What drives people?
If you are one of those still stuck thinking money is #1, you are way behind. Maslow's hierarchy of needs works and once basic needs are done, money has little incremental value.
High performers find that the 'M' factor is incidental. The freedom to ideate, create, achieve,experiment,fail,learn,get better are more valuable to them.
So if you are trying to measure/motivate the actions of high performers in your team by the money factor alone, you are missing the many others that make them get up,dress up and show up!
2 comments:
I am not sure the statements are specific to one particular line of business or not. Looking at the current circumstances, especially in Indian scenario, I probably would defer this statement based on Maslow's Theory of Human Motivation. My thoughts are so based on Indian culture and socio-economical factors. Very few people in India would be able to reach out the top of Maslow's pyramid of “Esteem” and “Self Actualization” even in IT sector. The word, “Basic Needs”, especially in developing worlds context, can’t claimed to be fulfilled as one has to keep his/her struggle throughout his/her life as no fundamental support from government unlike Western/European regions. For example, 925 million people do not have enough to eat out of 6.8 billion world population — more than the populations of USA, Canada and the European Union combined out of which 578 million are from Asia and the Pacific. So the fundamental basic need itself is not fulfilled across the globe and how about the rest of basic needs. Take a look on other basic need “medical”. Even today in India, how much percentage of working community (government and public sector) could afford an open heart surgery that costs at an average of Rs. 4 – 5 lakhs? How many software professionals can bear such medical expenses without company’s support?
To conclude there could be < 0.005% of populace for whom factory “M” is incidental. But for the rest, still it’s an indispensable vitamin in their priority list.
I think Nanda kishore in his wonderful blog tried to define an ideal behavior of an individual about money. He tried to delink the money from the motivational factor. He made a good attempt. But one has to be practical.
In today's scenario, what are the basic needs? House, Food, Clothes and Child Education. Barring last 3, can you afford a decent house in less than 50 Lakhs in Bangalore. The answer is NO. For this 50 lakhs, even high performer has to look for money. You can tell him many times that money is the only motivation factor. This looks nice when he is in office. But when he goes to home, he realizes the reality.
Unfortunately today, we have too many preachers than practitioners. On the other day, I heard encouraging mother tongue at home than speaking english. I find it difficult to understand are these preaches only to show them that they know a lot but with very little practice. May be they are trying to express their inability to control through their speeches.
Follow Basic Rules --> (1) Practice Family Dharma (2) Practice before Preach (3) Donate money to the needed people. (4) Remember that you do not carry any thing with you not even fame when you leave this world.
LIVE IN REALITY. WE DO NOT NEED MASLOW OR SOMEONE TO TELL US WHAT THE MOTIVATION MEANS. LIVE SIMPLE LIFE.
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