Monthly Archives: April 2010

April 2010: Drive

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, by Daniel Pink, 2009.

This time I was in Chicago O’Hare airport in the early, early morning cruising through the bookstore when one of my favorite authors, Daniel Pink, caught my eye.

Pink was a keynote speaker at the International Coach Federation conference in Minneapolis and was terrific!

He speaks on economic trends and how our workforce and workplaces are dramatically changing as a result. This new book on motivation speaks straight to what all of us “people people” know about what brings out the best in others and ourselves as well.

Pick a copy of Drive up for yourself and an extra one for your boss too!

Posted in Kits Book Review Archive | Leave a comment

April Tip 2010: Find Your Inner Motivation

Find Your Inner Motivation, Your Personal Key to Both Success and Happiness

For years, business has used the “carrots and sticks” style of motivating others. Reward behavior you want and punish behavior you don’t want. These extrinsic motivators can work well for routine, non-creative work that just needs to be churned out.

But our 21st century world now is far more complex and challenging. And we desperately need the best and the brightest ideas and solutions. Luckily, that’s what most of us also want. We yearn to be doing interesting, creative work that makes a difference.

So, here’s the challenge.

Look at your work schedule for this coming week. What responsibilities, projects and tasks are coming up for you? Now, think about what excites you, what gets your energy going, what do you think is well-worth your time. You are very likely most motivated when doing those activities because they satisfy our deep human need for autonomy, mastery and purpose. These intrinsic motivators are:

  • To direct our own lives (autonomy)
  • To learn & create new things (mastery)
  • To do better by ourselves & our world (purpose)

Now ask yourself, “How could I bring more of what really motivates me into my work week?” Start by making small shifts. Keep up the momentum by acknowledging your progress each night. When you hop into bed, ask yourself, “Was I better today than yesterday?” Try it. It works!

Posted in Kits Tips Archive | Leave a comment