Management Articles Series - 8 Motivation from within

Man beyond Machine

In an era where machines and systems are increasingly aspiring to replace human endurance & skills ; one key factor on which they may never surpass us Humans is?Human mind & its Stretch?. Whereas a machine is limited by its rated capacity , a human effort can make 1+1 > 2?. This stretch comes from?‘inspired’ efforts & individuals?; the name of the game being --?‘Motivation’ ?

Motivational spectrum

One doesn’t need to be a Motivational Expert to ‘see’ difference between a motivated person & a not so motivated person?. There are many theories & plenty of research material on Motivation which abound on different types of motivational tools; applicable to different circumstances?. There are Positive & Negative ( or Punitive ) motivations -- ?Measures which encourage or discourage a certain set of ( desired ) behaviour .?

Motivational tools may be loosely differentiated into?Soft & Hard?:

Hard tools are the visible mechanisms like Reward , Money , Material gains ; which are generally meant to deliver an immediate impact --?whereas things like Recognition , Sense of achievement , Confidence , Learning , Exposure which are neither physically visible , nor whose outcome be seen in the form of an immediate material gain though they can be understood & experienced as triggers , which appeal to your senses . These can be referred to as soft tools .

Motivation – To each, his own

While we can identify a broad set of ‘universal’ Tools & Techniques - which have proven to apply to a broad spectrum of people ; there are a set of factors which are more specific to context or customized for individuals/situations , as depending on an individual’s frame of mind , values , objectives in life & circumstance he or she’s in ; what appeals to one may not have an impact on the other . Just as in clinical medicine practice correct diagnosis by a doctor is crucial to a successful treatment ; understanding differences/ nuances in individual triggers of motivation, is critical to success in all motivation theories .

?External v/s Internal source

Nonetheless , most of these motivational tools/technics – soft or hard , unique or generic – influence a person’s behaviour, circumstantially--they are ‘Outside factors’- the source is External ??

I have hence learnt to classify motivation mechanisms on the basis of source?: External?& Internal?All of the factors we referred to above are external tools; however there are certain internal ‘ Triggers?‘ / ‘ Buttons ‘ too , which these tools appeal to – the reason why they are effective – even when the source is External .

?Internal source is something a person brings from within to ‘ Self – motivate ‘?. A closer home analogy of External v/s Internal source in an Indian household is where a Housewife looks after house , cooks & feeds the family members?and she also does it for herself. It’s the difference between being served & self service .

?Internal source -An Advantage !

Notwithstanding that there is nothing wrong in adopting either & in fact at times a mix of the two sources ; I see Internal source as more potent & strategic for following reasons :

-???????Deployment of an external source , depends on availability of right resources & costs at the point in time , you need them . As against this the inner source is always available , in abundance

-???????An external source , even well established , may not be consistent in efficacy for all -- what worked for one , may not for the other …the missing area here is individual context : Circumstances , Frame of mind of the person at that point in time-- which changes from person to person & time to time ; & hence his/her response to the same motivational tool. External tool thus has a ring of uncertainty?. As against this , since you ‘ know’ your inner context --your internal chemistry , your triggers , your mind frame ; your inner source of motivation has best chance to be best aligned & hence most effective .

-???????By corollary , there is a tremendous flexibility in deployment of an inner source ; it is also the most ‘ authentic’ for you

-???????Deploying inner resources – which are completely in your command & are systemic ( internalized ) to you ; using them more is a process towards making you less dependent & more ‘self – sufficient’ . This makes you a stronger & confident You?

-???????Use of an external source is often tactical , whose effect is always temporary ; like a steroid injection ! ?In contrast , an internal source which is more systemic & has strategic application ; is like an inexhaustible source of light / energy ?

?Human evolution journey

Internal source of motivation isn’t just more effective & strategic , but represents a progressive climb over an External source of motivation . Eventually ‘shifting the center of motivation inside ‘ ( from External to Internal source ) represents an essential transformation state in human evolutionary journey. Attaining ‘Self sufficiency’ in this case ,is almost equivalent to a state called ‘ Self actualization ‘ in Moslow’s motivation higherarchy?…. In Hindu spirituality it’s closer to state of ‘Nirvana’ .

?However having said that , moving to a stage of internalizing motivation processes is neither easy nor?‘automatic’?. It takes quite an effort , determination & an evolutionary mind?.?But if you’re serious about , this journey is worth the efforts … it’s after all a matter of taking charge of your own life & your own mind .