I am just finishing up Daniel Pink’s book Drive, which shines a light on motivation and how it works, especially in the workplace. Pink details how the usual motivational tactics used, such as monetary incentives and others are completely ineffective and often actually harmful to the quality of work done.
He then breaks down what truly motivates us…
- Automony – We want to do our own thing, whether it is our complete job, or our little slice of a larger project.
- Mastery – Why do we do crossword puzzles and play solitaire or words with friends? We have a drive to master things.
- Purpose – We want to know WHY we are doing something. If you know the benefits of your completed job, you are much more likely to do it well.