Why do YOU labor?

Do you work for the extrinsic motivators?  For the money and the resulting security, toys, and experiences that it buys?  Even for the mere survival of you and your family?  Or are you motivated by the work itself? By the opportunity to help others and be a service to the world? Do you wish to “put a dent in the universe,” as Steve Jobs said he did? 

Modern society, though, is often misguided on both the intrinsic and extrinsic motivational factors. Worst of all, the vast majority of people go to work hating their jobs, not because the job is intrinsically bad, but because of their perception of the job.

Great leaders will demonstrate the connection between each employee and the intrinsic value of their work. For a surgeon, the connection is quite clear – their efforts are directed at saving and improving the lives of the people they operate on. A barista, though, may not see the value of their work; but who doesn’t need the joy brought by a cup of coffee?

I recently started following the number one Facebook morning show (#Riseandgrind by Glenn Lundy). He is constantly talking about a car dealership group who’s mission is, “Moving lives forward.” Sure, a vehicle is one part utilitarian need, one part mobile oasis, and one part rolling fashion statement, but the work of everyone in the dealership is NOT simply about the vehicle, it’s about how they contribute to moving lives forward through their work and even their charity outside of work. The right vehicle to fit a person’s needs and desires moves them forward–and without the freedom a vehicle provides, they aren’t moving anywhere!  The profit, in turn, moves forward the company and employees to repeat the process of meeting their own needs and desires. 

Profit brings us to extrinsic motivation. Other than the business leaders responsible for profit (or loss), it seems that profit and extrinsic rewards have gotten a bad name.  However, profit or personal income are best viewed as indicators. Profit is an indicator that a business is providing more value than the cost to produce the associated good or service. Personal income is an indicator of the value provided to others. 

The indicator of personal income is maximized when you are able to produce something rare and valuable. Being able to perform at the professional sports level is rare, and as long as you help bring in fans, it’s valuable to the team. Having the intellectual ability and determination to become a surgeon is rare, and it’s valuable because of the transformative help it can provide patients. Because of the process involved, surgeons can help a relatively small number of people, but help them in big and valuable ways. 

For the barista, their ability to create drinks comes after just a few hours of training. Though the demand for coffee is high, the barrier to entry is low, and the pool of potential baristas nearly endless… not a formula for a rare skill. Only by creating systems for repeatedly producing consistent, sought after coffee in desirable environments can someone scale the profits into a massive organization like Starbucks. They have helped many people just a little bit at each visit.