Mastering Self-Motivation

Mastering Self-Motivation
Bringing Together the Academic and Popular Literature
Dr. Michael J. Provitera

Mastering Self-Motivation: Bringing Together the Academic and Popular Literature Copyright Business Expert Press, 2012. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other except for brief quotations, not to exceed 400 words, without the prior permission of the publisher. First published in 2012 by Business Expert Press, LLC 222 East 46th Street, New York, NY 10017 www.businessexpertpress.com ISBN-13: 978-1-60649-508-7 (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1-60649-509-4 (e-book) DOI 10.4128/9781606495094 Business Expert Press Human Resource Management and Organizational Behavior collection Collection ISSN: 1946-5637 (print) Collection ISSN: 1946-5645 (electronic) Cover design by Jonathan Pennell Interior design by Exeter Premedia Services Private Ltd., Chennai, India First edition: 2012 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America.

This book is dedicated to Esin Esendal, my wife and a writer who writes from her heart in order to touch many people, and to my daughters Janet and Lauren, who provide me with encouragement and motivation every day.

Abstract
The surge of motivational titles flooding bookstore shelves amid the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression is evidence of our societys growing obsession with self-improvement. Recently two areas of growing interest among academics have been positive organizational behavior and psychological capital. While books on these subjects have led to a new understanding of motivation, they have limited their focus to two ends of a continuum. On one side a plethora of empirical data support the academic literature, while at the other extreme is a tidal wave of self-help books, almost all of which lack academic rigor. The popular volumes ignore rich veins of research, while the academic books pay scant attention to bestseller lists. Both markets seem content with what they get. Scholars read their colleagues books, while self-help gurus rehash the same old themes and programs. This book gives equal time to both sides. It heeds to the extensive research and careful conclusions of academicians, and then crosses into the realm of self-help and mass-market literature. The books nine chapters blend topics that I have studied and taught over two decades in the classroom and practiced in management consulting. Each chapter invites readers to learn both theoretical and practical concepts, and encourages them to apply this knowledge to the workplace. My goal is to show readers how to master self-motivation. The book thus seeks to mediate market-driven self-help dreams and academic literature. The following is an overview of the books contents: Chapter 1: Why developing a motivational mind-set is necessary to reach personal excellence? Chapter 2: Motivation is broadly defined, including motivational myths and how to avoid them. Chapter 3: How to navigate the hierarchy of personal and professional needs? Chapter 4: Why leading yourself in a corporate jungle is imperative to your success? Chapter 5: Unveiling the secret to high levels of motivation and happiness.

 Chapter 6: How to develop your personal brand? Chapter 7: Why positive organizational behavior and psychological capital can create a compelling personal vision? Chapter 8: Managing change and continuous improvement. Chapter 9: Personal excellence through innovation and creativity. Mastering Self-Motivation is a concise book that is contemporary and relevant as a popular self-help/motivational book. It includes a wealth of research and experience to bear on the subject of motivation. Positive organizational behavior has replaced the field of positive thinking la Dale Carnegie, which is rife with clichs and Mastering Self-Motivation avoids them. The Mastering Self-Motivation Complimentary Workbook provides a road map for success that further engages the reader to reach personal excellence. Readers will feel energized, motivated, and inspired! The target audience for this book is experienced managers and leaderspeople whose livelihood is based upon influencing, leading, and motivating others within organizational settings. In addition, expanded audiences will also find it helpful in enhancing personal productivity. Consultants can utilize the information contained in this book to better develop executives. Human resource professionals can utilize this book as an organizational development tool. University faculty can use this book to enhance their lectures and employ engaging discussions and exercises. Finally, students of management and organizational behavior can use this book to guide their efforts toward creating a personally fulfilling career. This book provides theoretical concepts that can enhance individual motivation presented in a comprehensive and enjoyable manner. It is the first motivational book that brings together the academic and popular literature to bridge the gap between common sense and theoretical concepts.

Keywords
business ownership, human resource management, management, motivation, motivation workbook, organization, organizational behavior, positive organizational behavior, psychology, psychological capital, self-help, self-leadership, small business management, strategy, leadership, and supervision

Contents
Part I Introduction to Motivation ........................................... 1 Chapter 1 Developing a Motivational Mind-Set .................................3 Part II Perspectives on Motivation............................................ 7

Chapter 2 Motivation and You! ..........................................................9 Part III Personal and Professional Needs ................................. 27

Chatper 3 Managing Your Needs ......................................................29 Part IV Managing Your Expectations ....................................... 39

Chapter 4 Motivating and Leading Yourself......................................41 Part V Contemporary Motivational Perspectives.................... 55

Chapter 5 Recognizing Your Strengths..............................................57 Chapter 6 Standing on the Shoulders of Giants ................................67 Chapter 7 A Look at Positive Psychology ..........................................85 Part VI Motivation and Self-Leadership .................................. 97

Chapter 8 Make the Change Now! ...................................................99 Chapter 9 Reinventing Yourself ......................................................111 About the Author ................................................................................121 Notes..................................................................................................123 References ...........................................................................................133 Index .................................................................................................147

PART I

Introduction to Motivation

CHAPTER 1

Developing a Motivational Mind-Set

Control your own destiny or someone else will. Jack Welch Youre always motivated, but the direction of your motivation can shift from moment to moment, so you need to find your true north. Have you ever decided to do something, but your gut feeling was to change direction? Thats how your internal motivation shifts your thoughts and behavior. Mastering self-motivation is an important concept. Make any necessary changes now; then you can start developing personal excellence. Every morning you wake up and do things a certain way. You behave similarly each day because the regimen works for you. It doesnt take much thought to shower, dress, drink a cup or two of coffee, and get on with your day. On weekends or holidays you schedule leisure activities with family and friends. Although you may not pay much attention to your motivation, each behavior is preset, triggered by your thoughts and intentions. Your personal motivation is uniquely yours. If the phone rings and a friend asks you to go to a movie or watch a football game but you have a job to do, you have to decide whats most important. Is it friendship, career advancement, financial security, or leisure time? Chapter 2 will help you to take control of your future. Here are five steps that can get you moving in the right direction: Step 1: Create a vision and mission for yourself. How do you picture yourself in the near future? What are your preferences for your career? How do you see them impacting the people around you? Are you currently at crossroads? It doesnt matter if youre beginning your adult life or are older. Whatever your age, ask yourself, Does my life have a unique purpose? Chapter 3 will help you to manage your life so that youll

MASTERING SELF-MOTIVATION

achieve personal success. When you create a vision for yourself, youll wake up every morning with a purpose. Chapter 4 will provide a road map that you can use to guide yourself to your goals. Step 2: Wing it. You have to master the art of winging things. Just get up and do it. When a thought comes into your mind and is right for you, act upon it. Dont let complacency hold you back. Become capable of handling things that arise at the spur of the moment. Rise to each occasion and succeed in everything you do. Chapter 5 will help you to guide your life by a purpose and provide you with the secret to motivation. Step 3: Pay it forward. Surround yourself with positive people. Cheer negative people up. Always attempt to make others feel happy and positive. Chapter 6 will help you to develop a great personality so that everyone will want to befriend you. Step 4: CLIP CLOP. Incremental improvement is necessary for a successful life. CLIP stands for Clear Logical Improvements for People. CLOP is an acronym for the four functions of management: Control, Lead, Organize, and Plan.1 Take control of your life so that someone else does not control it for you. In the latter case you may feel compelled rather than free; you also may be rigid rather than flexible.2 Exercise leadership each day in whatever you do. Organize things before you begin your day. Plan ahead as though your life depends on it, because it actually does. Chapter 7 will introduce a positive psychology that will help you to improve the quality of your life and provide you with the optimism and hope that will allow you to flourish. Step 5: Smell the coffee. You are the most important person in your life. By taking care of yourself, you are, in turn, taking care of others. Give yourself positive feedback because it has often been found to increase intrinsic motivation,3 which will help you to find your true self. Chapter 8 discusses the changes necessary to find your true self. To begin identifying your true self, define what you are interested in and do more of it.4 Feel freedom rather than pressure,5 and focus on wants rather than shoulds.6 Chapter 9 will help you in the process of reinventing yourself. You should not be judged by the number of degrees that you hold, the grades that you receive, or the educational programs that you attend.7 Instead, focus on making your work life more meaningful.8

DEVELOPING A MOTIVATIONAL MIND-SET

You may work for a company that spends considerable money trying to inspire you. Top gurus command fees of up to $65,000 for a motivational speech. Some companies lavish millions of dollars on financial incentives, T-shirts, or exotic vacations to boost their employees performance. The trouble is that academic research has turned up almost no evidence that motivational spending makes any difference.9 It all comes down to three questions. Are you engaged in your work? Do you know what you value most? Do you have pride?10 Experts agree that cultivating your character is one of the most effective and enduring ways to improve your health, reputation, career, and personal life.11 When you become personally motivated and self-directed, you will perform tasks well. Your focus, therefore, should be on enriching your life. Dennis Waitley, author of the book The Psychology of Winning, once said, I like myself, I really do like myself. Given my family history and my background, I am glad that I am me. And, in fact, I would rather be me than anyone else in any other time in history.12 Can you adopt this statement for yourself? Are you glad to be you and no one else? Or are you struggling to have a sense of yourselfto know what your place in history could possibly be? You began this journey before you were born. It began with your ancestors. Somehow your name has carried on since then. How did this happen? Is it just a coincidence that you were born? Do you take it for granted? Questions such as these are at the heart of motivation and will be addressed throughout this book. Motivation is an inherent part of your nature; it is at the core of your being. At the moment you may be motivated by money and other tangible rewards. The problem is that this type of motivation is short lived. For instance, offer a child a desirable reward contingent upon a particular action or behavior, and you are likely to get results.13 However, without continuous reinforcement of the reward, the desired behavior comes to a halt. Chapter 6 addresses the reason that money is not as important as you think when it comes to your motivation. Motivation is an approximate science. Chapter 2 discusses how to deal with your own motivational thoughts and attitudes. One way to weigh the odds in your favor is to look at the great leaders in the world. This topic will be covered in Chapter 6 as well.

MASTERING SELF-MOTIVATION

Here are a few questions that will indicate how motivated you are 1. What gets you motivated at work? 2. What factors result in your lack of motivation? 3. What do you do for fun that motivates you? This book guides you in answering these questions and provides important information about your level of motivation. You will find out what you like and dislike and how you can change your attitude toward life. You have what it takes to be the most successful person you know. Progress is impossible if you continue to do things the way that you have always done them. You must break out of your comfort zone.14 The goal of this book is to get you to improve continuously. No one is perfect, and you should not try to be.15 Do not expose a weakness that others see as fatal; instead, choose a tangential weakness. Pick a flaw that others consider a strength, such as being a workaholic. That way you can selectively reveal your weaknesses.16 L. P. Jacks once remarked: A master in the art of living draws no sharp distinction between his work and his play; his labor and his leisure; his mind and his body; his education and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence through whatever he is doing, and leaves others to determine whether he is working or playing. To himself, he always appears to be doing both.17 Authenticity is the behavior that expresses the true self and for which one accepts full responsibility. When you act on the basis of personal integrity, you are being true to yourself.18 This book will help you to find your purpose in life. A deeper sense of self-guided purpose will reveal your true, authentic self. The motivational concepts discussed in this book apply to who you are now, not someone you intend to be. It is your turn to carry the torch and take the lead in your own self-development!

PART II

Perspectives on Motivation