Case study: “I’m not sure I can work with him any more”

Ulrich Janssen is talking to his boss Ylva Scott about his experience of working in an international project led by Jacques. The project involves a lot of travel for Ulrich.

Ylva: So, Ulrich, how is the project going?

Ulrich: To be honest, I’m not sure if it’s for me. I’m feeling a bit demotivated. The workload is much more than I expected. So is the travel. And there doesn’t seem to be any leadership from Jacques. Also, no matter how hard I work, we don’t seem to make any progress.

Ylva: Why is that?

Ulrich: Well, the project was under-resourced from the start. We just don’t have enough people to do the work that needs to be done. It’s such an inefficient way of doing things.

Ylva: I know it can feel like that at times, but this is the reality these days for most companies. We all have to learn to prioritize and understand where we really need to deliver 100 per cent quality and where not. I know you tend to try to do the maximum all the time. That’s amazing, but it won’t work. I learned that a long time ago. You need to focus on the really important things.

Urich: You’re absolutely right there.

Ylva: If you really don’t have time for everything, I can give the work to someone else. Actually, I will know you’re managing the work better if you say you can’t do everything than if you say you can.

Ulrich: OK, thanks for that, Ylva. Doesn’t solve the project leadership question, though.

Ylva: Why?

Ulrich: I’m not sure I can work with Jacques for much longer. He’s such a typical career leader — only in it for himself. He’s hardly ever at the project meetings. He gives us almost no direction. As for feedback, I don’t think he’s even once said thank you to the team for all this work.

Ylva: That’s a pretty negative view of things. I know Jacques. He’s actually a super guy. I had the same experience with him many years ago, but it’s all about trust. He trusts people to do the right thing and likes to give them space to perform. And he expects them to think for themselves. That’s why he seems a bit invisible. He’s really very experienced and positive.

Ulrich: OK, that’s an interesting way of looking at it.

Ylva: Look, you need to stop relying on leaders to make things happen for you. Make it happen for yourself. Be your own motivator. The organization is not perfect; you are overloaded and don’t get the feedback you deserve. But if you want to develop a career in this environment, you need to start leading yourself.

Ulrich: Thanks, Ylva. You’re right. I need to stop feeling sorry for myself. I’ll have a think about what you said, but I feel a lot better about things now. I think I just needed someone to listen to me, and get a few ideas. Ylva: OK, no problem.

What to think about

⋅ Why is Ulrich feeling demotivated?

⋅ In what ways does Ylva suggest that Ulrich needs to change his working style, and why?

⋅ What does Ylva suggest Ulrich should do to become more motivated?

2. Types of conversations

In this section, we will look at five typical types of workplace conversations that relate to motivation. We will also explore strategies that can be used to engage with the different types of motivation that are revealed to us by such conversations.

a) “I have too much to do”

How many times do you have conversations with others at work that focus on them telling you that they have too much to do? This is a type of conversation that often infuriates senior leaders, who generally work longer hours. The last thing they want to hear from a team member who they think should actually be contributing more is that they are overworked. Leaders often see such comments as statements of inefficiency that really mean: “I’m not able to prioritize the tasks I have to do in the time available to me.”

Some team members may also find such statements irritating and see them as a claim for unfair recognition that those who “just get on with it” in silence don’t make. But what else might be the motivation for statements claiming that people have too much to do?

Such statements might be an appeal for help. It could be that the person really does have too much work, is stressed and would love support to get through a peak period of work. Not everyone is a superhero. We all need help sometimes. If this is the case, then you should offer to help them. Find ways to take some tasks off the person to alleviate their stress.

They might mean that the person has too many boring tasks. The person could be communicating a desire for more engaging tasks. Perhaps they would even do more work if it were the right type of work. An effective leadership response would be to discover what types of work the person enjoys and then look to reorganize their job to make it more motivating.

They might signal a desire for more recognition. Such a statement could simply mean: “Hey, I’m doing a lot of work. I enjoy it. It motivates me. But from time to time, it would be great if you saw how much work I did and said something nice to me about that.” Perhaps all that is needed here is to listen. Let the person feel heard, understood and appreciated. It also doesn’t hurt simply to say: “I know, and you’re doing a great job.”

b) “It’s not my job”

Many leaders have encountered this response when asking people to take on an extra task. It is often frustrating for leaders because the motivation behind the statement feels defensive and suggests a lack of willingness to collaborate. It sounds like an “I don’t care” message based on a mindset that says, “this is not in my job description, therefore, I don’t have to do it”. But in an age of fuzzy organizations and fuzzy responsibilities, where the watchword is “agile”, such statements feel both out of place and out of date.

There could, however, be more positive motivations behind such statements:

Such statements might reflect a belief in the value of structure and a clear definition of roles and responsibility.

The person might believe that clear structures and roles lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness. Many sports teams and the emergency services make very clear who is responsible for what as they attempt to win their competitions or keep people alive. It may therefore be necessary to make clear that your request for someone to take on an extra task is an exception to the normal structure, or to consider making the role extension more permanent and part of a new structure.

They might reflect a positive sense of priorities and “local loyalty”. The motivation behind the comment might be: “I hear what you are saying, but this is not my priority as agreed with my boss right now. If you have a conversation with my manager and change these priorities, I am happy to help.” In such cases, the “resistance” may actually be feedback that you have asked the wrong person and need to engage with a higher authority to unlock this person’s time.

They might come from a sense of respect for others. The underlying message could be: “This is not technically my job. You need to ask another person, as I don’t want to do their job without permission. And there may be legal problems if I access their data.” Perhaps you are trying to execute a shortcut that is against certain legal or compliance rules or, at the very least, against protocol. Leaders should treat such comment as useful feedback.

c) “I’m not very good at…”

Particularly for those who lead relatively small organizations, it can be a constant

FIND OUT WHAT TYPES OF WORK THE PERSON ENJOYS AND REORGANIZE THEIR JOB