Progress Principle: Post #6--Components

The Components of Inner Work Life: Emotions, Perceptions and Motivation. Emotions can be both positive (like the joy of accomplishing a tough task) or negative (frustration in not making progress toward a goal). Emotions begin to form a mood and those emotions and that mood have an effect on creativity, productivity and decision making. Perceptions also work in concert with emotions. Perceptions are your mind sense-making what’s happened. You pose questions and answer them internally, creating your perception of an event. We all have a backstory at work—a series of experiences and perceptions that color our reaction of today. We interpret what happens every day against our own backstory/filter. Motivation is about your choice, desire and drive to get a task done. Intrinsic motivation derives from the work itself and not an external motivator. Such motivation starts deep within us and drives us toward extraordinary results. Extrinsic motivation is about doing something to get something else, like a promotion. Altruistic motivation is about doing something to help others and society. When extrinsic motivators are very strong, they can snuff out intrinsic motivation; thus, money can actually stifle creativity and progress. Leaders who pose creative work to employees, facilitate progress, and remove obstacles don’t have to create lavish motivational programs.

Progress Principle: Post #5--Little Things

Little Things Matter: Over 28% of small events at work had big impacts on people. Regular, small positive or negative events have a big cumulative effect on people. Positive or negative inner work life spills over into our personal lives. People try to make sense of any event (good or bad) that happens to them at work; often, this sense-making reverberates long after the event. If people feel respected, valued, supported toward progress, they’re motivated to work hard and long. Otherwise, they are demotivated and produce little. Often, managers do NOT understand the enormous effect of a poor inner (unspoken) work life of an employee.

Progress Principle: Post #4--Inner Work Life

Inner Work Life is greatly influenced by 3 types of events: Progress in meaningful work; catalysts that help a project work; and nourishers—positive interpersonal boosts at work. The MOST important influence is progress in meaningful work, or what the authors call The Progress Principle. (Negative opposites are setbacks, inhibitors, or toxins that undermine progress.) Leaders must manage for progress or no amount of emotional intelligence or incentives will motivate productivity.