Motivation: How Well Do You (Really) Understand It?

Hi friends,

You know what motivation is, and you know as a leader that it’s important.?

But how well do you truly understand the most effective ways to inspire incentive-taking and “extra mile-going” in your teams?

While many leaders are (very) familiar with extrinsic and intrinsic drivers, I’m not asking purely about your understanding of the theory.?

I’m asking you to reflect on how well you turn that knowledge into practice. Looking at your team’s results over time, how effectively do you boost morale and performance through your actions?

Drive in the Workplace: Not All Motivation Is Created Equal

I was inspired this week when I stumbled across some insightful positive psychology research. It gave a brilliant overview of two concepts that I feel are important for all leaders: controlled and autonomous motivation.

Controlled Motivation

This type of motivation is driven by external factors such as rewards, punishments, or societal pressures.?

The most well-known type of controlled motivation is extrinsic motivation—for instance when you or others are driven by bonuses, deadlines, or to avoid punishment.?

Another is introjected motivation, which taps into our internal desire to meet demands or exceed expectations. (Have you ever felt great when someone praised you for exceeding their expectations?)?

In both cases, this is a “less optimal” kind of motivation, with the research highlighting how it can trigger burnout, lower satisfaction, and decreased wellbeing.

Autonomous Motivation

In contrast, autonomous motivation describes an internal drive that stems from your own (or your employees’) personal interests and satisfactions. If we feel that a behavior is aligned with our own desired outcomes or goals, we feel autonomous. It’s a more powerful, self-driven kind of motivation.

For example:

• Intrinsic motivation: When tasks align closely with our passions or strengths. (Ever felt overjoyed to be assigned a task that’s pretty much your hobby? Maybe organizing an event or coaching colleagues?)
• Identified motivation: When we recognize a task’s inherent value. (And it feels good to contribute meaningfully to something important, right?)

Needless to say, autonomous motivation is related to positive outcomes. Think heightened performance, satisfaction, and engagement.?

Now, which do you think is more effective and beneficial—controlled or autonomous motivation?

How can you cultivate the “better” type of motivation??

If we feel that a behavior is aligned with our own desired outcomes or goals, we feel autonomous. It’s a more powerful, self-driven kind of motivation.

Cultivating Autonomous Motivation

Yep, you guessed it: strong leadership is about fostering autonomous motivation.?

It’s about supporting your own and your colleagues’ basic needs for:?

1. Autonomy
2. Competence, and?
3. Connectedness

It means giving yourself and your teammates the freedom to choose tasks matching your own or their skills. That includes letting them take ownership of their projects.?

It means recognizing and leveraging our character strengths, as well as linking feedback directly to these strengths to support the need for competency. (Every week, I post about a different strength. How would you relate your feedback to Gratitude or Curiosity?

Finally, it means fostering psychological safety and feelings of being recognized. Do you take steps to nurture an inclusive, connected team culture? Is there trust, mutual support, and relatedness in your team or workplace??

(Take a look at my last Professional Closeness Digest on these needs - Getting More From Your Role: Satisfying Your Fundamental Needs As A Leader)

Over To You

If you want to drive yourself and inspire your team more effectively, understanding the nuances of these two different drivers is the key.?

That starts—as always—with self-awareness. So…

1. How do you currently motivate yourself and those you work with? Now that you can label these two types of motivation, which kind are you stimulating with different behaviors?

2. What steps can you take to enhance your own autonomous motivation? What can you do to foster it among your co-workers?

Performance and wellbeing rely so heavily on the “why” of our behaviors, and I recommend reflecting on these points as your week unfolds.?

I’d love to hear about any new strategies you try to support your team's needs and foster autonomous motivation, so do shoot me a DM and tell me about them!

Till next time,

Govert