Sunday, June 27, 2010

Money - Why It Often Doesn't Motivate People At All

 I've been interested in what motivates people to high levels of effort all my life. This video reveals something important I didn't know about that. And the presentation is AWESOME. If you've ever wondered why some people give 110%, check this out...



Post by Dennis E. Coates, Ph.D., Copyright 2010. Building Personal Strength .

1 comment:

Sean said...

I usually hate these video clips, but this one was a lot different. He makes a strong point, that money fails to be a good motivator once basic needs are met. (Of course, what one person consider "basic needs" tends to vary, so money works better on some people.)

Actually this isn't all that surprising when you consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Money works GREAT when you need to address your phsyiological needs, when you need to address your safety. But past that, simple money gets less effective. People want love/belonging, and money doesn't solve that directly. People want esteem, and money doesn't help much with that. So you can buy more stuff and a bigger place for your stuff, but that doesn't improve your esteem. And people want self-actualization (whatever that means).

So sure, it makes sense that money is not a great motivator, and that people pursue avocations outside of work, because let's face it, work is simply dreadful for most people. Most jobs are just dull things that don't challenge people, but need to get done using specialized knowledge that the people have.

For a better challenge, they pick up hobbies and outside pursuits, and maybe no one would pay them for that, which is sad, but nonetheless it is something they want to do, to prove to themselves that they can do it, to make a difference in their community, or simply get things accomplished that they're not allowed to address during the workday.

This is a great topic and I think you should come back to it from time to time.

And man, what a great cartoonist! I wish I could draw that fast.