Motivation and Rewards: What's Important?

What motivates people do do what they do? In particular, what rewards and punishments move people along the paths that others are motivating them along? One of the things that I have observed in life, noticed in myself and picked up reading various sources is that what the potential motivator thinks is motivation often is no motivation at all to the motivatee. A big part of the disconnect is the inability, or perhaps unwillingness, of some people to trade something unpleasant, or at least unwanted, in the present, for something desired in the future. For example, you want to motivate your child to eat his vegetables (specifically mashed potatoes for a real-life example) which he does not want to eat. You tell him that he will receive no dessert if he does not eat his potatoes, but he still will not eat the potatoes and is then surprised when the dessert is withheld. Other examples include high school students who devote more time and energy to socializing of various sorts than to getting good grades - not seeing that forgoing some fun in the present will result in getting into a good college later, further resulting in higher income potential. These people, like the child who doesn't get his dessert, is likewise surprised when she cannot find a job that pays enough to maintain the lifestyle to which she would like to become accustomed.

Another motivational disconnect involves people who know very well what the consequences of certain behaviors are, but make an eyes-wide-open decision that the rewards do not compensate for what is being given up. An illustration of people like this might be found in a company that does random drug testing. For a tenured manager or trained professional who has achieved a comfortable income and a high level of prestige and authority, the benefits of an occasional joint on a Friday night weighs in far less than the prospect of losing a lucrative position. Unless there are addiction issues, most people would choose, even if reluctantly, to forgo the use of marijuana in order to keep their job. But what if the job is a low-paying entry-level position? Might the pleasure of a relaxing puff or two outweigh a poor-paying job, especially when other, equally poor-paying jobs can be found fairly easily?  For those in this category, it's similar to a gamble, they're rolling the dice, continuing to use pot, hoping not to get caught, but willing to pay the price if they do.

One thing that the ambitious among us often do not realize is that climbing the corporate ladder, amassing wealth and titles doesn't motivate everyone. Several years ago I worked with a woman who had a fairly responsible position and did her job very well, but had managed over the years to negotiate a very good deal for herself: no nights, no weekends, and only 30 hours per week. When a new corporate supervisor insisted that all managers in equivalent positions not only work some weekend days, but also put in 40 hours and work later in the day. Several managers, wanting to keep their title and income, made the change, but this particular manager valued her ability to be home in the afternoons and to have her weekends with her husband than the "benefits" of the job, so she stepped down and accepted a "lesser" position. More often than not, more money, more prestigious titles and expanded responsibility and authority are not what everybody wants. Giving up what one loves in exchange for a promotion doesn't appeal to all workers.

While it would behoove managers and company owners to realize that money and titles will not motivate everyone, the flip side is that if you take freedom to smoke weed, or the ability to travel, or a flexible schedule in exchange for a raise and promotion, you can't complain that you didn't get that raise and promotion!