I work as a corporate professional. And I also participate in a lot of public speaking.

In both arenas, the word motivation comes into a lot of conversations. It seems like an important concept for people in both these circles but often I’ve noticed people having a very loose understanding of what motivation is.

In the corporate world, I’ve seen that people believe motivation is something you can manage by rewards & recognition and punishments & consequences. It’s a basic ‘carrot & stick’ model. But it’s too bad for old school bosses that men have evolved from being mere donkeys and the carrots & sticks are not working so well as they used to. I argue that in this carrot & stick model, the people who’re trying to motivate someone are missing a very important characteristic of motivation. That motivation is not just generated by extrinsic factors, but also by intrinsic factors. That maybe last century’s factory workers would have rejoiced at the prospect of an overtime pay but today’s knowledge workers need things like alignment of values & purpose to feel motivated & take consistent action.

Now if we take a look at the world of public speaking, the moment someone says motivation, 99% people would confuse it with positivity. When I say ‘motivational speaker’ don’t you automatically think of a charismatic man up on the stage, giving you a string of positive life affirming messages through an up-beat speech? That is ofcourse the stereotype. But here also, I argue that people who think motivation is synonymous with positivity are ignoring a whole aspect of motivation, which is called negative motivation. It’s been scientifically proven that people are more likely to avoid loss than going for gains, when given a chance. Loss aversion is a powerful drive in human behaviour, and some of the most powerful motivational speakers I know, utilize this drive to the very best.

All you need to know is that motivation is ultimately an emotion. It is an internal drive that makes you want to take (or not take) an action. And it’s a subject worth reading & understanding. Because over a long period, your ability to motivate yourself & others around you to take favourable actions, will be the single most determining factor in your success. {However you wish to define success for yourself}

PS: Watch this fabulous talk on motivation by Daniel Pink (time 18:36 min): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y