factors | Usman Sheikh

Everything starts with you

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” George Bernard Shaw

We all have days where nothing seems to be working out right. How we react to them is what makes all the difference. Do you tend to take your frustration out on other people, keep to yourself and avoid any sort of contact with others or do you take whatever comes in your stride and figure out how to get things back on track. You need to keep your motivational level in check all the time and it becomes even more important when you are leading a group.

At a startup company things do not always go as planned. You will have days where your level of commitment will be tested. When I am having one of these days I take some time out and bring focus to what it is that I am wanting to achieve. I have a goals list which I refer to which outlines all my goals and steps to get to them. I then compare it with the direction we are taking as a company and whether we are in sync with what we all set out to do. If they have been any changes I evaluate where they were made and how it has affected our progress. I then consult with the team and ask for feedback from them as well.

This whole process ends up providing me with the focus that is required to move forward with our plans confidently. Being able to share my thoughts and opinions re-affirms certain thought processes and fuses that energy which goes missing when things are not moving in the right direction. So next time you are feeling a little low and things are not moving along as smoothly as you would have hoped for, take a step back and take a look at the bigger picture. Remember as a member or leader of a team it is your responsibility to bring your A game to work everyday.

Are you or your team lacking motivation?

“Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game, one foot away from a winning touchdown.” – Ross Perot

Motivation is an essential characteristic for an entrepreneur. Some people call it the “fire within” while others think of it as “jolts of adrenaline”. It is that feeling that gets you up ridiculously early in the morning with the feeling that today is going to be a great day. Sometimes it is the only thing that you have going your way when things are not coming together as planned. It is however natural that you will have some days when your energy levels are not where they usually are or a lack of progress has demoralized a teams drive. You need to take action to reverse this process as early as possible. I have witnessed first hand how lack of motivation begins to eat away at a person or team and completely changes them. You do not want to go down that lane.

Everyone approaches the topic of motivation from a different angle. This is because each one of us is motivated by different factors. That is what makes this topic such an interesting one. I am going to take this week to talk about what I do to motivate myself and my team. I would really appreciate it if along the way everyone could pitch in with how they are motivating themselves or their teams. This will help us to get a diverse group of factors.

In the end all that matters is that you know what motivates you. What makes you tick? Identify these factors and keep close track of them. They will be the key to get you through those hard times and will propel you even higher during the good times.