Motivation Beyond Money

A520.4.2.RB

In pursuing employment opportunities with a particular company, individuals weigh many factors such as: What are my passions? What skills do I have that can make me successful? And what opportunities are there that will set me down a path to achieve my personal and professional goals? Likewise, there may be other factors for consideration, many may consider compensation as a significant guiding force for a particular job with a company. Yet in our course assignment (video), Andy Mulholland discusses three essential motivators that drive people to towards job satisfaction and has nothing to do with money. The three fundamental needs are: 1) Give me interesting work. 2) Expand my skill set. 3) Recognize me. Andy Mulholland states that of the three, “Recognize me” is the most critical. He goes on to state that, “Recognize me doesn’t mean pay me above the odds, it means value me for what I can do and how I can work with you” (2011). Indeed, Whetten & Cameron also point out that, “One fascinating study exhibited how failing to give recognition eroded people’s persistence” (2016).

Reflecting upon the fundamental motivators according to Mr. Mulholland and how they applied to my previous military service and future professional aspirations, I believe that each played a significant role and will continue impact my sense of purpose and job satisfaction.

Give me interesting work: During my time in service and working for the State of TN, I always looked forward to interesting and challenging work. As a leader/supervisor, there was never a shortage of challenges to overcome and issues that need to be creatively solved. In fact, when presented with a difficult challenge or project, I would traditionally feel invigorated with the opportunity to use my skills and experience to find a solution to the challenge. Furthermore, I looked forward towards capitalizing on the event by developing or improving critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Expand my skill set: Coming from the profession of arms and law enforcement, leadership and law enforcement skills were always exercised and evaluated. Thus, professional development and training were critical to success. As a leader, a large portion of my time was devoted to incorporating relevant and realistic training for my organization to ensure readiness. Moreover, I took ownership of my knowledge and training by taking every opportunity to expand my skill set outside of the organizational pipeline to achieve diversity. For example, on many occasions, I would take part in other law enforcement agencies (non-military) leadership and law enforcement training in order to learn new skills, methods and concepts from their best practices and incorporate what applies into my organization.

Recognize me: I also believe that it is vital to be recognized and to recognize others efforts and achievements. By and large, everyone wants to do well in whatever job/task they have. For organizations that value the “team” concept, recognizing its team members and their working relationships is important. Furthermore, leaders should take every opportunity to celebrate small and large achievements to reinforce its culture and values. Whetten and Cameron (2016) highlight the repercussions when leaders fail to acknowledge and recognize their employees work, “even the most energetic and effective employees get worn down when they are rarely acknowledged for their good work and only singled out when they make mistakes.” Whetten and Cameron continue, “Only through positive reinforcement do employees have control over achieving what they want and, therefore, the incentive to reach a level of exceptional performance” (p 276). Needless to say, in order for an organization to get the most out of their employees and to create an environment of growth and job satisfaction, leaders need to go out of their way to ensure that their employees efforts and work is appreciated.

Being motivated is an important ingredient of success in both personal and professional endeavors.  Three motivators that have impacted my personal and professional growth and satisfaction are:

Helping others (Selfless Service): Helping other has long been a passion of mine. In my personal life, this means actively participating with organizations that support the community with resources (food/supplies) and programs. I believe that difficult situations affect us all in some form and it is the duty of others to assist those in need with reasonable time and efforts to provide a support system to get them back on track when they desire to progress. Professionally, I believe that setting the conditions for others to be successful is equally important. This means, establishing a positive working relationship, coaching, mentoring, feedback and respect in order to achieve their respective goals.

Honorable and honest work: Everyone has their own definition of what success is and vision of where they want to be as a result of this success. For me, productively contributing to the “greater good” is important. Perhaps this was a significant driving force for my military service and law enforcement profession. Being a part of a profession where honorable conduct is expected always seemed to be a good fit. At the end of the day, we must live with the actions and decision we make and feel comfortable with our contributions.

Improve: Having the desire to seek improvement has been essential for me. Although it would be easy to stay in the “comfort zone,” I always taken it upon myself to improve personally and professionally. I believe that as a leader, it is important to have the ability to stay outside of the comfort zone and pursue challenges in order to become well rounded and effective. Furthermore, as a leader, one would expect to have a wealth of knowledge and experience to assist others in achieving their goals. At the same time, a leader would do well to identify and acknowledge their shortcomings to again set a path of improvement.

Reference

Mulholland, A. (2011). SkillSoft Ireland Limited © 2011. Leadership Channel / 50 Lessons (SkillSoft via Books24x7). Retrieved from http://library.books24x7.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/welcome.asp

Whetten, David A.; Cameron, Kim S. (2015-05-20). Developing Management Skills. Pearson Education. Kindle Edition.