A few weeks back, I helped Cathrin with her presentation. Cathrin, a great client for years, had to speak to the board of executives of her company. Her topic: motivation. At first I thought, Motivation… again?? But my client burns for this topic. Cathrin’s motivation to speak about motivation is contagious.
She was given a five-minute slot; hence she would focus on two key aspects of motivation. One of them was purpose. And it’s so true. Do you willingly perform a task, if you have no idea about what you’re doing it for?
Motivation needs purpose. It’s your job as a motivational communicator to outline the purpose of any task you request from someone. But does this apply only to business? I realized that we have the power to motivate anyone, anywhere, anytime – just by adding purpose to a task.
Days after my coaching session with Cathrin, I needed to rent a car. I walked into a SIXT branch in the buzzing center of Barcelona. A kind Argentinian smile welcomed me. Her name was Maria and she managed to get me a fast and furious Mercedes-Benz CLK AMG. I’m not a big fan of cars, but that car rocked!
We dealt with the paper work, she passed me the keys, I said, Thank you, and walked over to the door. Just when I was about to step out of the branch, I turned around, smiled at Maria and said, You know what? You make my day with this wonderful car. I go on a retreat with my public speaking club this weekend, to the Pyrenees. Your car will make it an even better experience. Thank you so much!
Think about the biggest smile you’ve ever seen in your life. This was how Maria smiled at me when I added purpose to her task of renting out a car.
When you explain to people what their work is good for and how their work improves your life, they’ll love it. They’ll feel good. They’ll get a motivational push. Add purpose to people’s tasks, and they’ll be more motivated. Just like those executives were after Cathrin’s presentation a few weeks back.