Here’s How We Make Productivity the Result, Not the Goal

As founder and CEO of Journeous, which helps young adults choregraph meaningful careers, Pam Baker will be bringing 20+ years of hiring, managing, mentoring and coaching expertise Join us for the College Recruiting Bootcamp on Diversity and Inclusion.)

“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

What motivates you? As someone dedicated to supporting those starting their journey, along with the organizations they work for, to make the most of what each of us brings to the world, I understand the importance of motivation. Yet, I was reminded recently of how different motivators can be for each person.

The first reminder came during lunch with a former colleague – someone I respect immensely who I’d feel fortunate to call a teammate once again. She’d recently started a new job at a hot tech company and despite the majority of MBA students I mentor expressing an interest in working there, she was flabbergasted by its lack of vision and focus. They’re a typical Silicon Valley tech company offering free lunch, ping pong tables and no expectation that anyone ever tucks in a shirt.

She couldn’t understand why people were clamoring to work there. With little leadership grit or direction, she equally couldn’t relate to why people wanted to stay. As I looked around the lunch area, though, it hardly looked like a bunch of demotivated and disengaged employees. The ping pong table was in use, and there was lots of animated chatter and laughter around us. I’ve been around checked out people. This was not such a group.

Winning is Motivation… For Some

My twin daughters provided a second reminder. They’d both played defense on the same soccer team, which ended up winning a total of one game during the season. As I drove them home after their last game, I asked them what they’d thought of the season. I looked in the rearview mirror to see one scrunching up her face and looking at me as if I’d asked the stupidest question possible (experience seeing that face a few dozen times now has helped me decode it). She grumbled, “It sucked. We only won one game all season.” My other daughter looked at her, then at me and said, “I thought it was great.” And then they looked at each other with their expressions seeming to say, “What team are YOU talking about?”

Same team, same position, same games attended, roughly the same playing time. But their motivators were entirely different. One wanted to win. Sure, she liked her team members, but she was driven to get better personally and as a team. The other wanted to be outside and be part of a team of girls she likes.

Their motivation for practicing was different: One wanted to get better, while the other wanted to be outside with her friends. Their motivation for games was also different: One wanted to see the result of her hard work at practice pay off with a win, while the other just wanted to be outside with her friends. Finally, as the season wound on with the losses piling up, their motivation for continuing was different: One because she knew she was getting better and could contribute to bringing the team up in the standings, while the other (you guessed it) could still be outside with her friends. She never even noticed what their team record was.

“Motivation will almost always beat mere talent.” – Norman Ralph Augustine

At my friend’s company, no doubt some were motivated by the company’s status. Others were driven by the freedom and flexibility. Still others by the occasional fun that was injected into their day since ping pong tables appeared to be as ubiquitous as bathrooms.

Leaders, and of course all of us are leaders in some capacity at work and home, must learn to understand and appreciate the differences in what motivates people, including ourselves. When we do, we unlock the key to staying engaged and motivated, as well as motivating those around us – in both easy and stressful situations.

Thankfully, there’s a science behind each of our motivations and needs. It might be the recognition of our work, of our convictions, or of who we are as an individual. It may involve giving us space and solitude, allowing for playful interactions, or incorporating action and excitement in our day.

Knowing and acting on the science behind our motivational needs keeps us from missing out on the talents of those around us. Improved productivity is the result (not the goal) and these diverse perspectives, talents and approaches then quickly become our most valued assets.

Join Pam Baker, along with your fellow university relations, talent acquisition and other human resource leaders from corporate, non-profit and government agencies at the:

College Recruiting Bootcamp on D&I at EY
Organized by College Recruiter and hosted by Ernst & Young
Thursday, December 12, 2019
9:30 AM – 2:30 PM (EST)
Ernst & Young World Headquarters
121 River Street
Hoboken, NJ 07030

For more information and tickets go to: http://www2.CollegeRecruiter.com/BootcampOnDIatEY

Pam Baker is Founder and CEO of Journeous, which empowers participants with new tools to dig in and find answers to complex questions like, “What are my personal values and how might they relate to my career?” Pam founded Journeous after a 20-year healthcare career spent building, leading and mentoring teams where she saw firsthand the challenge – for herself and colleagues – of creating fulfilling careers. Without understanding what was meaningful, though, it was easy to end up in jobs that didn’t click. As a mom of two daughters, Pam’s goal is to change the pattern for today’s young adults to help them choreograph meaningful careers.

The mission of Journeous is to prepare those starting a new journey and the organizations they work with to make the most of what each of us brings to the world. They provide your students and employees the tools to design a meaningful career and to thrive by mastering the art of adaptive communication.

To learn more, visit https://www.journeous.com/