in Creative
DOLLARS DON’T INSPIREWhat CountsDaniel Pink is a highly regarded author who has written multiple best sellers. Today, he is considered one of the best thinkers in the world. And while we could champion any one of his many theories about business, there is one that stands out above all the rest. What truly motivates us to take action isn't the materialistic wants that seem so obvious. What truly move us are the intrinsic rewards that make us realize a better sense of ourselves. A recent case study – Rewards, Intrinsic Motivation and Creativity: A Case Study of Conceptual and Methodological Isolation – discusses the idea that creativity is rooted within ourselves and that it can be curtailed by rewards. According to the study, movie studio mogul Michael Eisner once said, "We have no obligation to make art. We have no obligation to make a statement. To make money is our only objective." Eisner's focus on monetary gain resulted in unoriginal, formulaic films. The prevalent view of creativity's motivation assumes creativity to be strongly affected by interest in tasks for their own sake – "intrinsic motivation" or "intrinsic task interest." According to a chapter in Robert Sternberg's "Handbook of Creativity," an important factor that reduces intrinsic motivation, and therefore creativity, is the use of rewards. To be better for your clients, you must be able to check your wallet at the door. By deferring your selfish needs, you can focus on identifying problems rather than promoting your solutions. This requires a deeper relationship with people – one that is driven by an intrinsic drive to serve others. In other words, you must be motivated by something bigger than yourself to offer your customers the type of critical thinking that's demanded these days. The Ivey Business Journal highlighted several intrinsic motivators for employee engagement. The first is a sense of meaningfulness, which involves the meaningfulness or importance of the purpose you're trying to fulfill. It simply means you have the chance to do something that matters and give yourself a sense of purpose. Next is a sense of choice, which affords you the freedom to choose how to accomplish your work. A sense of competence makes you feel like you're properly handling your work activities. Finally, a sense of progress gives you the feeling you're moving in the right direction. Your goal: Focus on what stimulates internally and watch the extrinsic rewards fall in line.
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