Last week’s issue: 5 Crucial Conversations that Make or Break Your Team

Sign Up | Advertise
Join 7200+ leaders

If you're just joining us, welcome to House of Leadership—a weekly leadership newsletter helping leaders grow their careers.

If you find value in these newsletters and would like to support this publication, you can become a paid subscriber.

Looking to start a newsletter? Use Beehiiv (it’s what we use)

Looking for your next job? Express can help.

Express Employment Professionals has put more than 10 million people to work in the last 40 years. Express has a wide variety of jobs available, in all industries. With flexible schedules, competitive pay, and access to a variety of benefits, what are you waiting for? Let ExpressPros help you land your next great job today. And the best part? They don’t charge any fees to help you find one.

Get started today

_{What we’ll learn today}

• What’s motivating you

• Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation

• Motivation studies

• 4 common areas of motivation

• Daniel Pink’s book

Motivation plays a crucial role in personal development, but understanding what drives each team member is key to fostering the right environment.

Motivation comes from two sources:

Intrinsic Motivation
Extrinsic Motivation

What’s the difference?

Intrinsic Motivation is driven by internal rewards. You engage in activities because they bring personal satisfaction or fulfilment.

• Going for a run because it makes you feel good.

• Reading books to improve yourself.

• Working with a team because you enjoy collaboration.

• Striving to be a great leader to inspire others.

Extrinsic Motivation is driven by the desire for external rewards. You engage in activities to receive something in return.

• Going to work to earn a salary.

• Helping others to gain recognition.

• Volunteering because it enhances your CV.

• Visiting new places to share the experience on social media.

Extensive research has shown that while extrinsic motivation can be effective in the short term, particularly for simple tasks, humans are primarily driven by intrinsic motivation.

Extrinsic motivation can provide short-term influence, but it’s intrinsic motivation that has a lasting and more meaningful impact on performance and well-being.

“Many experimental and field studies have found intrinsic motivation to be associated with enhanced learning, performance, creativity, and emotional experience.”

Intrinsic motivation is fueled by an inner desire to take action. People motivated this way seek the enjoyment, challenge, or satisfaction in the activity itself, rather than being driven by external rewards, pressure, or outcomes.

Are you enjoying this Newsletter and getting Value?

What are the 4 common areas of Intrinsic Motivation which might be drivers for your team?

1) Purpose - This is the sense that what you’re doing holds meaning and serves a higher cause.

You’re committing yourself to something greater than yourself. It could be serving your team, supporting your family, or improving outcomes for your business and customers.

It’s the reason you get up each day, persevere through challenges, and keep pushing forward. It’s your "why," your calling.

2) Mastery - This is the internal drive to excel in your craft and become the best in your field.

The ongoing pursuit of learning and self-improvement will bring immense fulfilment. It involves expanding your knowledge and honing your skills until you become a subject matter expert.

3) Autonomy - This is the desire for control, safety, and flexibility within your role. While you have clear goals, you’re empowered to decide how to reach them.

An autonomous environment provides access to resources and a supportive community when needed. With the shift from office spaces to remote work, offering autonomy within your team boosts their job satisfaction. Autonomy offers significant benefits, making it essential for a positive team experience.

4) Progress - Growth is essential for a sense of fulfilment. We all want to feel like we’re advancing and improving. Progress and development are key drivers of workplace satisfaction. When you’re learning, growing, and developing both personally and professionally, you feel energized.

Everyone should aim for continuous improvement. How are you helping your team advance their careers?

Final thoughts

As you can see, intrinsic motivation is enduring.

It’s about pursuing goals driven by an inner desire—whether it’s a strong sense of purpose, excitement from the autonomy in your environment, a hunger to master your craft, or the satisfaction of seeing progress.

Real motivation comes from within; it has to be intrinsic.

There will be days when you’re up and days when you’re down, but tapping into these internal drivers will keep you moving forward.

Book Resource: Daniel H. Pink - Drive. In the spirit of motivation and meaning, Daniel’s book deep dives into why intrinsic motivation beats extrinsic motivation over the long term.

Hit reply and let me know what you thought of today’s newsletter.

David

Want more?

🚀 Subscribe to my premium newsletter for exclusive insights, proven strategies, and next-level growth tips that you won’t find anywhere else