Career Conversations

Chapter 7 Who motivates the motivator?

‘Everyone has been made for some particular work, and the desire for that work has been put in every heart.'

Rumi

The first thing to understand about motivation is that its origins lie deep in our psyche but are also influenced by environmental factors. Motivation is multifaceted and individualistic.

Most leaders know they need to provide a cohesive and inspiring work environment, but is that enough? Much has been said about workplace engagement in recent years, but employers cannot and should not attempt to own an employee's engagement. For one thing, many factors external to the workplace affect employee engagement. As discussed in chapter 1, ‘employee experience' is now considered a critical factor that coexists with employee engagement rather than replacing it. That said, the basic building blocks of career satisfaction, motivation and engagement come from the employer providing a workplace culture and physical environment compatible with the values and personal desires of the employees.

Models of human motivation — what works best

There are hundreds of models that attempt to define and explain human motivation, and most have some validity. For our purposes, though, I have highlighted the three that I believe are most useful in the context of career conversations. These are:

1. Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs
2. Daniel Pink's theory of intrinsic motivation
3. Max Landsberg's skill/will matrix.

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

First proposed ...