When I was young, I used to play a computer game called "Romance of the Three Kingdoms V", where exceptional generals had a skill called "Inspire". By uttering a few words on the battlefield, they could boost the morale of their soldiers. In the game, the morale of an army was directly related to its attack power. Factors like insufficient provisions and falling into enemy traps could lower morale, so I would always try to boost morale as much as possible before engaging in close combat to achieve the best results with minimal losses. 

The term "morale" was originally used in the context of warfare but is now widely applied to team management in the business world. Today, let's talk about morale. The factors that influence morale can be divided into external and internal factors. Taking warfare as an example, external factors include weather, battlefield conditions, equipment, training preparedness, and enemy intelligence. Some of these factors are controllable, while others are not. Internal factors, on the other hand, are within our control and include reasons for the war, the leadership of generals, and the training of soldiers. 

While favorable external factors can contribute to boosting morale, they are not the absolute conditions for high morale. We can easily find counterexamples that prove that sometimes morale can remain high despite adverse external conditions. To improve internal morale, supervisors should focus on factors within their control rather than those beyond their control. In my opinion, there are five crucial factors to consider, listed in order of importance: significance, leadership and comradeship, challenges, and rewards. 

True motivation comes from a sense of significance

Warfare involves risking one's life, and work can be just as demanding. Since both involve sacrifice, they must hold value. In wars, it is crucial to have a just cause to unite the troops. Similarly, in the office, it is important to give meaning to colleagues' work. The meaning may vary depending on the company's situation, ranging from vision to tangible benefits. Among the five factors, significance is the most important because only genuine meaning can touch people's hearts and unleash true motivation. If employees don't identify with the meaning deep down, they won't give their all. 

Winning hearts means winning the world

A leader's charisma stems from the fact that their actions align with the expectations of most subordinates, and the team believes in the direction the leader guides them. Charismatic leaders can generally be divided into two types: those who lead the team forward based on personal abilities and those who inspire followers to fulfill their potential and achieve goals together. It is said that winning hearts means winning the world, but people's hearts can be fickle, so leaders must be adaptable. 

Only those who stand side by side are comrades

An individual's passion has its limits, but a team can ignite each other's spirits and maintain the fervor of morale. The simplest way to sustain morale is to find teammates who can ignite each other's passion and avoid team members who are difficult to ignite or lack the necessary skills. The reason is straightforward: only those who can stand side by side are comrades. Comrades need to respect each other, cultivate rapport, and achieve teamwork to entrust their backs to each other on the battlefield. Otherwise, it will only burden everyone and dampen morale. In practical work, sometimes we can't choose our comrades, so we have to make adjustments based on the other four factors. 

Challenges give work value

Ordinary daily work doesn't necessarily require high morale; it is challenges that ignite people's fighting spirit. However, unrealistic goals will only lead to despair, and repetitive challenges lose their effectiveness. Only appropriate challenges are beneficial to morale. What is considered appropriate is something that the team currently finds difficult to achieve but can accomplish through learning. Having breathing space between challenges allows the team to enjoy the joy of growth and be more willing to accept new challenges mentally. 

Rewards are the most basic

Placing rewards last doesn't mean they are unimportant; it's because rewards are the most basic and necessary aspect. Rewards often serve as the starting point for all work, but they shouldn't be the sole focus. If we have taken care of the four previous elements, even if the rewards are at an average market level, they will still have a greater impact than expected. Furthermore, rewards serve as recognition of the team's efforts, so they must be fulfilled in accordance with the spirit of the agreement, avoiding empty promises.

Simon So

Chief Experience Officer of Hantec Group