Defining Our Intrinsic Motivators

02.26.19 | Chris Daily |

What truly drives us?

Last week I was watching the whiteboard animation of Dan Pink’s talk titled Drive, which takes numerous ideas from his book of the same name.

Every time I watch that video, I am reminded about how wrong I was in my early days as a manager. I am sure you have probably seen or heard the video. If not, check it out.

This concept goes against what I was taught over the first half of my career regarding management and motivators: that people are resources that can be moved around in a plug-and-play fashion.

Our solution to getting people engaged was often to give them a promotion, or if we had to, throw money at them. Quite often the promotion (and/or raise) was not justified by performance, but by the sheer fact that we were scared to lose people. Its impact was seen in how the rest of the team reacted to the news. These created inequities became more and more substantial over time.

Great leaders are embracing humanity.

The second half of my career has been a different story.

I’ve come to believe in the concept that people aren’t just resources. It’s our job as leaders to create an environment where our teammates can do their best work.

Sounds great, but how does this type of empowerment grow legs?

As many of you know, I am a proponent of a philosophy that embraces people as people, and that we need to address and embrace the complexities that come with humanity. This philosophy is Management 3.0, and I’m currently serving as a facilitator for Management 3.0 workshops.

Management 3.0 is a collection of concepts, practices, and tools that can enable managers in their role as the leader of engagement with their teammates. Two essential areas of focus are motivation and commitment.

In our workshop, we explore the Management 3.0 model for engagement termed CHAMPFROGS.

Hopping into our motivators.

As you can guess, CHAMPFROGS is an acronym. The model includes ten unique and distinct intrinsic motivators that fuel individuals in the workplace.

1. Curiosity: I have plenty of things to investigate and to think about.
2. Honor: I feel proud that my personal values are reflected in how I work.
3. Acceptance: The people around me approve of what I do and who I am.
4. Mastery: My work challenges my competence, but it is still within my abilities.
5. Power: There’s enough room for me to influence what happens around me.
6. Freedom: I am independent of others with my work and my responsibilities.
7. Relatedness: I have good social contacts with the people in my work.
8. Order: There are enough rules and policies for a stable environment.
9. Goal: My purpose in life is reflected in the work that I do.
10. Status: My position is good, and recognized by the people who work with me.

Watching the video last week, I decided to see how the ten CHAMPFROGS motivators aligned with Daniel Pink’s three principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

I thought it would be pretty straightforward.

It was a little more difficult than I anticipated.

Here’s what I came up with:

• Autonomy – Curiosity, Goal, Acceptance, Freedom
• Mastery – Mastery, Power, Order
• Purpose – Relatedness, Status, Honor

The Drive principles are very well known by most folks who have either read Drive or have watched the video. Yet they don’t capture the nuances that the CHAMPFROGS model does.

What’s important is that both models have a lot in common. They are both attempting to address the 800lb gorilla of most work environments: the ongoing challenge of motivating and engaging teams.

What’s next?

Take a look at the CHAMPFROGS model and become familiar with it. Incorporate the Moving Motivators game in your next team meeting. Playing the Moving Motivators game with your team will provide discovery for you and them as to their respective individual motivations.

As each team member has their own unique motivators, you can’t take a one size fits all approach. Once you discover what is motivating each of your teammates, you better meet their needs with motivators that matter.

In case you’re interested in learning more, we’re hosting our next Management 3.0 session soon. Or feel free to drop me a line.

We’ve also developed an entire series of workshops covering the importance of developing and nurturing soft skills in the workplace. It’s called The Interchange.

Thanks for coming in today.

Chris

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