The Candle Problem and how it affects you (Part 2)
Chronicles of an Afropreneur
Dear ,
I almost didn’t send today’s email because Mailchimp has been quite annoying today. I’m currently typing this with my mobile phone.
The last two weeks we discussed the Candle Problem and why it was important. Reply this email If you missed any of the last few emails or just signed up to my email list, I’ll forward you all you missed.
Last week, we particularly took a look at how monetary rewards and incentives can aid productivity or make it worse.
This week, we’ll go a step further to discuss Motivations.
Everyone is motivated by something! Yes! It could be Money, Fame or even a childhood experience.
Research shows that motivations can be broken down into two types
1. Intrinsic motivations: An internal desire to do something because it is personally rewarding to you. It could be working hard because you don’t want to repeat the same mistakes your parents made or Cleaning your home because you feel happy when things are neat and organised.
2. Extrinsic motivations: behaviour motivated by an external reward. It could be staying late at work so at to be awarded the most hardworking staff or reading a book to pass a test.
Both are very important for business leaders because understanding how each motivation works and when to use it can help people perform tasks even when they don’t feel like it.
On a more personal note, here’s my advice for you (as a person) - Make sure you are taking time in your job, business or personal life to explore activities that you enjoy OR tie the things you love doing to the goals of the organisation or business. This way you keep your life somewhat balance, you enjoy the journey and win the extrinsic rewards when they come.
P.S: Forward my letters to your friends, family or colleagues if they have been of any good to you
Keep grinding,
Uwem