Motivation
Fear of the board, the CEO, getting fired, people, failure, and loss are all things that motivate me. I remember the first public event I hosted at the college. My predecessor warned me it was doomed to failure. To make matters worse, I only had a couple of weeks to make it happen.
I worked feverishly night and day on that first event. Contrary to expectations, the day of the event, the boss showed up to a well organized room full of participants.
I worked like a dog because I was afraid. I was afraid of failure.
Although fear works and we all have it, perhaps a more positive motivation takes us further with less distress?
What if something other than losing your position became your motivation for working hard? What if something other than fear of losing your family or spouse became your motivation for serving them?
Let’s make today no-fear Monday. I think you’ll reach higher with something nobler than fear as motivation. Can you describe positive motivation?
Leadership Freak,
Dan Rockwell
I believe instead of fear of losing one’s current position as motivation, he or she should look at the big picture as motivation. Where can this job get me? Where will my hard work put me in the near future? The distant future? Same with family – instead of focusing on needing to do something to keep people happy so they don’t leave or want to leave, maybe we should focus more on doing things that make us happy because we want to be happy, or love being around one another.
LOL, Nice image!!!
good post
I am really motivated by positive feedback. I feel more important in the organization I am working for.
Thanks to Chris, Jake and John for jumping in on the conversation.