Do you journal and reflect on the regular progress of your team?
This may be counter to the requirements placed on you to measure how far you are from your output and outcome goals, but it is the only real way to build sustainable motivation within teams to achieve these goals.
The Progress Principle, conceptualized by Harvard professor and researcher Teresa Amabile, posits that the single most important factor for motivation and engagement at work is making meaningful progress on tasks or projects. Amabile’s research shows that even small wins can boost inner work life and enhance workers’ motivation, perceptions, and emotional states. The concept emphasizes the importance of management acknowledging and celebrating these progress points to foster a more engaged and productive workforce.
Before the completion of our strategic planning engagements we train the leadership teams we work with to reverse their line of sight. From envisioning the future to looking 90 days into the past. In doing so, we ask them to explore the progress their teams have made over that time.
- How have they grown? What have they learned?
- What old assumptions have they let go? What new ideas and perspectives are they welcoming?
- And, what does this tell us about the next step forward?
Initially you may look at progress as… “what did or did not get done?” “What can we check off our list?” Instead, the looking back provides an incredible opportunity to take stock of what you are learning and the capabilities you are building as a team. Also, it helps you to envision your next step forward based on the foundation of progress being developed in real time. This contributes to a deeper and sustained sense of accomplishment.
No nonprofit team has ever truly solved a problem through a scarcity mindset. Worrying only about what has not gotten done or what can’t get done due to lack of resources is time wasted on observing the problem. As managers, keeping a progress journal and periodically reflecting on learnings with your team weekly is a good start. In short order, you will see a transformation in the team’s responsiveness. Longterm motivation and goal achievement will grow as well.