Motivated

Working in the technology sector, I am familiar with the need to discover and adapt new ideas at a relatively quick pace. I am still in school for my business degree and have learned many things over the last semester. The college of business at my university teaches all of the same basics about business as any other university. What I love is the information that I am discovering on my own as a result of the "normal" teachings.

Looking into motivation from a manager's standpoint, there is a literary ocean of information on the subject. Everybody from Abraham Maslow to Frederick Taylor to Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi has had an evolving theory on what best motivates people. Food, sex, shelter, rewards, and punishment - all motivators and all outdated.

I recently read Drive by Daniel Pink and have been inspired to learn more about motivation theory. It is interesting to see the way that the industrial workplace has evolved into service and knowledge work. I spent time in manufacturing when I worked in a steel mill after leaving the military. The methods that are used to motivate people in that environment are strictly carrot and stick. Work harder, make more money. Slack off, you get yelled at, written up, and eventually fired.

Modern motivation needs three basic pieces to be successful; autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Autonomy is the ability to work on a project that interests you. But it's more than that. It's the ability to build your own team to work on that project. It's the ability to work the hours that you need to work without someone checking your time. Not that you shouldn't be held responsible for something. You should be held responsible for the thing that you are expected to deliver: results.

Mastery is the ability to perfect your art. Working for a company that encourages professional improvement is a huge help in this area. If your company allows you to go to trade conferences to learn about the latest new technology then you have a great advantage over many other people. When a company is fearful of sending developers to conferences because they are afraid that the developer will take his new skills and move on then the company has a lot to learn about motivation.

Finally purpose. This is the ability to align with the mission of the place where you work. This is the very reason that non-profits are at an all time high. People like to do work that has purpose. We all like to make money, sure, but making a living while simultaneously making the world a better place? I'll take that job over building corporate profits every time.

Combining these three basic ideas into the right balance with the right people is what will breed the next Google or Facebook. People that are motivated with these ideas love what they do and that is always a recipe for success.  

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ciao

Whose fault is your disappointment?

In my opinion, if you are disappointed, it's probably due to your misunderstanding of the intended outcome. 

When someone finds a particular service or piece of work to be a disappointment and I have delivered at a level where I am happy with what I have done, it is likely that the client didn't understand what we both agreed upon. Although this is still something I can correct, I don't take the comment to heart.

Ambiguity will lead to disappointment. For instance, if you enjoy ice cream and I tell you that I am going to get you an ice cream cone, you'll get excited. When I return with a fifty cent cone from the local fast food joint and you were hoping for a large cone (with sprinkles!) from Dairy Queen, you are certainly going to be disappointed. However, if I say "I am going to McDonald's for a cone. Do you want one?", it's likely that you won't be disappointed with the result.

To help mitigate this problem, it is important to communicate clearly. Make sure that you've told the client everything. Make sure that they know what you've committed to, what your intentions are, how you plan to deliver, and what you will all use to measure success. It's not just a matter of telling them - you have to be sure they hear you. These ideas are as important to your business as the ability to deliver a great product. A disappointed customer is a customer that will look elsewhere next time.

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ciao