Self-Motivation: A Tool to Motivate Others and Drive Organizational Success

In every organization, setbacks are inevitable. The business landscape is fraught with uncertainties, supply chain disruptions, fluctuating market demands, and even internal discord. Yet, if there’s one constant that can serve as a beacon through turbulent times, it’s self-motivation. It not only acts as a personal compass but also becomes a powerful tool to inspire others, galvanizing teams and ensuring businesses overcome setbacks. When self-motivation is paired with collective action, setbacks can be re-framed as temporary challenges that make way for lasting success.

The Nature of Setbacks: Fleeting Yet Impactful

Setbacks are often viewed as monumental obstacles that can derail progress, leading to a sense of failure or defeat. However, when examined closely, no setback is permanent. In fact, every setback becomes history within moments of it happening, leaving behind only its psychological or operational aftermath. It’s not the setback itself, but how we respond to it that defines the trajectory of an individual or organization. This is where self-motivation comes into play.

Self-motivation allows us to view obstacles not as endpoints, but as opportunities for growth. It shifts the focus from the problem to the solution, fostering resilience and persistence. When an individual embodies this mindset, it becomes contagious, influencing others to adopt the same perspective. This collective shift in mindset can be transformational, especially in a business setting, where team morale is critical to success.

A Submarine Story: Motivation in Action

One of the most profound examples of self-motivation that I’ve experienced was during my time onboard my first Submarine. I had just joined the Sub as an Under-Training Officer. The vessel had been stuck in a nine-year-long refit, with multiple challenges delaying its re-entry into the active service. Supply chain disruptions had slowed progress to a crawl, and technical know-how was sparse. To make matters worse, the Submarine had lost its priority status within the organization, leaving it languishing with no clear path forward.

When I joined the Submarine, the crew had lost trust in themselves. They were working long hours, but the gains were incremental and not enough to generate momentum. The atmosphere was heavy with inertia, and progress seemed like a distant dream.

However, many of us were new, and that became our advantage. We could see things with fresh eyes and approach the problem from a new angle. We rewrote our focus areas, even though the terminology of today—KPIs, KRAs, VUCA, and TINA—did not exist in our lexicon. Yet, we were living those realities every day.

As fate would have it, I was thrust into a leadership role as the Head of Department when my senior officer had to be hospitalized. Here I was, still undergoing sea training, and now responsible for leading a crew that had seen far more of the Submarine and the Ocean than I had. Naturally, they were skeptical. Why should they place their trust in someone who hadn’t even earned his Submarine qualification yet? I had not yet tasted the Salt Water at the deepest depth that the Submarine should have offered to its young crew with limited sea legs and to be qualified to be fully combat ready!

Leading Through Trust and Teamwork

The first step was to build confidence, not just in myself, but in the entire crew. I had to show them that I was fully invested in the mission and that I would be right there with them in the trenches, so to speak. The challenge wasn’t just technical—it was emotional. They needed to feel that they were part of a team again, with a common goal and the collective strength to achieve it.

I accepted the crew as my team, acknowledging their experience and skill, while positioning myself as a partner rather than a superior. Within days, we began to shift our mindset. What started as a slow jog quickly evolved into a marathon of effort and focus. Each day, we tackled new challenges, recording them in a team diary. This simple act of documentation helped us stay organized and created a sense of accountability. We divided responsibilities, played to each person's strengths, and chipped away at the mountain of pending tasks. We worked hard and celebrated every small success whenever we got any opportunity.

A Submarine is no ordinary machine, especially when it has been in a state of dormancy for nearly a decade. Our mission wasn’t just to make it operational again—it was to reintegrate it into a war-fighting platform. There was no room for failure. The stakes were too high, and the pride of sailing a 3,000-ton behemoth loomed over us. Every crew member knew that the only way we could achieve our objective was by working together, casting aside personal egos in favor of collective success.

Turning the Tide

With unwavering focus, sweat, labor, and grit, and much more, we managed to get the Submarine ready for its first sea trials. The sense of accomplishment was immense, not just because we had defied the odds, but because we had done it together. For me, sailing that Submarine before I was even officially qualified remains one of the highest points of my working career. Within few weeks of becoming operational, I earned my qualification, and the Submarine passed all its required tests, setting sail for its first long patrol. The alignments (as we use it too often now a days) were with multiple agencies and people and was never an easy task as we had to match everyone's rigor. We went on to fire 25 Torpedoes in the first Operational Cycle that lasted for an intense 10 months of ocean duty. It was a great phase of life as we sailed relentlessly and met all the challenges head on! For our families, we were bearded visitors!

The journey taught me an invaluable lesson: self-motivation is infectious. It doesn’t just fuel personal achievement; it ignites the potential of those around you. When a leader is motivated, their team becomes motivated. When the team is motivated, the organization benefits, and setbacks—no matter how long-standing—become stepping stones toward progress.

The Power of Collective Aim in Business

The lessons learned on that Submarine are just as applicable in the business world. Organizations thrive when teams are united in their focus on the collective aim, which should always align with the overarching goal of the company. When individuals focus solely on their personal objectives, it leads to fragmentation, competition, and inefficiency. But when teams rally around a common goal, the organization becomes more resilient and capable of weathering any storm.

One of the most effective ways to foster this collective aim is through candor and transparency. Open communication is essential in ensuring that everyone understands the objectives, challenges, and expectations. A physical diary or logbook, much like the one we used on the Submarine, can be a simple yet powerful tool. By documenting challenges, progress, and outcomes, teams can maintain focus, track success, and hold each other accountable. Today, we use presentations but most of the times we forget to visit the past. It is the past which has the sound boards for today's plans!

In today’s business world, acronyms like VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity), TINA (There Is No Alternative), KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and KRAs (Key Result Areas) are commonplace. These terms encapsulate the dynamic and often unpredictable environment in which businesses operate. However, the essence of success lies in self-motivation, teamwork, and the ability to galvanize effort. Acronyms may change, but the need for cohesive action remains a constant.

Conclusion: Galvanizing Effort to Overcome Setbacks

Every setback is temporary, and every challenge can be overcome with the right mindset. Self-motivation serves as the foundation, not only for personal growth but also for inspiring others to rise to the occasion. When teams are motivated, aligned, and focused on a common goal, setbacks lose their power. They become historical footnotes, lessons learned on the road to success.

In the end, the journey is as important as the destination. Whether in a Submarine or a boardroom, it’s the collective effort, fueled by individual motivation, that turns challenges into opportunities and setbacks into history. And that’s a lesson worth remembering, no matter the field or the challenge at hand.