Mastery motivates. Here’s how you can use it.
Mastery–feeling competent, and feeling your ability improve–is one of the most important human motivators, according to research. Mastery comes through opportunities to learn and grow. Learning supports both employee engagement and a growth mindset which lead to us doing better work, enjoying it more, and being more resilient to setbacks.
This month, we invite you to consider choosing one of the following three ways to boost mastery at work–for yourself or someone you lead:
A) Put the E in SMARTEST goals
You may already set goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The E in SMARTEST goals adds an Educational element to your goals. What will you learn by working toward this goal?
B) Just the Right Challenge
We are bored by work that’s too easy, and overwhelmed by work that is way too hard. A work challenge that is just at the edge of our ability engages us with mastery, and often results in us getting into the productive, happy zone that psychologists call ‘flow‘. How can you give yourself or someone you lead the ideal level of challenge?
C) Find the Best Way to Learn
While most people want to learn and grow, we vary in the ways we want to learn. Some learn best from books, others from workshops, and others need to do something new in order to best learn. For you or someone you lead: what’s the best way to learn? How can you deliver that?
Which will you act on? We would love it if you chose to use the sharing buttons below to let us and others know, so we can all learn together. Then consider letting us know how it goes; we’d love to hear and we would relish the chance to help you master mastery.