As the
name says, this blog is about effectiveness and entrepreneurship. To
my way of thinking, the two things are inextricably woven together.
Effectiveness
was Peter Drucker's word. People would wonder whether business is an
art or a science. Drucker thought it was neither. He said business is
a practice.
Drucker
would say that business is something you keep doing and you get
better over time. In this way, it is both a science and an art.
That is
not to say Drucker only advocated only for trial-and-error. Quite the
contrary, he was a strong advocate for learning from other people.
Specifically, he said we must learn from what people do right, not
what they do wrong.
One
thing that people have done well is Self-Determination Theory, a
theory of motivation. I am sure you would agree that no one can
sustain effectiveness without motivation. But, motivation is tricky.
It is virtually impossible to motivate another human being.
We might
be able to motivate others for a short time. But, sustained
motivation is an inside job. For this reason it is probably wise to
point people to quality resources that will facilitate their ability
to self-motivate and self-development.
Two weeks ago I discussed Self-Determination Theory. This most beautiful
theory was was created by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. If you read
the post you can see that Self-Determination Theory contains an
inherent paradox. So, last week, I offered a possible resolution.
This
week I would like to add on another layer of delicious complexity.
Self-Determination Theory is about two types of motivation: intrinsic
and extrinsic. This is a very hot topic these days.
The
question becomes, which is more powerful, intrinsic or extrinsic
motivation? The short answer is that intrinsic motivation is more
powerful. However, life is never so simple.
In
resolving paradoxes we learn to embrace the genius of “and.”
Applied to Self-Determination Theory, we learn that intrinsic and
extrinsic motivation are not mutually exclusive. In fact, there
exists a rather autonomous state of extrinsic motivation that Deci
and Ryan called, “Integrated Regulation.”
As a
matter of fact, integrated regulation is the state of external goals
being melded into the self. That is kind of a weird thing to say, so
let me give you an example.
The same
goal can be conceived as intrinsically motivating or extrinsically
motivating. Let us take the example of painting a picture.
A person
could spend their whole life painting pictures so that one day the
world would recognize them as a great artist. Such a goal is
extrinsically motivating. Striving for wealth, fame, admiration, etc.
is the essence of extrinsic motivation.
However,
the goal of painting beautiful canvases can also be valued
internally. Meaning, a person could decided that s/he wants to become
capable of creating beautiful things. This is about the challenge, it
is about self-development.
You may
have heard the old rock-climbers saying. Something to the effect that
they climb rocks, not to conquer the mountain, but to conquer
themselves. That is intrinsic motivation.
But, few
of us are rock climbers. Most people like an element of external
reward for the things we do. This is where we can blend internal and
external motivation.
If you
are an entrepreneur, I have to imagine you would not mind being rich.
However, one thing you know is that building a successful business is
hard. The goal of wealth is so distant that it lacks true
motivational power.
Day-to-day
it is wise that we focus on internal motivation. An example being
that we try to get a little better than we were yesterday. Meaning,
we practice, just like Drucker said.
Together,
we are simultaneously motivated on the inside and the outside.
Undoubtedly you are familiar with the question of whether success is
a journey or a destination. And, it is a silly question, because
success is both a journey and a destination.
Day-to-day
we are well advised to embrace the journey, the challenges, the
self-improvement. But, there is certainly nothing wrong with taking a
little time to daydream about the destination. What is it going to
feel like once you have built a successful company?
Embracing
the journey is the essence of intrinsic motivation. Thinking of the
destination, the riches and freedoms of successful entrepreneurship,
is extrinsic motivation. Together they are a powerful way to travel.
