Intrinsic Motivators: The Crucial 3

Identifying what drives your team and motivates them to do great work is so important.

What has been uncovered by extensive research is that extrinsic motivation does indeed work to a point (pay, bonus, material items etc), but humans are largely intrinsically motivated (inherent drive). Extrinsic motivation will have a short-term influence or is useful for straightforward tasks, but what has a lasting and more meaningful impact on humans is Intrinsic Motivation, an inner drive to take action.

If you haven’t already, you know what to do:

Intrinisic Motivation: you are motivated to do the activity because it is internally rewarding.

Extrinsic Motivation: you are motivated to do an activity in order to gain an external reward in return.

3 Common areas that you should focus on for your team:

1) Purpose - this is the feeling that what they’re doing matters and has a higher meaning. They’re dedicating themselves to a cause beyond themselves. This might be to serve their colleagues, provide for their family or improve things for the business and customers. It’s the reason they get up every day, it’s the reason they work through the tough times and keep going. It’s why they do what they do, it’s their calling. Does your team understand the importance and meaning of the work they’re doing?

2) Mastery - this is having an inner drive to master their craft or be the best within their field. Continuing to learn and focus on improvement will be very rewarding for them. This will involve continuing to grow their knowledge and sharpening their skills to the point where they become a true subject matter expert, the go-to.

3) Autonomy - this is where they crave a sense of control, safety, and flexibility within their role, they’re aware of what their goals are but have the autonomy to decide how to get to the destination. An autonomous environment will have resources and a supportive community on hand and available when they need it.

We’re shifting away from office environments to more remote working, and having more autonomy within your team will leave them feeling extremely satisfied with their roles. Autonomy provides a ton of benefits, ensure it’s part of your team’s experience.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Daily Management Tip - Quick, practical management advice to help you do your job better, delivered on weekdays. Sign up here on the HBR site.

• YouTube - Simon Sinek - Play the Infinite Game. Instead of working primarily to hit metrics, let's remember the game of business is infinite. We aren't here just to achieve goals, we're here to achieve something much bigger than ourselves. Recognising this is part of Leadership too can have a profound impact on how you approach your day-to-day. It’s an ongoing journey.

• Ted Talk - Behrouz Moemeni on Intrinsic Motivation: Revolutionize Education, Work, and Life - Behrouz shares his innovative approach to leveraging the power of intrinsic motivation to open new doors. Behrouz is passionate about helping people find the path to success that best fits their inner motivations.

Quote of the Week

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