Coping with the Motivation Cycle

Human nature being what it is, we all have needs and desires that want fulfilling. As a manager one of our key roles is to motivate our teams but who motivates the manager? Maybe the manager above, but I feel the downward motivation gets less the higher up the management chain you move. Perhaps there is a view that the more experienced and knowledgeable you are then you should be self motivating.
I think that last statement is true but we also need to recognise that no matter how experienced we are we will have moments when we hit the bottom of the motivation cycle. This is usually due to many things like; moments of doubt, lack of communication, lack of involvement, lack of direction, feeling that your worth is not recognised, a throw away comment from a colleague or just the volume of things to be achieved.
Recognising that it is not unusual and we all suffer in some form from occasional low moments is part of the solution to move back up the motivation cycle.
How long the low point exists will depend on the individual and the circumstances that contributed.
The key is to get out of the low point as soon as possible. To do that we have to recognise that we have to self motivate and can’t wait for external inputs which may never come. No matter how good you are or how well thought of you are, senior management or peer groups are often uncomfortable in telling you, so you have to do it yourself and one way is to seek the positives which may include:-
Personal pride, the desire to achieve, recognising it’s not personal, supporting your team, review your successes, focusing on your goals, breaking down the tasks, seek clarification etc.
Whilst the cycle will always have highs and lows we can reduce the lows by doing something about them. Keep smiling!