Career development By Ingenio on October 21, 2011 3:08 pm

High motivation is a key ingredient in a successful career. So how do we keep up our motivation? How do we avoid getting into a rut and staying there? What are some of the practical things we can and should do if were serious about success? Compiled by Helen Borne.

Personality traits

Dr. Giles Burch (AFBPsS MNZPsS MAPS) is a Sydneybased Registered Psychologist working as an organisational consultant, academic and clinician, specialising in personality/psychopathology performance/ productivity linkages in the workplace. A former staff member at The University of Auckland Business School, he continues to facilitate sessions on the Executive MBA on personal development.

There is little doubt that motivation plays a role in career success. Perhaps the starting point when considering what determines individual motivation is personality. Research has found that personality traits of extraversion and conscientiousness are associated with higher levels of motivation, while neuroticism is associated with lower motivation. If you are someone who is extraverted and conscientious you generally wont require much help with maintaining motivation; however, if you are someone of neurotic character, then this is more likely to be a challenge.

So how can motivation be enhanced? In the first instance, consider whether you are actually working in a context you enjoy, both in terms of what you are doing job or careerwise and also your working environment, for example, are you over-worked? and is the culture toxic? Perhaps you need to change it! However, if you are content in your work, but find it difficult to maintain motivation, what are the options?

Research highlights the effectiveness of goal-setting in motivating people, and is based on the rationale that it focuses a persons attention to identifying, working towards and achieving objectives. There are a number of goal-setting techniques, from the simple to-do list, through to thesetting of SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, relevant, timely) goals and the GROW (goal, reality, options, way forward) process. Another evidence-based technique is that of activity scheduling, which can be helpful if motivation is particularly low. This involves scheduling activities into the day that will provide a sense of pleasure and/ or achievement. The rationale behind this is that the less motivated one is, the less they engage in things which, in turn, feeds back into the low motivation, thereby creating a vicious cycle!

Finally, research reminds us of the importance of regular exercise, a healthy diet and sufficient rest in sustaining motivation and energy!

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Motivation - ingenio-magazine.com