People want to do things that fulfill their need to make a difference in their lives, in their organization, and in the world. This Purpose Motive drives your employees toward what they believe will give their lives meaning.
The following 11-minute video literally illustrates research cited by author Daniel H. Pink about three principal human drivers. But be prepared for several significant, counterintuitive conclusions.
To review, three things drive humans—Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.
When a task requires conceptual, creative thinking, then rewards—specifically money—result in poorer performance. Not paying people enough, as expected, also leads to poorer performance. The ideal is to pay your employees enough to remove money as an issue, so they can think about the work, not worry about paying their bills.
We also learned something about the three prime motivators:
Self direction ensures Engagement. When you get out of the way, people do way better. Autonomy inspires innovation that would otherwise never emerge.
Getting better at something one loves brings its own rewards. Examples of products built by brilliant people working diligently and selflessly for mastery itself include Linux, Apache, and Wikipedia.
Satisfying people’s need to make the world a better place attracts better talent. Examples of companies driven by noble purpose include Skype, “Be disruptive in the cause of making the world a better place,” and Apple, “Make a ding in the universe.”
To summarize the entire video, if you start treating people like people rather than horses, you can make better organizations and a better world.
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