Motivation : It matters!

Manish Pandit

01-03-2012

Background

I have worked with 8-10 different companies with different cultures, different products and verticals over the last decade and a half

As a result, I have worked with team members showing a combination of motivation, passion, smartness, brightness, ambition, potential, leadership, following, communication, and the lack thereof

Allegory training and their case study of Blockbuster

Quoting David Ting – Everyone is a leader

In the new age of Internet and Media, its all the more critical that we all start to see ourselves and everyone around us as motivated, passionate leaders

There is no next level when there is no motivation to get there

Why am I talking about motivation?

No longer something that matters during review cycles

Motivated co-workers create a great work environment

Motivation nurtures leadership

In a small org, successes and failures get amplified. Motivation largely increases the changes for success.

Motivation encourages communication, which in turn creates a thriving, innovation and growth-driven culture.

As mortal humans, we are all unique..

…with unique motivators Paycheck, or a

monetary reward Getting someone off

our back Personal satisfaction Sense of

achievement and fulfillment

Bragging rights or recognition

Solving problems, or challenges

Role model Chasing a dream,

passion Curiosity Happiness Competitive Spirit Perfectionism

What motivates them?

Steve Jobs I want to put a ding in

the universe

Bill Gates I want to put PCs in

every household, beyond universities and schools

Mark Zuckerberg I want to shape the way

people interact and connect with others online

Google (the founders but the company too) WE want to make the

web faster

Everest, K2 Climbers The drive to be on the

top of the world; which costs them their life savings, knowing very well that 2 out of 5 die trying.

Motivators: Extrinsic

Simple, we’ve been used to this one ever since we were kids, and we use it with our kids. Reward good behavior with tangible goods Punish bad behavior by taking them away

So the motivation factor is to stay out of trouble, and do a good job expecting more money, bigger house, fatter bonus, good grades.

You do not need an MBA to extrinsically motivate people. Most extrinsically motivated people are followers, rarely leaders. Extrinsic motivation plateaus, and needs to be re-enforced time and

again. Extrinsic motivation works best for manual, mechanical work. Not

where cognitive or out-of-the-box intelligence, and creativity is needed, i.e. knowledge work.

Motivators: Intrinsic

Almost opposite of Extrinsic motivation

Comes from within (duh!)

Very circumstantial, and cannot be directly enforced but coached

Most of what promotes intrinsic motivation is abstract, and cannot be pegged to a dollar value. I want to write perfect code I want to learn a new language I want to solve problem X to make Y’s life easier I want to be looked upon as the brightest bulb in the box

Intrinsic motivation is almost always a necessary trait in a leader.

Purpose-driven Motivation

The motivator is “purpose”

Clarity and communication on: What is one’s purpose in the organization What is the organization’s purpose in the company What is the company’s purpose in the world

Being a part of the greater picture

Having independence, or “autonomy” (like hack events)

Encourages ownership and value

Encourages responsibility and accountability

Autonomy and Mastery

Go hand in hand with the purpose

The focus is on achieving the purpose through developing mastery autonomously – i.e., you are empowered to make decisions and have enough autonomy to do so.

You build significant skills in that area

The mastery and autonomy act as a means to the purpose.

Org Culture and Motivation

Varying degree of these traits in an org impact the motivation in the individual at different levels Politics Ease (or difficulty) of getting things done. Recognition and visibility Co-workers and their motivation Nature and kind of work (tedious vs. challenging) Opportunities for growth, and their communication Individual Engagement and autonomy Compensation (with fair contribution parity) Alignment and focus towards a common goal

Imagine…

Being taught by unmotivated teachers

Kids or Elderly being cared by unmotivated caregivers

Having a terminal illness being treated by unmotivated doctors

City being patrolled by unmotivated cops

Then imagine..

Browsing around an online shopping site, whose U|X sucks as it was developed by unmotivated engineers

Be in a room full of folks where a few motivated folks are talking about their work and/or life with a big grin on their face

Google or Facebook going down in non-business hours (hey, they are free!)

It cant be that bad!

Unmotivated folks pose an immediate risk to an org or a project. Conflicts with the motivated folks due to impedance

mismatch Lower the bar and quality of the overall result Lack of leadership Its infectious – the motivated folks run a risk of giving

up after being burnt out The org runs the risk of being at a “status-quo” with no

innovation ahead Leadership-by-example fails to exist

What makes knowledge motivators different

Like it or not, web never sleeps

Tech motivators usually are not the same as, say, motivators for a Walmart Shift Manager, or an in-house Accounting Software Programmer

Granted that we are not saving lives, but are committed to provide a good, efficient, “purposeful” service, 24x7

Technology competition is much, much closer than the one for the Target, PG&E and Goldman Sachs of the World

The rate of innovation and execution is too high for unmotivated technologists to keep up

How to improve motivation

Find out what factors motivate you under what circumstances Extrinsic Intrinsic Purpose

Talk to your manager, or peers on this topic. Communication is the only thing that can change or address motivation. NOTHING ELSE CAN.

Make this a part of 1:1 meetings

Think of being motivated as a non-negotiable attribute. Do justice to your work, your co-workers, and your users.

A team is only as strong as the weakest link, and often the weakest link is unmotivated, not unskilled.

Realistic, performance driven rewards, like the Next-level pay. Similarly, myVoice, which is a transparent medium for continuous feedback.

Action items

Self introspection

Keep motivation on the back of your mind always

Be a leader – and lead by Example

Leadership does not come from a title, it comes from demonstrating the trait

Read “Drive” by Dan Pink, or watch the youtube video for his TED talk

Communicate

Communicate more