Keys to Motivation

Last week I had the distinct pleasure to speak to the Volunteer Administrators of Southwestern Pennsylvania (VASP) at their annual Super-Conference. There are those conferences that stand out in my years of doing this and VASP will definitely be one of them. The audience was filled with volunteers and paid professionals who help run social service and emergency assistance agencies nationwide. These are the people that get the job done- and many of them do it with non-paid volunteers who work around the clock. All of us owe them a hearty thank you for the work they do.

I spoke with them about motivation. The highlights from the talk are:

• Be what you want others to be (and do what you want others to do)
  One woman mentioned cleaning the toilets at a local park where she organized a huge walk-a-thon. She knew that if volunteers didn’t have a clean area to rest they would be unlikely to come back. There was no job too little for her to do to ensure the mission was carried out. You must lead by example.
  
• Identify your passions and purpose. What fuels you? What keeps you working hard for the mission? Make sure you begin each day with purpose. Do like Ben Franklin did, ask yourself what good you can do today. Then, ask yourself what you’ve accomplished at the end of the day.
  
• Get to know your people. We all aren’t motivated by the same things. If you are in charge of others or work with them, it’s important to know what fuels them. Ask them. Take an interest in their lives. How you motivate them will reveal itself in that relationship.
  
• Get ready for any opportunity. I always visualize this as the track stars get in their position waiting the signal that they can begin their sprint or race. Are you in that position? Are you ready for the opportunities that await you? Is your team?
  

If you are jazzed about something so much it shows on your face, its what you talk about, it’s the thing that everyone knows about you…. It will be contagious. People will jump on the wagon with you. They’ll want to be with you on the mission. Create that environment. It all starts with you…. One person.

Thanks VASP for the opportunity to talk about motivation. I really loved spending the day with you. - Lisa