Think freshly. Motivate to create and sustain change

By William Seidman  We work with organizations whose leaders say they want change that will be effective and that will stick. Our job is to show them, and the entire organization, how to make that happen. First we ask some questions:

• Does your organization have a sense of purpose? 
• Do your employees share it?

Establishment of this sense of purpose – something which is higher social value – along with employees’ commitment (or lack of same) to it — is the first step to clarifying how change can occur. When an entire organization is aligned on achieving something of great social value beyond the tactical, people become incredibly committed to success (mastery) and tend to ignore boundaries and “not invented here” limitations in order to achieve the purpose. Daniel Pink is a champion of this theory and philosophy. We really like his “Cocktail Party Summary.” 

DANIEL PINK’S COCKTAIL PARTY SUMMARY: “When it comes to motivation, there’s a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system–which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators–doesn’t work and often does harm. We need an upgrade. And the science shows the way.

 This new approach has three essential elements: 1. Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives. 2. Mastery — the urge to get better and better at something that matters. 3. Purpose — the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves.”

How does your organization measure up?]]>