Lack of Motivation Can Hurt Your Business

Some people use the term "lazy". I prefer to call it "unmotivated" but both refer to an individual who is not very ambitious at doing what needs to be done. Most people who are unmotivated in one area, however, can be extremely motivated in another. They might actually be an avid skier, ambitious carpenter or model parent - all of which take a great deal of time and effort.

There are many things that can be at the root of a person's lack of motivation:

1. Lack of skills - Sometimes people just shut down when they don't know what to do. Instead of asking for help, they instead go into a passive state where they avoid their responsibilities.

2. No vision for positive outcomes - When people work and work and work without any rewards for doing so they might assume that there will not be rewards or positive outcomes for other work projects. They actually quit before they start in this case.

3. Feelings of being overwhelmed - Have you ever walked away from a kitchen that is a total mess? Sometimes people feel that there is so much to do that they cannot seem to even begin. They think that their efforts will not make a significant difference or that they will be required to invest too much time and energy so instead, they just walk away from the situation.

4. Relationship issues - Often there are underlying conflicts that repel people from others who they do not like or want to work with. Those who do not like conflict would rather avoid the person than have to deal with the relationship issues They therefore come up with excuses and do not do what was expected of them.

5. Little control over how things will be done - When you are told what to do and how it is to be done as well as when, you might find yourself feeling very frustrated because you do not have permission to find creative methods or the ability to lay out a plan for accomplishing the task.

People who do not do their work are most often not lazy. There is underlying cause that steals their motivation and prevents them from doing what needs to be done.

When you are in business it is very important that you find out what the cause of immobility is and then develop strategies to help the person to deal with this in a healthy manner. It might mean offering training, rewards, assistance,relationship therapy or even allowing the person some freedom and control over how the project will be done.