Motivation for the 21st Century (TED Talk)

I just watch this TED talk by Career analyst Daniel Pink on the science of motivation, and it really got me thinking about what motivates people.

I know many people who are entrepreneurs and running their own businesses, and doing quite well. The jobs and businesses they have are widely varied and different, but the motivation behind their origin is the same: the Entrepreneur’s desire to have a job that they ‘own’. Their desire to live and work to their own schedules and to become experts in their own niche – in euphemism, to be able to dance to the beat to their own drums.

Many people who start their own businesses hold this ideal in their hearts – it is the reason they started their business. It is also the reason they should remember this when their business booms and they start to take on staff – the desire to own one’s work is not exclusive to entrepreneurs!

21st Century jobs have a much heavier cognitive component then their 20th century cousins. Today’s jobs are less mechanical and monotonous, and require higher levels of creativity and inventiveness – outside the square sort of stuff. In this talk Daniel Pink covers how for most 21st century positions that traditional rewards, such as money, are not always the best incentive for performance. Traditional rewards tend to narrow and sharpen focus on a particular task, which is a creativity killer. Creativity requires an individual to own, love and enjoy their work. In other words, they must gain autonomy, purpose and mastery for their toil.

Related posts:

1. Maintaining long-term same gender friendships