A few weeks ago, you received an email titled, "Practice Self-Leadership," in which was shared that in today's work environment, management has less time to provide direct oversight to employees.  Workers must function as thinkers and independent problem solvers, and must take personal responsibility for communications among colleagues.  In this email we deal with another new work rule, and that it that employees must now find ways to motivate themselves.

The shift today is toward self-management.  While higher management can and should be concerned about the welfare and morale of their employees, more and more, employees are expected to find ways to keep themselves pumped up and motivated to do their jobs.  Employees must be self-starters.  Work now includes responsibility for personal management of attitudes, emotions, and motivation levels.  This may not be a conscious decision on management's part, but it is a reality in today's workplace.  The new assumption is that morale problems, to a large degree, are the responsibility of the individual.  Many workplaces set their people up in self-managing work teams and, as a result, the team is in charge.  Individuals and teams are more accountable personally to insuring that motivation levels are where they should be so that the work gets done.

This change is another of the new realities in today's changing work environment.  Actually, this might work out best in the long-term because it provides and promotes a sense of freedom.  Individuals tend to perform better when they assume more personal control over their jobs and themselves.