LESSON 6.

1 MOTIVATION

Introduction

Overview Motivating and influencing shipmates is an important part of being a Sea

Cadet leader. Every Sea Cadet mission, goal, or task requires commitment
from the team. For a Sea Cadet unit to successfully accomplish its
mission, cadet leaders need to know how to influence and motivate their
fellow cadet leaders and junior cadets. Leaders must also know how to
influence leaders, parents, or unit sponsors in a way that helps the unit to
accomplish its mission, goals, or tasks.

Understanding people and what motivates them will enhance your

performance as a leader. With experience, you can learn why people act or
react in certain ways. You can learn how to influence others to help them
see how their contribution to the unit’s mission can help them fulfill their
needs. This lesson provides you with information you need to know
regarding how to influence others as a Sea Cadet leader.

Topic Learning Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to EXPLAIN how a
Objective (TLO) cadet petty officer can apply appropriate motivation principles and
methods to enhance cadet development

Lesson In this lesson, you will:

Objectives (LO) • DESCRIBE the motivation process
• RELATE cadet motivation to unit efficiency
• COMPARE internal and external motivation
• IDENTIFY characteristics of effective recognition
• IDENTIFY ways to influence others to accomplish a goal or task

References The information in this lesson is based on the following references:

1. Influencing Others, U.S. Coast Guard Enlisted Professional Military

Education (E-PME).

2. Petty Officer Selectee Leadership Course, U.S. Navy Center for

Personal and Professional Development.

3. Military Requirements for Petty Officer 3 & 2 (NAVEDTRA 14504)

4. The Bluejacket’s Manual (24th Ed)

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Advance Assignment 6.1.1

Instructions Complete this assignment BEFORE training begins. To complete the

assignment, follow these instructions:

1. READ the following material: Lesson 6.1 - Motivation

2. ANSWER the questions to the best of your ability. If you do NOT

understand the question OR cannot find the answer, ask a shipmate or
instructor for help.

Motivation 1. Consider your motives for attending POLA in preparation for

What’s in it for you? advancement to the senior petty officer ranks in the Sea Cadet program.
Then, in your own words, explain why it is important to you to advance
in the program.

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Motivation 2. Consider the motives of your shipmates for participation in the Sea
What’s in it for them? Cadet program. Then, in your own words, explain what you think is
important to them about the program.

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Advance Assignment

Motivation 3. Reflect on your experiences in the Sea Cadets. Think about a time
(Accomplishment and you accomplished a goal or task and were recognized in a way that
Achievement) meant something to you. Describe the experience.

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4. When is the last time you were recognized for a job well done?
Describe the experience.

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5. When is the last time you recognized a shipmate for a job well done?
Describe the experience.

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Motivation Process

Influencing Influence is the act or power of producing an effect without apparent

Others exertion of force or exercise of command.

Leadership Recall that leadership is the art of influencing people to progress towards
the accomplishment of a single goal.
From this, we can see that the skillful use of influence is a key part of
effective leadership.

Motivation Influencing others and motivation are closely related.

Motivation is the force that drives a person or group that accounts for the
direction, level, and persistence of effort spent by that person or group to
accomplish the mission, goal, or task.

Process The graphic shows a process of motivation as a relationship between

effort, performance, and reward or other desired outcome.

Effort Performance Reward

Will my effort lead Will my performance Do I value the

to high lead to outcomes? outcomes?
performance?

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Motivation and Unit Efficiency

Case Study December 7th, 1941. Plotting Room, USS Nevada (BB-36), Pearl Harbor,
Territory of Hawaii.

In the plotting room below, ENS Merdinger got a call to send up some
men to fill in for the killed and wounded. Many of the men obviously
wanted to go—it looked like a safer bet than suffocating in the plotting
room. Others wanted to stay—they preferred to keep a few decks between
themselves and the bombs.

ENS Merdinger picked them at random. He could see in some faces an

almost pleading look to be included in the other group, whichever it
happened to be. But no one murmured a word. His orders were instantly
obeyed.

Now he understood more clearly the reasons for the system of discipline,
the drills, the little rituals…all the things that made the Navy essentially
autocratic but at the same time made it work.
Walter Lord
Day of Infamy

Pause and Consider the situation and the basic human needs of the Sailors in
Reflect Nevada’s plotting room. What are the needs of the individual Sailors?
What are the needs of the unit? How do these needs interact?

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Motivation and Unit Efficiency

Analysis This situation demonstrates an important fact of sea service life. The
Sailors in Nevada’s plotting room did not obey orders because they
preferred to, wanted a bonus in their paycheck, or feared a stretch in the
brig. They did as ENS Merdinger directed because their fears and sense of
self-preservation were overcome by his leadership and their self-
discipline. This is not easily achieved, yet in order for a naval unit to
function properly under life-threatening situations, leadership and
discipline are vital.

Adapted from The Bluejacket’s Manual

Motivation and For cadets to be well-motivated at drills or training, they should be

Efficiency working toward the shared goals of the unit (direction), fully engaged in
goal-oriented activity (level), and working toward these shared goals over
time (persistence).

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Internal and External Motivation

Overview Sources of motivation can be internal (intrinsic) or external (extrinsic).

Intrinsic Motivation is a fire from within. If someone else tries to light that fire under
Motivation you, chances are it will burn very briefly.

Stephen R. Covey

Intrinsic motivation is the enjoyment of and interest in an activity for its

own sake. It exists when the source of motivation lies within the
individual and the task. The individual finds the task enjoyable or
worthwhile in and of itself.

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Internal and External Motivation

Internal motivation is something within a person, such as a sense of

accomplishment that drives them to complete a mission, goal, or task. This type
of motivation can set people up for success and provide an example for others
to follow. It takes place when leaders recognize needs, see or create
opportunities to satisfy these needs, and act accordingly.

Internal motivation tends to support long-term productivity and satisfaction.

Involving your people in decisions that affect them can create a sense of
ownership. People tend to support what they help to create and get the most
satisfaction from completing a mission, goal, or task in which they have a stake
in the results. Understanding the internal motivation of cadets will help you
to support a training environment where cadets can be productive and enjoy
being productive.

Extrinsic Extrinsic motivation is when the source of motivation lies outside the
Motivation individual or task. As a leader, you can encourage cadets to do what the
command wants them to do through positive or negative motivators.
Although it can be effective, this type of motivation is generally short-
term in nature.

Positive motivators include rewards and recognition. Negative motivators

involve fear of undesired consequences. While this can get the job done in
the short-term, it can also degrade command efficiency over time.

An efficient ship is a happy ship, and a happy ship is an efficient ship.

Question Time As instructed, list some examples of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation

INTRNISIC EXTRINSIC

Positive Negative

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Motivation Factors
When we talk about committed individuals, we are talking about people who
Compliance vs.
are committed to a charge or trust. This is just as you, your shipmates, and your
Commitment
officers are committed to your task and duties as members of the Sea Cadet
Corps.

Compliant performers are those who conform in fulfilling official requirements

or yield when force is applied. A cadet functioning at only 20-30% of his or
her capacity is merely compliant. That means he or she is just doing the
minimum to get by. A compliant individual is externally motivated. That means
he or she does something because someone else wants it done, or to avoid the
consequences of not doing it.

Many successful leaders have learned that motivation for a task comes not from
compliance but from commitment. Commitment, like motivation, comes from
within. In line with its values, the Sea Cadet Corps expects all its members—
especially its leaders—to be committed at all times, not just compliant. A cadet
who gives an 80-90% level of effort is a committed peak performer. This is
who we look for to inspire and motivate others.
From U.S. Coast Guard leadership development training, the graphic below
illustrates the relationship between compliance and commitment.

100%

E 80 – 90%
F
F
O
R Their Choice
T 20 – 30%

0%

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How to Influence Others

Principle of Each Sea Cadet is fully accountable for his or her actions, on or off duty. They
Accountability are held accountable for everything they are responsible for. They are held
accountable for decisions they make. Cadet leaders have a duty to establish
clear lines of authority, provide needed resources and supervision, and hold
people accountable.

Motivating Remember that no two people are the same. What one sees as a reward the
Junior Cadets other may see as something else entirely. Know each cadet’s capabilities, areas
for improvement, needs, and preferences. Understand the impact of your
leadership style on each cadet. Get out and about during drills and events,
observing others and getting to know them. This sets the stage for your
leadership and allows you to support people when they need it and discipline
them when it is necessary.

Motivating The key to peer motivation is appeal to inner drives by setting a good example.
Peers As you advance, your influence with peers will decrease, as your immediate
peer group gets smaller. Yet it will increase throughout the Sea Cadets among
peers with every advanced training, staff assignment, or joint and combined
unit activity.

Motivating Your compatibility with senior leaders is important to your success as a leader.
Seniors Giving feedback up the chain can help the motivation of adult volunteers, who
are in the NSCC not for money but for other rewards. As with juniors, knowing
your seniors and the challenges they face is important in developing a
complementary leadership style for effective unit leadership.

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How to Influence Others

Influential Your time in the Sea Cadets revolves around the relationships you form with
Communication your shipmates. Communication between people is critical to building the
relationships that are the foundation of good leadership. Since people and
situations are different, the most effective communication technique will
depend on the situation at hand. Gaining the trust of others will improve your
communication and your ability to influence others.

Leaders set the example with every action taken and work spoken – at drill, in
the outside world, or at advanced training. Through words and example, leaders
communicate purpose, direction, and motivation.

The Sea Cadet Corps is a relatively small organization. As you develop

experience and a record in your region and beyond, in advanced training, joint
drills, or key events such as Fleet Week or Flagship, you acquire a service
reputation. As a cadet leader, you influence others and gain a favorable service
reputation by helping to:
Create and support a unit climate that helps others – cadets helping cadets.
Ensure people have the resources and support they need to perform well.
Help people to improvise, adapt, and overcome challenges or limited resources.
Show commitment to the Sea Cadet Corps – look, sound, and act like a
leader.
Influence shipmates toward ownership and teamwork and meaningful
contributions to the mission, goal, or task.

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Recognition and Reward

Guiding No meritorious act of a subordinate should escape attention, even if the

Principles reward be only one word of approval.

John Paul Jones (attributed)

Anyone can recommend NSCC or NLCC personnel for an award, in letter

form, stating the person’s compliance to the awards requirements or why
an award should be presented.

NSCC Awards Manual

NOTE You will learn more about recommendations for awards later in this
course.

Rules for Positive reinforcement drives good cadet behavior. Junior cadets are
Recognition recognized for worthy accomplishments. Good results create a sense of
self-worth, confidence, and well-being.

Recognition should be:

• Timely, consistent, and varied
• Given to the cadet, not the task
• Given often
• Perceived as recognition
• Appropriate to the achievement
• Reward positive and productive accomplishments
• Meaningful; not “just words”
• Individualized as much as possible

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Forms of Recognition

Overview Cadet leaders lead by example by ensuring the training environment

encourages positive reinforcement by both formal and informal means of
recognition and reward. When cadets are recognized for their
performance, the unit lets them know how well they are doing in meeting
the established standards.

Formal Formal recognition is acknowledgement of excellent performance in a

Recognition ceremonial ritual.

Informal Informal recognition is acknowledgement of excellent performance

Recognition without formality or ceremony.

Question Time What are some examples of formal and informal recognition?

FORMAL INFORMAL

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Summary and Review

Summary Individual motivation is a combination of desire and energy directed at

achieving a goal.

The process of motivation involves an individual’s consideration of the

effort involved to accomplish a goal or task successfully, the performance
or means of accomplishing the goal or task to produce a worthy outcome,
and the value of that outcome to the individual as reward or recognition
for a job well done.

By finding ways to connect the needs of the training environment with the
needs of the unit, you can influence the motivation of cadets, and get them
to want to do what you know must be done.

In this lesson, we discussed the importance of motivation by exploring the

following topics:
• The motivation process
• Intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
• Ways to influence others to accomplish a goal or task

Review 1. What are some examples of formal recognition you can recommend
to the chain of command?

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2. What are some ways you can recognize worthy performance without
formal ceremony?

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3. Which source of motivation lies within the individual and the task?

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