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methods of motivation

miss fortune

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My boss was mad at our entire office last week for falling short of sales goals and yelled at everyone in a promoted position, including threats of retraining and such. He thought that this would motivate us to work harder, and it worked on some people but it completely backfired on others of us, me included. Somehow the idea of the threat and being yelled at managed to distract me from what I should have been doing all day long- I don't LIKE to be yelled at, especially when I WAS working hard :sadbanana:

After bitching to my trainer about it and being reassured that the boss really was just trying to motivate us by yelling at us (which the boss kind of confirmed by taking the carrot approach on everyone the next day and all but appologizing for the day before), I started to wonder... why do some people respond to some types of motivation and others fall apart at it? :huh:

What motivates you to work harder? Does the carrot work? Does the stick? :)
 

Vie

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If someone tries to motivate me by yelling at me, I would laugh in their face and refuse to budge. I'd go as slowly as possible just to irritate them, completing my job but not listening to anything they said.

Yelling accomplishes nothing and it's just plain rude when attempting to achieve a goal. I get extremely frustrated with people who aren't motivated enough to do their job, but it's about finding something that will work on them. A reward of some sort. Yelling is only going to cause people to sort of shut down towards the person yelling, and act off principle. I'm definitely one of those people.

If he had very calmly said he was disappointed in my work, I would've done everything in my power to change that, especially if the boss had my respect.
 

miss fortune

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yeah... I was pissed off enough to refuse to come back to the office in the evening for a meeting and I refused to speak to him until my team leader actually mediated the situation :doh: He made me mad by yelling at us to start with, and then I was mad at him because I was in a pissy mood all day which wasn't very helpful with the whole working in sales thing... yes, I CAN use my Ne to play the blame game :blush:
 

FDG

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I'm pretty bad with being yelled at, especially by other men (somehow I can handle much better women yelling at me). I've lost a job because I always tend to yell back, unless I'm being shouted at for a very major mistake (but that's not the case, usually). I don't know, I don't think I truly need anyone to motivate me. I'm a pretty hard-working person by default; if you really want me to work even harder, I suppose the allure of a day off or an higher hourly salary would work better than words.
 
T

ThatGirl

Guest
It works on the people who are generally comfortable getting the minimum amount done. Only putting extra effort into something if shit hits the fan and they have to.

For people who usually already give 100%, it just brakes morale. Causing you to feel possibly insecure, disrespected, unappreciated.

For the former, that is the only way to get them to budge. For the latter, they work better with positive motivation. Investing personal interest in the well being of the company.

Either way, the main goal is to make it matter to the employee.

He obviously used whatever he thought would speak to the most people. I wouldn't take it personally.

If the time ever arises, try talking to him about what works better for you. Offer some suggestions and ask for the opportunity to try some more positive motivation approaches.
 

Noon

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Above all, it has to (a) be interesting, enjoyable, and 'important', and (b) incorporate lots of interactive exercises and active discussion. If (b) is covered, I'm OK motivated. If (a) is covered, I'm highly motivated. If both are covered, my motivation is extreme.

I'm an active learner and I work best when it's of personal significance. I function the best in open, calm and friendly atmospheres. I function worst in critical, chaotic, overly competitive atmospheres wherein you're more likely to get verbally murdered than have someone slow down to help you out. If I had to relate it to the carrot/stick thing, I would have to say carrot. Well, unless my life as I know it depends on it... then I'm oblivious to the carrot, but still rush ahead any time I see the stick so much as flinch.

Biggest de-motivators: chaos, extreme pressure, unwelcome supervision, strict routine, "it has to absolutely be 'this' way" lack of freedom, emphasis on mistakes and obliviousness to 'good work', lack of [any] feedback, when I can't see a useful end to the means, when something is of no personal significance in general, and being boring or repetitive to the extent of 'overkill'.
 

miss fortune

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yeah... my thoughts were along the lines of that if I wasn't working as hard as I can then I would be embarassed, but I worked my ass off and still got yelled at so I was quite resentful about it... I've always felt that hard work should be at least recognized in a positive light. In an industry where attitude is everything, sending off half the office in a pissed off and resentful mood is NOT a good plan for success :thumbdown:
 

Such Irony

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I find fear to be a strong motivator in my case. For example, I'll work hard because I could lose my job if I don't, and if I lose my job, I'll lose my financial security. In school, I'd work hard because if I didn't I'd fail the class and then I'd either have to take the damn thing over again or the mark would permanently be on my transcript, which could affect my chance of getting into college, which would then cut down on my career prospects. I eat healthy because I fear the consequences of not doing so. Being less healthy and perhaps a reduced life expectancy.

Of course there are reasons I do things other than fear. I also work hard because I genuinely care about doing a good job. I do well in classes because I genuinely want to learn. And some healthy stuff does taste good. I guess fear dominates more in the cases when I've got to do a job or take a class I don't enjoy.
 

Aleksei

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The stick tends to work better than the carrot on me, generally speaking (although it depends on what the carrot or the stick is). As for why different forms of motivation work on different people, it's simple: We're all different. :)
 

kelric

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What motivates you to work harder? Does the carrot work? Does the stick? :)

I'm not sure that I'm really "motivatable". I'm almost entirely self-motivated. If I care about what I'm doing/who I'm doing it for, and/or it's interesting, and I'm free to attack the problem as I see fit, I *will* get things done.

Pretty much anytime that I see someone trying to "find ways to motivate" me (images of Darth Vader are entering my mind...), I tend to get turned off, depressed, or offended. Yelling at me will simply make me miserable and want to quit. Total morale-killer. Definitely the worst motivational technique for me.

Basically... treat me well, with respect, and you won't need to motivate me. If you try "motivational techniques" in lieu of treating me well, I will *not* respond well -- even if I want to (which isn't likely).
 

Halla74

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What motivates you to work harder? Does the carrot work? Does the stick? :)

(1) Money (As in "I get $X if I complete tasks A, B, and C" - OR - even better "I get X% of whatever I bring in.")

(2) Sex

(3) Prizes (We're talking vvacations or super nice electronics, no gift certificates to Wal-Mart)

(4) Bragging Rights

(5) Betterment of something I believe in is the most powerful of all... :yes:
 

mysavior

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Sep 30, 2007
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Privacy.
Time.
Freedom.
Fair--
Reward.

Simple.

Make it interesting.
 

ThatsWhatHeSaid

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Justice motivate me like nothing else. I can't stand seeing people get treated unfairly.
 

TacEight

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My boss was mad at our entire office last week for falling short of sales goals and yelled at everyone in a promoted position, including threats of retraining and such. He thought that this would motivate us to work harder, and it worked on some people but it completely backfired on others of us, me included. Somehow the idea of the threat and being yelled at managed to distract me from what I should have been doing all day long- I don't LIKE to be yelled at, especially when I WAS working hard :sadbanana:

After bitching to my trainer about it and being reassured that the boss really was just trying to motivate us by yelling at us (which the boss kind of confirmed by taking the carrot approach on everyone the next day and all but apologizing for the day before), I started to wonder... why do some people respond to some types of motivation and others fall apart at it? :huh:

What motivates you to work harder? Does the carrot work? Does the stick? :)

From what I've seen being both on the receiving end and giving end, "angry" or "frustrated" speeches do almost nothing, but can be important if you've tried everything else. I cannot recall giving any myself; if I have a problem with one of my people, I will follow my business' policy and hold them accountable for not executing their job. (I have maintained a highly developed Te and Ti, allowing me to speak the needs clearly but see the problem as a whole, and how the person is failing or reacting to the situation.)

In regards to a group setting: an example would be three days ago, I had a team of about 20 people really let me down. Execution and end results were dismal. The next day I pulled all 20 people into a room, and basically told them they disappointed me yesterday, and that today I would be following up with them on an individual basis to ensure their job was being complete correct and on time.

They could see my frustration, but only because I let a little of it show. I didn't raise my voice or become sarcastic, and don't believe that doing so is helpful unless you've tried everything else. Again, I've been on a team myself where everyone but myself seemed to have given up. When my boss expressed anger/frustration toward us all, I took it with a grain of salt; generally he/she will know that I am doing my part, and if I'm not confident they do, I will tell them afterward.
 

William K

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What motivates you to work harder? Does the carrot work? Does the stick? :)

I have to agree with kelric here that the answer is probably neither. If I truly feel that something is important then I'll put all my heart in it regardless.

I guess it's the Fi need for authenticity that working under the duress of threats or with an inducement would be too fake. For example, I tend to get annoyed when people want to sell me something and I say no, and they begin offering extra things such as discounts or free gifts.

But of course being an NP, working hard is an alien concept to me most of the time... :D
 

Cheshire Grin

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I've read that extroverted children respond better to rewards as motivation whereas introverted children respond to critique/anger/fear. I wonder whether this carries through to adulthood and if so, to what extent.

Personally, I will respond and become motivated myself if I see someone displaying positive passion for something. I have a tendency to assess most situations using Fi and if I detect authenticity and the person is trying to get their point across in a calm, logical manner, then I'll respond in the same way.
 

Cephalonimbus

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For me, the best motivation is to have someone i admire and respect express their confidence in me. I guess that says a lot about how i feel about myself :thinking:

I was just reminiscing about a great example this. I used to take guitar lessons the past few years, and looking back, i really paid the guy to motivate me. I'm not stupid, i can figure out to play the guitar and learn musical theory by myself. But he was an inspiration, i admired his abilities and musical philosophy. His passion for music and his enthousiasm about my playing was a huge boost in both confidence and activity. This activity then lead to new ideas, and that's how i progressed.

Subsequent teachers all sucked. The only one who had the same effect on me was his best friend and bandmate, who substituted now and then. The rest were all your run of the mill Wes Montgomery copycat conservatory douchebags. Fuck off and shave off that ridiculous goatee. I swear... jazz students... possibly the only people in the world who still care about bebop in 2010. But i digress.
 

Tabula

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I'd imagine the adult's responsiveness [or lack thereof] to *positive or negative motivation would correlate to the degree of success/failure (effectiveness/ineffectiveness) with regards to the interplay between former parenting [disciplinary] styles, and the child's natural self-motivating style. But that's really not saying much, as it's basically how everything works, not to mention there are far too many inter-dependent factors involved to accurately pin down one and say, "this is why this works for me and that doesn't." Especially given the added influence of "mixed" style in 2 parent homes, which is another whole factor in itself. I can only account for, and apply this to myself and my siblings, and so I'm only assuming it works like this for others.

Mother: [negative motivator] Threats. Guilt-tripping.
Father: [positive motivator] Do it and do it now (yelling) Bribes.
Me [as in, what [would have] worked]: Appeals to reason. Logical consequence. Negotiation/bargaining. Encouragement [!]

It's hard to discern whether my automatic [and CHILDLIKE!] resistance to yelling and guilt-tripping now is a direct result of its failure with me as a child or not. It's funny though. Whenever I'm yelled at, I instantly feel like I'm a 6-year-old being scolded for having stolen a cookie. It's insulting, even where it isn't meant to be.

If you want me to do something, dump on me everything you want me to do/whatever is relevant, a tentative deadline, and send me off to work alone, uninterrupted with some encouragement. Too much input/direction/interruption and I feel an urge to resist. Not enough encouragement, and it feels like you don't expect me to do a good job and therefore don't value the work I'm doing for you. If you don't value it, why should I? In short--leave me alone, tell me I can do a great job, and I'll have it done for you.

HOWEVER:
With regards to self-motivation on PERSONAL projects-- desperation is nearly my only motivation. I'm content to sit, think, and rot until I'm absolutely forced to make any move at all. Highly ineffective, and I'm willing to bet it has at least something to do with my childhood experience, but I won't get into every little reason for that here. I don't intend to imply that my ineffectiveness now is entirely the fault of my parents, however. The blame is mine, but it has simply taken me longer to figure out the best method for me as I had a very late start.

*Positive and negative sound misleading; I don't mean to say that one is "better," in fact, "positive" can even be "bad" (like my father's method.)
 

JocktheMotie

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I am fueled by a fabricated sense of self hatred. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world but it works for me.
 

Tabula

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I am fueled by a fabricated sense of self hatred. Probably not the healthiest thing in the world but it works for me.

If you're aware that it's fabricated, how does it still work? :huh: Or, if you had to consciously construct it yourself, I wonder the reasons...

I only ask because it sounds familiar; I'm not trying to be rude.
 
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