Give and take

‘Give more in use value than you take in cash value’, these value-loaded words by Wallace Wattles are a golden advice for anyone looking for progress in life. What Mr. Wattles understood and wants us to understand is the fact that there is value in giving to others much more than they expect from us. Do we always follow this dictum? I doubt it. Because if we did, we would have all been ‘successful’!

There is this corporate truth that the companies pay just enough to an employee so that he won’t quit, and the employee works just enough so that he/she won’t be shown the pink slip. Hence each one is contributing, just enough, while they are capable of contributing so much more. Giving just enough and that too with strings attached only keeps you in a constant state of fear (fear of being found out), and lack (what will I do if I am thrown out of this job?).

Doing a job to the best of your capability brings feelings of ‘joy of learning’, ‘enthusiasm of stretching your limits’, and the ‘satisfaction of a job well done’! You’ve got to experience it to believe it! When you start bringing more value to your work regardless of your pay, you get noticed by all. When you more than fill your present place (post), it is time to move to a bigger place. All this happens almost automatically! You become just a witness to your own growth. If you look around, you can find live examples of this in your own organization. What is it that they do differently from others?

If you bring value and enthusiasm to your work, the Universe will conspire to bring success to you. You may get a raise, or unexpected good news. You might even attract the attention of someone who will hire you at a much better position. Because people who add value to their work are welcome everywhere! I admire people who deal with grumpy complaining customers the entire day, and still have the joy and enthusiasm to share with others. When you give more value than the money you receive, the money has to rise to come to level with you. There is no other way to progress in life, than to add value to your work.

Most people contribute the very minimal to their jobs. They are the first ones to leave the office when their time is up. They never show any initiative. And then they wonder why they don’t get promoted. It is not only the number of hours that you put up at work, but also the quality of work that you do in those hours. If you fill those hours with creativity, diligence, enthusiasm, learning, and initiative; sky is the limit for you!

You can offer value in many ways. You can give suggestions about how to make your company more profitable. You can inspire others by your efficiency and speed of accomplishment. You can pay attention to details, and you can go an extra mile in a crisis. If your heart is in your work, all this and much more is possible. The idea is to create worthiness around you. How you manage it is up to you! Are you willing to give it a try in your life?

An enthusiastic performer has a strong sense of purpose and deep values. He also has a compelling vision. He makes informed choices with clarity of thought. He is committed to open communication and new ideas. He shares his thoughts, opinions and feelings without fear. He adapts to changing conditions like a pro. He enjoys high self esteem, and his morale is always high. Can any one ever contain such a man? He is unstoppable. He is a winner for life. Are you prepared to be just such a man? If yes, then from now on start giving more in ‘use’ value, than you receive in ‘cash’ value. And witness the magic work in your life!!!

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What Motivates You?

In my capacity as a ‘Life Skills Coach’, I often ask people what motivates them to achieve success in life. Over the years I have realized that while extrinsic factors like money, opportunities for growth, better lifestyle, being a leader are on top of most people’s lists, the moment I dig a little deeper, a lot of intrinsic factors come up. Sometimes people themselves are not aware of these motivators themselves. It is quite a revelation to them, and to me. I now understand that a big piece of our motivation is based on our character and our personality. Whether we like it or not, the fact remains that we are who we are.

It is a well known fact that our personality gets fully formed by the time we are seven years old. This personality remains stable under all our outward façade. This consistency in our personality is a boon for us to understand our motivating factors. If we can analyze our personality traits, we can know what really motivates us. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, it is true.

What do we mean by motivation in the first place? Everyone right from our parents, teachers, professors, and managers speaks of motivation, but no one really explains what motivation is and how it works. In my understanding, motivation levels out to wanting something to be better than what is. It is the reason for engaging in a particular behaviour. It energizes, and mobilizes us towards achieving our lofty goals, and satisfying our needs. We need to be motivated for everything; from eating healthy foods to improving self-esteem. Nothing seems to work without motivation.

Motivation is what leads people to work hard. It is what drives people to improve inter- personal relationships. On the other extreme, a lack of motivation leads to carelessness and callousness. Motivation impacts performance in all spheres of our lives. Some people go to the extent of defining performance as a function of one’s ability and motivation levels. Where ability or ‘can do’ is based on skills and knowledge that accrue from one’s experience, the motivation or ‘will do’ is based on personality traits such as, one’s disposition, interests, and behaviour patterns. Both ‘can do’ and ‘will do’ are important for a successful performance in all endeavours.

Generally we are more concerned about acquiring technical skills. We feel proud of our learning ability, and flaunt our past achievements. In all this our personality traits remain ignored and hidden. Once we realize that these traits are an important determinant of our talents and our success, we start paying more attention to them. In the field of management, personality plays a very important role, because a manager has a strong impact on the whole organization. So as MBA aspirants, it is very important for you to know your personality traits.

What are these personality traits? There are five basic dimensions of personality. These are:

Being open. Open people appreciate creativity, adventure, unusual ideas, and a variety of experiences. They are open to life itself. Everything is a learning opportunity for them. Satisfaction and accomplishment are especially important to these people. They are driven by their hunger for adventure and need for achievement. Self esteem motivates them. They love challenging work, and are motivated by the very challenge that the work offers.

Being conscientious. Conscientious people tend to plan rather than being spontaneous. These people are self-disciplined, and dependable. They seek achievement through caution. They make calculated moves. Obligation remains a major motivator for them. They do things because things ought to be done. Feeling of responsibility motivates them to help others. They love to be recognized for their work. They love autonomy. They do something when they feel that their work is important, or what they are doing is significant.

Being extroverted. Extrovert people seek stimulation. They like people’s company. They exude energy and positive emotions. They are a delight to be with. They work for enjoyment. Fun motivates them. Fringe benefits become more important than safety. They feel motivated when they know that there is a substantial probability of succeeding in their endeavour. They do things that give them pleasure. Repetitiveness of a task puts them off. Monotony de-motivates them.

Being agreeable. Agreeable people are pleasant. They are accommodating in most situations. They adjust in any environment. Their motivation comes from being liked by others. These people seek praise and approval all the time. Their chief motivator is the need for affiliation. Job security is very important to them. They like regular competency feedback, empowerment and a sense of belonging. They will do anything to mesh with the rest of the crowd.

Being neurotic. Neurotic people tend to be negative most of the times. Their stress tolerance is very low. They need instant gratification. Their motivation is based on receiving rewards immediately. They need re-enforcers from time to time, and coercion to put in their best effort. They are driven by their need for power. They love status. They require active encouragement from the environment.

While these are broad personality dimensions, most of us fit in one or the other dimension easily. Analyze yourself. Where do you fit in? American financier and banker John Pierpont Morgan said that a man always has two reasons for doing anything; a good reason and the real reason. What is your good reason for doing MBA? What is the real reason? Do some soul searching and find your answers.

True motivation starts with a need and a vision. The dream and the desire to achieve the impossible makes one move along the path of success. Creativity pours in at this point and makes you take inspired actions. In such a scenario, dreams are realized and magic happens.
So develop a love for learning. Become involved with new adventures. Seek new opportunities. Learn what works for you and what doesn’t. Develop the ability to overcome barriers. Bounce back from failures. There must be something in your life that gets you completely excited. Discover that passion. Analyze the lifestyle of your dreams and let this picture motivate you.

My motivation comes from my desire to be free. To have the freedom to live the lifestyle I dream of; the freedom to explore new ideas. Where does your motivation come from?

Remember to be successful, you must EXPECT success!!!!!!

Advanc’Edge MBA, May 2008, Chitra Jha

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