Categories of motivation as identified by “Primed to Perform” by Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor (which I’ve just listened to an abbreviated version of on Blinkist):
- Play
- Purpose
- Potential
Play
This is the best, most direct and effective motivator, work with something directly and it’s fun to experience the nuances. The slow and steady feeling of your skill improving. The immediate feedback.
Purpose
Doing something just for the good it achieves. I can’t help but think of my chum Mick who spends 10 days every Christmas period working with a charity that feeds homeless people. I saw him shortly after the stint, he was exhausted and elated. I don’t believe he has any intent on becoming a chef or regularly doing the type of coordination tasks involved in the work, it was the end result, the good being done that was the motivator.
Potential
Grinding at a task which is only beneficial indirectly. A step on the way to a long term goal. I’ve enjoyed a work break recently and decided to use the time to study. My buddy Graham encouraged me to attempt a qualification exam to make a target for the studies. I liked the idea and decided to follow that plan. Along the way I very much enjoyed the majority of the modules. Some subjects became apparent as also peaking my interest and with the focus on the qualification, I resisted and put most of them on a list of topics to loop back and study later. More pertinently, one or two of the topics were actually a little dull, with the potential of needing the knowledge to help with the qualification, I soldiered on.
Indirect (Harmful) Motives
These motivators do more harm than good:
- Emotional Pressure - avoiding disappointing a loved one (weakest)
- Economic Pressure - seeking reward or avoiding punishment (strongest)
- Inertia - habitual behaviour, don’t even know why you’re doing it anymore (most debilitating to overall performance)
Performance
- Adaptive Performance - ability to respond creatively to change (don’t ignore)
- Tactical Performance - ability to execute a plan (easier to measure)
Measure adaptive performance by grading staff feelings against the 6 motivators e.g. “I continue to work at my current job because it is fun to do” agree or disagree?
Translate tactical goals into adaptive ones. Example given in the book is: if a tactical goal is to increase market share by 30%, the adaptive equivalent would be to learn five new strategies for boosting market share in general.
Don’t simply promote the top performers. Instead use ladders such as:
- Managerial - those who enjoy coaching
- Expert - mastering technical skills
- Customer - working with and caring about client satisfaction