then ponder what you want to do next. They may be personal and/or professional goals. Your goal for 2018 may be to save a house deposit or to travel round the world. Whatever the goal, identify and break down into smaller steps. Athletes refer to the smaller milestones as training goals. So a swimmer's training goal may be to shave off 0.05 seconds off each lap to reach their bigger goal.

If you manage a team then your job is to inspire and motivate your team members, which you can do in several ways:

• First make sure you have a Growth Mindset. Remember the fish rots from the head so make sure you are not affecting your team's motivational levels in an adverse way. You must LEAD the way.
• Tell them what each person's goal is and break them down into steps or training goals for them. Show them how their individual goals fit into the company's game plan. This way you will cater for both the big picture people and the process oriented people in your team.
• Get to know the personal and professional goals of your team. Support them in achieving them. This way you will not only achieve your KPIs and company goals but also become the leader, no one wants to leave and everyone wants to join, which could be one of your Leadership goals.
• Learn to communicate to each team member through their preferred communication style. They will respond better and the results will improve.
• Recognise and reward the behaviour you want more of instead of castigating people for the behaviour you do not want. Recruiters are sales people who thrive on success and being told when they have done well.

Whether you're working on your own or your team's motivational levels, learn or re-learn to be a glass half full person. Your staff, clients, candidates, temps, family members and friends will all benefit from you becoming more motivated and inspirational.