Practical Workplace Wisdom
from the author of The Napkin, The Melon & The
Monkey
Enjoy
your Personal Aha! for the Week of Oct 11 2010
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What makes us want to get out of bed in the morning has
changed.
According to author Daniel Pink, we are moving out of the era of
extrinsic rewards to internal satisfaction. In his new book
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, Pink
uses the latest research in psychology to show that reward-based
motivation can actually backfire. The big prize that you thought
was getting people to get the job done can actually be getting in
the way of real satisfaction.
Pink presents conclusive evidence of what  we already know deep down -- that what makes us
want to get out of bed every morning has nothing to do with
"increasing shareholder value." It is knowing that the people who
matter to us value our contribution. It is the satisfaction that
comes from getting something done that required us to stretch
ourselves to our limits.
The carrot-and-stick pattern of motivation, what Pink calls
motivation 2.0, is giving way to the recognition that people have a
stronger drive for purpose and meaning than they do for rewards,
what Pink calls motivation 3.0. Bonuses and other rewards work well
for short-term gains but can become an obstruction to long-term
satisfaction. If your team does something for the money or the
prize, you forfeit the real reason people want to work at something
- as a display of autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Now that you have this information, I challenge you to re-think
your approach to rewards and recognition. If your goal is to have a
highly engaged work force, make it a practice to involve your
people in decisions, do everything you can to help them master
their craft, and never forget to let each and every employee know
that their hard work really does make a difference to you, your
company and your customers.
Have a terrific week.
Barbara Burke
2010 � Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.
Resource: Check out the excellent video of Daniel Pink's TED presentation.
(about 19 minutes, but well worth it.)
This Monday's Aha! is from
my customer service fable about a service rep in a call center, The Napkin,The Melon & The
Monkey.
> Quantity Discounts Buy direct from the Publisher (at 50% off
the cover price)
> Listen to Chapter One.
www.barbaraburke.com
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