Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, but it takes character and self-control to be understanding and forgiving.” ~Anon.
Category Archives: Change
How To Leverage the 4 T’s of Autonomy To Fuel Internal Motivation
Have you ever lost your passion for work or activities that once energized you? Perhaps you transitioned to a new role or organization and the fire inside no longer burns as brightly as it once did. Your “getting stuff done”, but not with the same passion and enthusiasm. If your leading others, perhaps you’re doing well and have you’re Mojo, but those you lead daily are struggling to find theirs and get engaged.
There are lot’s of possible reasons for a lack of internal motivation, but autonomy is one that’s often overlooked. Autonomy is the desire to direct our own lives within and inter-dependent context. In plain english that means that even though we play nicely in the sand-box with everyone else according to rules, we still want to have a meaningful say in what and how we play……a measure of control.
Autonomy and it’s relationship and importance to internal motivation is easy to overlook, because we: a. don’t even think about it or b. consider it kind of a “reward” for a job well done or something that can only be entrusted…albeit limitedly….to high-performers. The reality is that autonomy, some measure of control, is critical to everyone. So much so that Deci and Ryan said autonomy was the most important of the three basic human needs of Self-determination theory. How’s that for important?
Although I’ve been extremely blessed with lot of autonomy in most of the settings and roles I’ve had, two things surprised me when I reflected on this topic further. First, I realized that I enjoyed a lot of autonomy even in the manual labor jobs I had while growing up (grass farm mower, electrician helper and construction site clean-up guy) . The other was that the time I felt I had the least autonomy was during the initial phase of the first assignment I had after getting my PhD! Although that may seem counterintuitive, it makes a lot of sense if you understand the four essential aspects of autonomy as they relate to work: What people do, When they do it, How they do it, and Who they do it with. All of four these don’t have to be there, but you have to have at least one at any given time.
Dan Pink in his best-seller Drive breaks down these essentials into the 4 T’s of Autonomy:
- Task- That thing you actually do. You might have the latitude to choose in your primary work, or have your employer allocate a certain amount of time to work on what your passionate about. It was this kind of lee-way by 3M that resulted in Post-it notes and over 1/2 of Googles new offerings are birthed during the “20%” time they afford to their employees.
- Time- Emphasizing a results-only work environment (ROWE) where what gets done is more important than how long it takes.
- Technique- Tell someone what you want done and then get out of their way and let them do it. This doesn’t do away with the importance of critical safety and performance checklists (think aviation and surgery), but it does mean that within given parameters you have the latitude to be creative, improvise and be more efficient in what you do. If Zappos can find away to leverage this aspect of autonomy with their call center reps, then chances are anyone can.
- Team- This is about chemistry and having the ability to choose who you work closely with so as to bring out the best in each other.
Although its easy to see how the “4 T’s” or flavors of autonomy fuel internal motivation in creative, heuristic type work characteristic of a knowledge economy, how do they fit with the more mechanical, algorithmic work that still abounds? That’s where the following three practices serve as important qualifiers and catalysts:
- Advise them on why the task is necessary and why it’s important- connect it to the larger purpose and mission
- Admit the task is boring. It’s an act of empathy and let’s them know you aren’t being pollyanna or manipulative. This is also one of the rare instances where “if-then” external rewards can play in important part of lasting motivation.
- Allow people to complete the task their own way. This relates to the 3rd of the “4 Ts” of autonomy but given the scope of the task, it may need to be at a more granular level.
Becoming aware of and grasping the fundamental importance of autonomy to our well being in general and work in particular is the first step in being able to leverage it in building internal motivation. Breaking down the concept of autonomy into a “4 T” working model with 3 qualifiers then allows you understand what you need to do about it, both for your self and others.
Looking back through the lens of that model, it’s easy to see why I had more motivation in some of my manual labor jobs than I did initially as a PhD researcher in a military medical center. As Dan Pink would say: “Were born to be players, not pawns”.
How is the factor of autonomy affecting your internal motivation right now? Which of the “4T’s” can you leverage in a way that best serves yourself and others? It’s always good to hear how others have found ways to make these concepts work, so please leave a comment if you have a pearl to share.
I don’t do anything that others can or will do when there is so much of importance to be done that others cannot or will not do.” ~Dawson Trotman
3-Part Secret To Motivation That Gets The Results You Want
What makes you do the things you do? What motivates or “Drives” you, as Daniel Pink would say? If your reading this blog post then it’s likely your a knowledge worker and your granddad’s (or even dad’s) kind of “drivers” aren’t going to be your’s. If you (and/or your business) is going to be successful in today’s knowledge economy, understanding how to leverage the right kind of drivers is critical.
I’ve always considered myself to be a motivated guy and so do most people who know me. The trouble is that I haven’t always known what motivates me. I did learn a lot about motivation going through my Coaching program. For example, that the two key components of motivation are importance and confidence. When a person is lacking in either of those two, motivation will be lacking as well. To empower positive change, just find out what needs attention, help them move the needle on one or both and motivation follows. In addition, reward appropriately. Simple enough, right? Maybe not.
To truly understand how we are motivated, a deeper dive is needed on the “Importance” element of the equation above. The first thing to understand relates to what I alluded to in the beginning: the entire game has changed and a lot of people haven’t noticed. The Industrial Age has given way to the Information Age where knowledge workers are a critical asset, and in large part are what makes today’s society run. In fact, McKinsey & Co. estimate that 70% of job growth in the US comes from heuristic work requiring creativity and complex decision making skills, as opposed to algorithmic work that can be outsourced.
Second, we need to acknowledge that the traditional elements we associate with motivation, basic survival needs and external rewards (pay, perks, etc.), are no longer sufficient to keep these people performing at their best. In addition, these first two factors have to interact with the third factor of Drive, which requires a full-scale upgrade on how we think about and foster motivation.
I’ve read bits and pieced of Dan Pink’s book Drive, The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us in the past, but I’ve just finished reading it in it’s entirety. I not only learned a lot more about the concept of motivation, but a lot about myself as well as the people and business I lead. While reading, some things were reflective as in “oh, that’s why that worked (or didn’t)!” and others were instructive as in “gee, that’s pretty important; I better start doing that or doing something different if I want us to win here”. Knowing what motivates you and why is critical if you want to accomplish what serves your long-term interest and plans. It reminds me that proverb “activity doesn’t equal accomplishment”.
According to Dan and the research his book is based on, there are three broad categories where we need to think differently:
- The way we Organize- Understand that purpose maximization has to be at the forefront, not just profit maximization.
- The way we Think- Recognize that beyond a certain point, the most powerful incentives aren’t economical.
- The way we Do our work- Replace the notion that location and supervision ensure results; people capable of self-directed work are now essential.
Finally, what “Drives” people really consists of the following three components…the 3-part secret if you would….that takes into account and integrates the elements of the old 2-part equation (importance and confidence) for motivation:
- Autonomy- The desire to direct our own lives within an inter-dependent context.
- Mastery- The urge to make progress and get better at something that matters.
- Purpose- The urge to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.
There you have it: Autonomy – Mastery – Purpose…..or AMP for those who love acronyms as much as I do.
Peter Drucker coined the term “knowledge worker” over 50yrs. ago and foresaw the next frontier in business terms as being self-management; the concept applies equally when it relates to personal interests as well. He argued that to be successful, individuals were going to need to think hard about what are their strengths, how they can contribute and how they can improve their performance. In other words, the admonition of Socrates to “Know thyself” appears to be just as important in life and business today than it was thousands of years ago. As it turns out, doing so then allows you to leverage AMP for your benefit, your business, and those you lead. More to come on that.
In the meantime, how’s your Drive and where is it coming from? If you have a hard time answering that question, what to you need to do to find out?
The quality of your life is a direct reflection of the expectations of your peer group” ~Tony Robbins
6 Ways To Overcome Resistance To Get What You Want
Last year I became more aware of how often people say that want something but then fail to act on it. Part of what caught my attention was how frequently it occurred with my coaching clients…even high achievers; maybe people like you?
The other thing that caught my attention was when I took a look at myself….through the lens of my task list in Nozbe. Why had some simple tasks tasks taking less than 15 minutes to complete not yet been done? Since this seems to be a universal experience, the next shoe to drop was the question “Why?”
Not getting everything done on your task list happens to everyone and isn’t a big deal. What was a big deal was how some of my tasks had been carried over from week to week, a few from the previous month and a couple from….well, let’s just say a long time. I then recalled that I had this same experience with some important goals of mine, which took the topic beyond just getting my attention. It now it had my focus.
Moving my focus from the “What” to the “Why?” of this kind of procrastination, I was reminded of this simple fact: in any area of life in which I want to accomplish or change something, I’m never gonna feel like it….all the time. This is especially the case with things that require short-term discomfort for long-term benefit. Instead, I want to hit my inner snooze alarm. The other fact is that when I’m trying to accomplish a new skill or change behavior I’m a novice, which means making frequent mistakes and continually experiencing the unfamiliar, neither of which are much fun. The third is a factor called “The Resistance”, or just “Resistance” for short.
When you experience Resistance first-hand you wonder how the heck it can be so powerful and at times pervasive. Part of the reason is that people are unaware and it goes unrecognized. Steven Pressfield has done a great job of describing Resistance in his book The War of Art if you want to know more. While Resistance may be simple to identify, it’s hard to overcome.
First, recognize Resistance for what it is and adopt a mindset that you will often have force yourself to get started in order to get what you want. It won’t be fun, isn’t always easy, but it is very simple: just DO SOMETHING! Here are are 6 practical and simple ways that have helped me force myself to get started, get some traction and overcome Resistance:
- 4 Second Pause– Put a gap between your response to whatever stimulated you in the first place. This may seem counterintuitive since I just talked about doing something. But for many of us, our immediate words and deeds are often based on habit or in response to our emotions.
- 5 second rule- When you get an impulse to do something you want and need to do, take some action on it within 5 minutes….anything, writing it down, list your steps, make a call, etc. Simple movement toward what you want harnesses your mindset with your physiology and moves you to action. Wait any longer and your brain’s processing will essentially pull the emergency brake and you likely won’t do anything.
- 2 minute rule- A staple of David Allen’s GTD system. Once you know something needs to be done, ask yourself if you can accomplish it in 2 minutes or less. If so, just do it (whatever “it” is).
Three other ways for overcoming resistance (taken from Mel Robbins TEDx lecture “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over”) include getting:
- Out of your head- Take control of your self-talk instead of it talking control of you.
- Past your feelings- Experience your feelings, but don’t listen to them; tell them where you’re going to go and they will follow (sometimes kicking and screaming, but eventually they will get in line).
- Outside your comfort zone– As Michael Hyatt says, the really important stuff in life happens here and if your going to accomplish something significant, you’re going to spend a lot of time here, so get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Or, as one of my kids learned to say after they joined the military, learn to “embrace the Suck”.
Finally, even if something seems risky and uncertain, if want it, you’re called to it, then go for it and “Just Do It”. Michelle Cushatt has listed at least 3 lessons and benefits of letting go and diving in.
Ok, now that you know what Resistance is and how to overcome it, there is still one thing you need in order to get what you want: get over the satisfaction that you know what to do. Knowing isn’t doing. You have to take action and find out what works best for you. Knowledge isn’t power, making the right decisions coupled with action is.
Are you getting what you want these days? if not, what the next best step you could take to get you moving in the right direction? If your making progress, have you used any of these six techniques or others not listed here that have been helpful? Please leave a comment, I’d love to learn more about your success and so would others.
There Is Only One Thing That Makes a Dream Impossible To Achieve: The Fear of Failure” ~Paulo Coelho
5 Sure-fire Ways to Get Unstuck and Not “Settle”
How have you experienced “stuck” and not quite known what to make of it or do about it? When you do, from now own remind yourself that it just a signal telling you that you need to grow.
Here are 5 steps to help escape the gravitational pull of “stuck”, grow and get back into motion again:
- Reframe your mindset about “stuck” into a signal telling you “I need to grow”. That totally changes the game.
- Be thankful and express gratitude that your “stuckness” has become an awareness that it’s time to meet a need instead of being place that sucks.
- Carve out time to reflect on what you want, with from a big-picture perspective (your vision of success) or in one specific area of your life. Make sure you know your powerful “Why” behind it.
- Consider one action you can take right now that will move you toward what you want. A small, doable step is usually the best to start with (ie. phone call, inquiry, list, etc.).
- Immediately execute and make some effort on the action step you identified above. Even small delays can jeopardize your chances of getting off the ground.
Just as sure as the steps above will help get you going again, rest assured that you’re going encounter resistance along the way, and often from the most unexpected places. I’ll talk about how to overcome resistance in another post, but simply knowing to expect it is the first step to not letting it slow you down.
Where are you at in your growth cycle? Do you consider yourself growing and if so, in what area? If not, it may be that you’re in transition to your next phase of growth. If your currently experiencing dissatisfaction, uncomfortableness or general malaise in your life but aren’t quite sure what to make of it, maybe its a signal that it’s time for you to grow, regardless of whether you consider yourself stuck or not…..then take action. On the other hand, if there’s an area in which you’ve known for some time now that you needed to grow and instead have just made yourself comfortable and settled…..then get concerned. In fact, it that’s the case then alarms should be flashing in your head as you read this. While “Settled” may have quieted that nagging, gnawing and uncomfortable sensation, it’s also got you medicated and in slow decline in that part of your life. If that’s you my friend, stop reading right now and go take action on the 5 steps listed above.
It’s been said that more often in life we end up regretting the chances in life that we had, but didn’t take, than those chances that we took and wished we hadn’t. That’s especially true about opportunities to grow.
Where are your greatest growth opportunities? If your “stuck”, think of the first one that comes to mind. If none really jump out at you, then just pick one and take step number one above. If your not stuck, then consider developing your own life-long learning plan that you add to along the way so it grows right along with you.
For the stuck and unstuck alike, please leave a comment about what what’s worked for your own personal growth and development and what hasn’t. Myself and a lot of others would love to hear whatever pearls you have to share.
Every now and then go away, have a little relaxation, for when you come back to your work your judgment will be surer. Go some distance away because then the work appears smaller and more of it can be taken in at a glance and a lack of harmony and proportion is more readily seen. ~Leonardo Da Vinci
How To Know When You Need To Grow
Some basic needs are easy to recognize. For example, when you feel hungry you need to eat. When you feel thirsty you need to drink. But what do you feel when you need to grow?
If your like most people, you’ve experienced a gnawing dissatisfaction or uncomfortableness in your life at various times with what your are doing and the direction you are heading with work and/or life and don’t quite know what to make of it. Been there? I know I have, as have most of people I’ve talked with. The problem is that when it happens very few seem to know what to make of it or what to call it……..what they do know is that they don’t like it.
When words are found to describe this experience, one that seems to fit is “stuck”. You may describe it differently, but regardless of what you call it, it’s a place you don’t want to stay in. Some only experience it a few times, while for others it’s more akin to a friend or relative that has overstayed their welcome….indefinitely. Regardless of how often it occurs and whether the intensity of the experience is a low whisper or a deafening roar, most people have a hard time figuring out just exactly what “stuck” (or whatever you want to call it) is trying to tell them.
After listening to Mel Robbins TEDx talk, reflecting on what I’ve heard from others and from what I’ve experienced myself I’m convinced she’s right: “stuck” is simply a signal letting us know we have a basic human need that’s being unmet. It’s a need that’s just as real as hunger and thirst: the need to grow as a person.
If we don’t satisfy hunger and thirst, we die pretty quickly. Likewise, if we don’t satisfy our need to grow we also die. The difference is that death from not meeting physical needs is readily visible and happens relatively quickly. Death from failing to grow personally or professionally is just as real, it just takes a lot longer. A “failure to grow” death usually isn’t apparent to the person going down that path, although people around the person languishing inside often see or sense it very plainly on the outside. However, physical death and “failure to grow” death are similar in that:
- There is atrophy of mind and body
- There is transition of the soul
- The ability to influence is gone
- Others experience loss of value
The other interesting analogy between our physical needs and the need to grow is that the signals letting 
us know we have a need begin to diminish over time when they go unmet. Ask anybody who has fasted for more than three days and they will tell you that the hunger pains diminish. Likewise, when you ignore (or quash) signals moving you to grow you begin to notice them less or aren’t as bothered. That condition then leads to a much more comfortable sensation that is called “settled”. The problem with “settled” and the seductive comfort it brings is that you’re in danger of staying there…..for good.
How have you been feeling lately about your personal growth? Where are you at right now with it, where do you to grow, and what’s your next best step? Please leave a comment and share your triumphs, struggles and even tragedies so we can all grow together here.