In the sixth edition of my book blog, we’re dipping into one of my most referenced books ‘Drive – The surprising truth about what motivates us’ by Daniel H Pink. The reason why it is mentioned so much on leadership programmes, is that there are still some managers, who believe that micro-managing, issuing ultimatums, performance related pay and bonuses, provide the best route for motivating people.
- However, some of the downsides result in the following things being said in the workplace.
- I’ll be much happier when I’m on the next pay grade…
- I just do the job for the money – pays my mortgage…
- I’d work much harder if I was paid more money…
- Why should I bother because I’m not on performance related pay…
I’m sure that many of us may acknowledge that we have possibly thought these things and afterwards possibly considered when we looked back, it wasn’t the salary, grade or bonus that wasn’t right, it was something else which wasn’t motivating us – something deeper and internal. Intrigued…?
Daniel challenges the broadly held notion of ‘reward and punishment’ – where bonuses and promotions are believed to be the key to motivation but ultimately don’t seem to make a positive difference to genuine engagement and productivity. These are ‘extrinsic’ motivators and are external to ourselves.
He explores three areas in his book, which foster true motivation.
- Autonomy
- Mastery
- Purpose
Autonomy is about being trusted on how to do things – for example, taking responsibility for how we complete our roles, managing our objectives, time or how we complete projects.
Mastery is about the desire to learn, getting better at something, developing skills and behaviours whilst taking great pleasure in the learning process and cultivating a growth mindset for everyone in a team.
Purpose refers to the recognition that the things we do are meaningful. When everyone understands the impact of their work and is connected to a greater vision/mission, they are more engaged and motivated.
These are ‘intrinsic’ motivators, internal to ourselves, they are more powerful than ‘extrinsic’ rewards.
In his book, Daniel Pink cites plenty of research which evidences his conclusions that using monetary rewards can sometimes backfire in organisations. For example where projects require creativity and problem-solving, using extrinsic motivators in these situations can diminish intrinsic motivation and shift the focus away from the enjoyment of the task itself and stifle creativity.
Conversely, he has seen organisations that are focusing on intrinsic motivators and recognise the value of autonomy, mastery and purpose. They are investing time on the following things:
- Development of a coaching culture within their leadership
- Enabling people to have autonomy with their personal objectives
- Trusting people to have flexibility with working hours
- Management through outcomes and people taking responsibility for their KPIs
- Creating a learning culture in teams through prioritising personal development time and sharing learning
- Getting excited about learning, talking about it and implementing it
- Recruiting for and maintaining a growth mindset in teams where continuous improvement is celebrated
- Having a clear organisation and team purpose – even an individual purpose – linking these up and seeing how these connect to achieve the overall vision of the organisation
- Investing in team development – generating a sense of belonging and collective purpose where success depends on everyone working together
- Developing psychological safety and trust in teams where people feel safe in making suggestions and offering creative ideas
- Celebrating self-worth and value where individuals recognise the significant part they play in their team
- Having a passion for making a positive difference.
You are bound to be inspired from reading or listening to the book and if you don’t have time to do this, here is a link to the Daniel Pink 18 minute TED talk.
Otherwise, I hope this book blog has motivated you to challenge, still prevalent organisational thinking on what motivates people in work – trust the research – it is more than the money.
If you would like to invest more time in your leadership and team development, you may have some inspiration here too:
Being the Best Version: Leadership Development Programme.