What Motivates

What Motivates
Nirmala N. Menon
January, 2001

The question that has always puzzled me and left me in an eternal quest for an answer is, ‘What is it that motivates people to do their very best?' Could it be the incentives and perks offered , the system of rewards, or merely a congenial, progressive work atmosphere? Or perhaps, appreciation of a job well done ?

In my experience, each of these above stimulants only produces temporary results, save in a few cases. The crux of the matter is that the person employed has to be inherently made of the right material, to contribute to productivity at every stage. They have to be self disciplined, for which, surely it would help if they have been a part of a family set up where parents, siblings and every family member has a purpose in life, and works towards a goal. Leisure time spent with loved ones is the added and essential perk, which has a balancing effect in our lives. It is eventually the ‘caring’ element which moulds and firms up our personality, and makes us strive for excellence. There simply has to be dedication at every stage and an emotional commitment to whatever one does. Here I must remark that the reward for all this for every teacher is the smiles of approval on the faces of contented children. I make this remark as at this point in time I am a teacher-and this is incidentally,what I like to do best of all!

The common tendency of not seeing a job through to the end, or probably giving up just before seeing it through, is something that has never ceased to amaze me! It is almost as though an unnecessary, unwarranted anxiety or perhaps a misunderstanding or a new found incompatibility with ones peer, makes one give up before completing the assignment. Skills and abilities apart, people also need an inner strength and perseverance, despite initial failures. There simply has to be the strongest will to succeed!

Quoting Peter Morgan, Director General, Institute of Directors, “An enterprise culture is one in which every individual understands that the world does not owe him or her a living.”

How many of us take our jobs for granted and after a while simply forget to contribute? Irrespective of the job-related repercussions of such indifference, does one stop to think of the repercussions on ones own being? One can become so inefficient that one drowns oneself in irrelevant paperwork, and gets involved in petty trivialities, in order to justify ones presence in the institution. All initiative, enterprise is then lost and one fails to face new challenges .Innovation and consistency in the quality of work produced, in my opinion, is the name of the game.

The success of the IT Industry is something to learn from. The fast pace at which the industry grew and their progress therefore, has been unsurpassed, and this is one industry which has stood the test of time-updating its technology at every phase in order to stay at the helm at all times.

Finally, to conclude, I would like to mention that money is not what should be the sole reason for motivation and though a necessity, it should not be the ultimate goal or the ‘be all and end all of life’; for the well being of our mind, body and soul, we must be happy with what we are, what we do and what we become.
Let us all therefore stop for a bit and assess why we are here. That would surely be a wonderful beginning.