Will Your Employees Climb Mountains for You?

Tyler Hamilton is a determined athlete. As I write this, he is in fifth place halfway through this year's grueling, 2,000-mile Tour de France bicycle race. Oh, and he suffered a broken collarbone on the first day of this year's race so he's riding with a taped shoulder and limited treatment for pain. Ever ride a bike with a sore arm or shoulder? Then maybe you can possibly imagine the pain Tyler is enduring to help his team in this year's Tour. And remember this: the Tour de France means climbing  some of the highest and steepest mountain roads in the world.

What makes Tyler Hamilton ride? Where does he find the determination to endure excruciating pain while racing upwards of 100 miles per day for nearly three straight weeks? How can he face rides of 5, 6, and even 9 miles nearly straight up a mountain road? I can't say for sure what drives Tyler Hamilton, but I do know some factors that make it possible for someone to work with determination. Even if the work is no more grueling than trying to persuade reluctant customers.

Six Conditions Encourage Determination

In my view, it takes a combination of several factors to foster determination and other goal-oriented behavior. Each must be present, at least to some degree, before people will work hard to reach a goal. These conditions are:

Belief in the value of the goals Ð More than anything else, it is one's belief that a goal is worth pursuing that makes it possible to go after the goal in the first place. No one puts out effort for a goal that isn't worthy of their attention.

Belief that the goal is achievable Ð Even if you think a goal is valuable, you have to believe it's within your reach, even if you have to stretch a bit to get it. The key to this factor is seeing that the stretch needed to reach the goal is possible. Stretching puts the challenge into the pursuit of the goal.

Experience in working toward similar goals Ð Confidence is an essential element in our push to reach a challenging goal. If we know that we have succeeded before, then it's easier to push ourselves again. Natural competitors have a talent for recognizing similarities between a current challenge and one they have met before and then reminding themselves they can reach the current goal because they've done something similar before. 

Knowledge of your progress Ð It would be nearly impossible to reach a goal without knowing how far you've come and how close you are to reaching the goal. Try to imagine yourself in a race where you do not know where the finish line is and you can not see your opponents to know where you stand. You wouldn't know if you should be pacing yourself for a long race or sprinting for the finish line.  

Attachment to a team Ð For some reason, even people who are mostly self-interested individualists perform better if they belong to a team that is important to them. The power of belonging is quite amazing and it often helps people perform at a level they did not know was possible. 

Reinforcement Ð Encouragement, especially in the form of reinforcement, makes it much easier for people to continue working hard, to overcome obstacles, and to believe in themselves enough to persevere against difficult odds. This can come from a trusted colleague or manager, or from oneself. Most people who achieve their goals regularly practice what is called "self-talk." They hold inner conversations with themselves that provide reinforcement and encouragement. Sometimes they "yell" at themselves for making mistakes or for reducing their effort. In any event, self-talk is a way of giving ourselves reinforcement even when it's not coming from anyone else. It's that important.

So, while I can't tell you for sure what's driving Tyler Hamilton, if you find ways to create the six conditions I described above, you may soon find your employees working harder than ever before to reach tougher goals than they've ever met.

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