Does anticipation of a reward always motivate higher performance?
Some would say: “that might depend on what the reward is!”
If the player doesn’t see the value . . . the benefit of the reward, the probability of goal achievement (winning) decreases precipitously.
When served in the Army, I received many awards and was consistently promoted ahead of my peers . . . I seldom wore the ribbons on my chest (unless specifically required by a superior officer) because I didn’t like that game of “Performing for the award” . . . I was more motivated by mission accomplishment and Leadership.
Pat me on the back and tell me: “Job well Done!” . . . that’s enough reward for me 🙂
Why?
Because I noticed that in many systems, rewards have largely lost their luster . . . many recipients would only need to stay alive in the game long enough to get the reward – I couldn’t see a distinct correlation between effort and reward.
I do know, though, that there are many folks out there who THRIVE on rewards . . . The possibility of reward is what motivates them to hit the ground running every day.
So . . . what IS the core MOTIVATOR for all people?
I believe the value is not in the reward . . . it is in the BENEFIT derived from accomplishment of the objective.
so . . .
When setting goals (Personal and/or organizational), PASSION must be part of the formula . . . The goal setters and those working towards achieving the goals must be on the same page with respect to how much they CARE about the mission.
When Passion (Care) is high, the odds of goal accomplishment skyrocket.
What is the BENEFIT to each (all) of us when we reach our objective together?
THIS is the value!
Don’t let the Award ceremony be an ending . . . See it as a celebration of people taking responsibility for PASSION.
Set Goals – SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound) GOALS for which you have passion . . . Identify the benefit derived and take yourself there through appropriate ACTION!
Just sayin’
best,
b
Afterthought . . . With each new House Buying or Selling client. we invest a LOT of time on the front end of the process working through identifying the objective and the client’s passion for this objective . . . and we ALWAYS begin with the end in mind and focus intently on the BENEFIT to each client for reaching the objective . . . Unless we all know where we want to end up and WHEN we want to be there, all the work and finesse isn’t going to get us there 🙂