Tag: Motivation

The Boring Trait Google Looks For in Its Leaders

A really interesting article about leadership turned up in my Facebook stream. It’s The Boring Trait Google Looks For in Its Leaders.

The prototypical leader is a hero: gives the rousing speech, inspires the troops, and shows up at the last minute to save the day. At least that’s how leaders are portrayed. but that’s not at all what Google discovered as their most important qualities.

At Google, they’re obsessive about looking at data to determine what makes employees successful and what they found in the numbers was surprising. The most important character trait of a leader is one that you’re more likely to associate with a dull person than a dynamic leader: predictability

The article says “Autonomy is the key to employee happiness and outsized performance” which is interesting. Autonomy is one of the factors that Dan Pink mentions as essential in modern motivation (see links below).

I like the summary:

Great leadership is never about being a dramatic hero. It’s just not about you. Instead it’s about providing support to your team by being willing to be seen as boring and predictable.

Provide information they need, work from their perspective, cultivate their performance by offering them the oxygen to succeed. Then they’ll have the breathing room and self-determination to shine.

Read about motivation:
Motivation, Drive and Dan Pink
Dan Pink on the surprising science of motivation

Motivation, Drive and Dan Pink

Dan pink talks about three kinds of motivation:
1.0 biological (thirst, hunger).
2.0 external (carrot and stick).
3.0 internal (engagement).

Daniel Pink then focuses on Motivation 3.0 and explains more about what it is, when it works and why it works.

Video: RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us

This is an imated video that nicely summarizes the book and concept.

If you can’t see the video above then go to RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us.

Video: Daniel Pink: What Really Motivates Workers (CBS interview

This is an interview on CBS about intrinsic motivation, motivation 3.0.

If you can’t see the video above then go to Daniel Pink: What Really Motivates Workers.

Video: Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation – TED Talk

This video is a presentation Daniel Pink did on TED.

If you can’t see the video above then go to Daniel Pink on the surprising science of motivation.

Book:

The book is Drive – The surprising thruth about what motivates us which contains more information about the concept in the videos above. I’ve read the book and like it.

The book at The Book Depository: Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Paperback)

The Book Depository has free delivery worldwide on all their books.

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