How to develop ENTHUSIASM for success in life and business?

Enthusiasm as a high degree of inspiration

Translated from Greek, the term “enthusiasm” literally means “inspiration,” “inspiration,” “delight.”
The ancient Greeks meant by this word a special state of a person given to him from above. It was believed that one who is possessed by enthusiasm enjoys the protection of the gods. Later, enthusiasm became an aesthetic category. This term began to express a person’s attitude to the beautiful and sublime. For example, Socrates meant poetic inspiration by enthusiasm. Over the many centuries that have passed since the heyday and decline of Ancient Greece, the content of the concept of “enthusiasm” has changed somewhat. Now this is the name for a positively colored emotion that accompanies human activity when achieving any goals. One of the indicators of enthusiasm is a high degree of motivation, which does not require effort, coercion or external influences to maintain. Psychologists consider enthusiasm one of the most powerful resource states, which allows you to effectively cope with the most difficult activities.

Enthusiasm is often generated by commitment to an idea, the implementation of which allows a person to feel elated. Typically, such a state occurs at moments when a person feels that he is approaching an important goal for himself. The anticipation of success gives rise to a surge of strength and energy and causes a high degree of inspiration, often reaching the point of delight. The person himself and the people around him feel the state of enthusiasm very acutely and vividly. An explosion of positive emotions in an enthusiast can quickly infect other people.

How to awaken the work enthusiasm of employees?

Why we love our job

How to awaken work enthusiasm? The simplest answer is on the surface: pay better. But a salary increase does not always add enthusiasm, and often has the opposite effect. In order for people to “burn” at work, sometimes it is necessary to add a completely different “fuel”.

Work and self-realization

The American company McKinsey surveyed managers from different countries and found out three main components of an attractive job. Firstly, it is the fame, success and prestige of the company. Secondly, opportunities for self-realization. And, thirdly, the salary itself and other material incentives. Russians are no exception in this sense: you won’t want any money if the work is boring, and your bosses require you to write explanatory notes for every smoke break.

The Russian representative office of the Danish company also insists that employees write. But not explanatory, but personal plans. In one of them you need to reflect your professional activities for the year: projects, goals. In the other there are steps of personal development. “We don’t tell the employee: you do this well, and this is bad. We say: such and such sides are your strengths, and such and such need to be developed. And we provide opportunities for this,” says Oksana Bereznyak, director of social, information and personnel policy of the company. The organization trains employees at its own expense. Courses, seminars, trainings - please, in some cases they even pay for tuition at a business school. The costs of learning English are reimbursed in half.

“We are interested in developing our employees and promoting talent,” emphasizes Ms. Bereznyak, “if a vacancy becomes available, we first hold an internal competition to fill it. We are preparing a personnel reserve: we strive to ensure that there are two successors for each leadership position.” This policy is fully justified: when last year the company organized a new department and expanded several old ones, many employees had the opportunity to grow in their positions or apply their acquired knowledge.

A similar strategy is followed. “Our employees have real growth prospects,” says Natalya Gugnyaeva, director of the company’s HR department. “For example, after three years of successful work, one of the ordinary sales managers became the director of the department.”

Work and mission

The company’s mission is a very powerful motive for worker enthusiasm, says Oksana Bereznyak. “Our company’s activities are primarily related to the production of drugs for patients with diabetes. And the workers are proud that they are engaged in such a noble cause,” she says.

The idea of serving the community also motivates employees. Unlike the large Novo Nordisk and K-Systems, this organization is small, employing just over forty people. However, the supermarket and cafe owned by the company have been a kind of social club for pensioners and veterans of their area for several years. As part of city social programs, the company took on 1,800 veterans of the Great Patriotic War. They are provided with inexpensive products, have holidays with food, and come to visit them with gifts. “When recruiting new staff, we specially trained them in the rules of servicing pensioners. To do this, our management studied the needs of veterans and their wishes. Now both the supermarket and the cafe are a favorite place for veterans, disabled people, and low-income families in the area. It even gets to the point where they tell us where we can buy goods in bulk cheaper,” says Olga Kuznetsova, general director. This is how buyers give feedback and allow demand to be forecast.

Work and creativity

Many companies today use creative moments in their work, coming up with competitions, slogans and even corporate anthems. For example, a trading group invited its employees to work competitively and playfully, and announced a competition for the best poem, story and recipe on the theme “Shustov”. “This was an integral part of the campaign to promote the Shustov brand,” says Tatyana Pak, marketing director of a group of trading companies. — We decided not to spend money on external advertising, but to use these funds to stimulate employees. For a whole year, a competition was held among sellers, promoters, and merchandisers for the highest indicators in sales and promotion. Now the best of the best receive prizes.” Awards were given depending on the accumulated tokens - according to certain indicators. For two tokens you get a hairdryer, for fifteen you get a refrigerator. A car was raffled off among eight of the most advanced sellers. The money spent on everything, including a gala evening for five hundred people, was small, but the effect from promoting the brand was comparable to a massive advertising campaign. Because people were “burning” at work.

Work and success

Many companies today strive to recognize and reward the best. Managers of small enterprises like Super Service write pleasant words about the work of their employees in the wall newspaper. Large organizations are looking for more diverse ways to reward outstanding employees. Thus, in the group, which has a staff of more than 80 thousand people, about a thousand employees are nominated annually for awards of varying degrees. In addition to diplomas, they are awarded honorary badges of three degrees. “We wanted our awards to be unique, consistent with the level and specifics of the company. The developers of the sign were advised by specialists in heraldry and faleristics,” says Anatoly Kharlamov, director of the personnel department of the group of companies. Badges of II and III degrees are awarded to 10-12 employees per year. And the 1st degree badge, made of gold and platinum and decorated with blue topaz, has been received by only two people over the past three years. According to Mr. Kharlamov, the highest badge of honor is given to an employee who has made a special contribution to the development of the company and has worked in production for at least 30 years.

Badges of three degrees - gold, silver and bronze - are awarded to the best of the best at Novo Nordisk. Candidates are nominated in departments of the company, discussed at all levels, awards are presented in a solemn atmosphere.

There is a kind of club of honorary employees, holders of a gold badge. “The main criterion for receiving the title of honorary employee is successful work in the company for more than five years without comments or penalties. The badges are presented personally by the director during corporate holidays, when the entire K-Systems gathers,” by the way, not often. Largely thanks to a well-structured remuneration policy. “Every year we monitor the market, study how salaries are changing, and review the salaries of specialists. For example, if in the IT industry there is a tendency for sales managers to become “more expensive by 10%,” then we anticipate events and promptly increase the salaries of our employees,” notes Natalya Gugnyaeva.

They also try to pay their employees salaries at the average market level, and at the end of the year they pay a bonus. Its size directly depends on how fulfilled both personal plans are - professional activity and personal growth. After all, the overall success of the company depends on how accurately each employee completes their tasks. So the employees of these companies have enough reasons to “burn” at work! They do not feel like “cogs”, full participants in the process.

Employees work with pleasure if:

They see the meaning of what they do. The goal, i.e. achieving a result is in itself a motive, a driving force that encourages a person to act.
They can show their abilities and their importance. People react negatively if decisions on issues of their competence are made without their participation.
The results of their labor are not “anonymous”.
They have the opportunity to express themselves on how to improve their work. Organize an influx of new ideas, and you will not only significantly increase motivation, but also be able to pursue an innovation policy in the company.
Confident in their own indispensability.
Take a direct part in setting the goals of the enterprise. Set goals with your people, and they will invest more personal energy in doing the work necessary to achieve them.
They feel recognized for their success. Help them get a taste of it, encourage people financially or morally, make sure that the results of the employee’s work are seen and recognized by others. Praise your employees and give them a more difficult and responsible task.
Participate in discussions about changes in their work and workplace. The only exception here seems to be wages. Although a number of experiments show that people can generally settle for less, provided you ask them to put forward a pay offer related to changes in their responsibilities. And even if the offers turn out to be excessive and exceed your capabilities (and this rarely happens), you can find a compromise.
They know by what criteria and how the quality of their work is assessed. Such information must be provided to employees from the outset of the employment relationship.
Feel adequate control. The best option is self-control. Especially if the job is considered unattractive.
They sense opportunities for further development in their work.
They can be their own boss. If a person has “free space” for initiative in organizing production, if he has the opportunity to express himself, to independently make specific decisions and establish a procedure for action, then this increases his interest in work.

Natalya NIKIFOROVA

Source: e-personal.ru

What is the role of enthusiasm in your professional growth?

People who exude enthusiasm, passion, inspiration, etc. are considered weirdos. Everywhere. Even more so in production. Why, for example, in production, where everyone works for a salary (i.e., sells time for money), make four standards per shift? After all, when the top management finds out about this, everyone else will have a hard time. It turns out that the rest are just saboteurs!

In business, where enthusiasm is supposed to be welcomed, being a driving force is almost the same thing. Twitchiness, attempts to self-organize, and... the rat race and no personal life. For the majority... And if there are exceptions, they only confirm the rule!

But it is enthusiasm, in my opinion, that is the driving force... of everything! Neither money, nor privileges, nor... can replace the inspiration experienced by an enthusiast who has achieved the “virtually impossible.”

The fact that a surge of enthusiasm is almost inevitably followed by professional and even career growth has probably already been guessed by everyone. And if you don’t feel enthusiastic when doing something, then you are simply supporting the enthusiasm of someone else with your work for his own (that other) benefit. And it probably doesn’t add enthusiasm to you either.

So maybe he himself will quickly adjust his life and become an “eccentric”? Or "eccentric"?

An enthusiast in life is distinguished by certain psychological traits. The main ones.

1. Passion for what you love. 2. Setting goals and their systematic achievement. 3. Constant self-education. 4. Flexibility of thinking. 5. Self-love, encouraging “your loved one” even for the most insignificant reason. 6. An unusual vision of the world that generates optimism, allowing you to turn any mistakes, difficulties and problems into “points of growth” and turn them to your advantage.

Look, it turns out to be an enthusiast - an ideal worker in the modern individualized, creative, information and PR economy!

So maybe we should just cultivate and develop these abilities, this “habit of enthusiasm”? It turns out that this is possible! Like any habit, enthusiasm can be developed if desired. Pretty fast, by the way.

Enthusiasm develops in two ways that are inextricably linked: internal self-hypnosis and... external influences in the right direction.

The internal thing is to develop great motivation in yourself, to imagine yourself as a kind of magician who “can do anything.” “What will this genius create today?!” - Salvador Dali asked himself every morning. And, having conceived something, he did it immediately! And everything worked out!

External. This is more difficult. Psychologists advise developing enthusiasm through personal achievements and helping others. Even the smallest victory over oneself lights a spark of enthusiasm. Constantly learn to do something new, solve new problems in a business that you like. Or business. Doesn't matter. It is important that you want this yourself, and not act “on orders”. And help those who know how to do something worse than you, who find it incredibly difficult to do. Do it if it's easy for you! And you will feel like a kind of mentor, almost a guru. With just one caveat: help only people you enjoy communicating with and who can teach you something useful. And in general, pleasant, positive emotions only fuel enthusiasm.

In addition, each person can provide a sharp jump in positive motivation simply by showing interest, at least short-term, in the chosen task. This is described in more detail by Dale Carnegie, read it if you are interested.

So, the benefits of enthusiasm are greater than the disadvantages. An enthusiast easily overcomes difficulties, reaches the most “exorbitant heights”, easily organizes himself, and achieves his goals. Usually such a person always stays “in shape” and gets sick less. He has no time to be sick, it’s so interesting here!

And by learning to be an enthusiast, you can easily achieve whatever you want.

And think, is it worth working for someone with such limitless opportunities? Just enrich strangers, people you don’t need?

Or maybe it’s better, with such and such opportunities, to open and develop your own business?

Tags: career, motivation, attitude, desire, perspective, enthusiasm