Weekly Inspiration: You Can Do It! (click) Affirmation by Louise Hay from her 2010 calendar:
- “When it is time for a new job, the opportunity presents itself.” One of my clients has an interesting story that is still unfolding which relates directly to this quote. He separated from his last job at the end of 2009. While he hadn’t been happy there for a while, it still came as a shock. I was lucky enough to start working with him based on the recommendation of his next-door neighbor. Actually, his neighbor recommended me several months before. So how was this unemployment and forced life transition a gift?
- For me, it has been the joy of being of service to him and helping him become clear and focused on what is most important to him. For him, it was the opportunity be fully engaged during his parents’ passing since they lived six hours away. His Mom’s death was expected and occurred a little before the Leadership Week he attended in the Spring, while his Dad’s was unexpected a few days ago. That’s where he was called to serve and he is grateful for that gift of time, even though it was very difficult.
- I had coffee with him this week and while he was making the final arrangements for his Dad, a very promising job possibility materialized. He had a great phone interview with the President of the company and looks forward to the follow-up visit to the company. It will make a great story if this is the job that he has been waiting for particularly given the timing. Wish him food fortune, along with us!
XLR8 YOU!!! – An invitation to our vision:
For all of us to awaken to the magnificence of our limitless possibilities.
I received a new Audio-Tech Business Book summary of a book I read just when it hit the New York Times Bestselling list in early 2010. The book is Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us - click by Daniel Pink. (If you would like the PDF file of the book summary, e-mail me.) It is a must read for anyone aspiring to be a better leader. Not because we need to “motivate” people, but rather we need to create a culture that allows people to realize their intrinsic motivations.
In order to better understand “Motivation 3.0” as Daniel calls it, take 10 minutes to watch this RSAnimate of YouTube-Drive - click. He talks about Type X and Type 1 behaviors. “Motivation 2.0” depends on Type X behavior, which is fueled by extrinsic desires - meaning the external rewards to which that activity leads. Quite frankly, it is what many still think is leadership’s job - to motivate using the carrot and stick approach.
”Motivation 3.0” is fueled more by intrinsic desires or Type 1 behaviors - meaning the emphasis is less with the external rewards and more with the inherent satisfaction of the activity itself. If leadership wants to strengthen their organizations, they need to move from Type X to Type 1. Ultimately, Type 1 behavior depends on the following three elements:
- Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives and work.
- Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters.
- Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in service of something larger than ourselves.
After a thorough explanation of the above, Pink spends the last third of the book on the strategies that individuals and then organizations can do to put them into action. This alone is worth the read since he makes a convincing case that organizations ignore intrinsic motivation at their peril.
Those who have read Alfie Kohn’s book: Punished by Rewards (referenced in my 6/13 – 6/20, 2010 blog) or Brady Wilson’s, Love at Work, know this isn’t new information. It hasn’t gained wide acceptance and must be repeated often because the current generation of senior leadership, by and large, have been brought up by “Motivation 2.0”. While we will understand the merits of “motivation 3.0” and will hopefully encourage our successors to adopt it, most of us will have a hard time changing our old habits.
