As a consultant I’ve been asked by many leaders, “How do I motivate my people?” Last week I had the opportunity to hear author,  Daniel Pink speak on the topic of his latest book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”    His research validated what I have experienced working with people for the past two decades. He pointed to three main drivers of motivation:

1. Autonomy - self-direction, control over ones life and work
2. Mastery - improving and being the best you can at what you’re trying to do
3. Purpose – being part of something larger than ourselves

The carrot/stick theory of motivation is no longer valid in an age where complex, conceptual work needs to be done.  Once a task calls for even “rudimentary cognitive skills” a larger reward actually leads to  poorer performance.   So what should a leader do?

• Allow people time and space to do their work in the way that is best for them.
• Make sure you encourage continuous learning and provide stretch assignments that help people master their profession.
• Communicate the larger vision of the organization and help people connect how the work they do fits into this vision.

In these times of great challenge, leaders must find ways to motivate people and teams to collaborate and fuel innovation.  Below is a video clip of my business partner, Linda Krall, leading a workshop to give leaders tools to engage people.   She is helping  participants use more of their “whole brain”  to solve problems and generate ideas using creative facilitation techniques.

Wild Idea ASTD OC

I believe, like Daniel, that it’s our nature to be engaged.  Watch any young child and you will see this is our default setting.   Creativity is risk-taking, inventing, experimenting, breaking rules, making mistakes and having fun.   So go for it and involve employees in the process, you have everything to lose if you don’t.     It’s not enough to think outside the box, you need to throw the box away and start fresh.   People will be driven to follow!