Leadership and Motivation

Myth #2: Leadership is ALL About Motivation.

Leadership has no direct bearing on motivation. Sound heretical? Hear me out, please, While leaders can try to motivate [or de-motivate] with their style of leadership, personal motivation is truly outside of their purview. That is because motivation comes from within an individual, not from outside of them. Change does, too. And all external Leadership influence is strictly indirect to people’s Motivational Values System (MVS).

Motivation is based on the Value System (MVS) of the individual, according to the late psychologist, Dr. Elias Porter, PhD, whose Strengths Deployment Inventory® or SDI®, I use in my consults as a Certified Team Development Facilitator.

Dr. Porter, researching behavior on the heels of Freud, Fromm and his mentor, Carl Rogers, developed the SDI® as a tool of self-discovery, as he realized that 1) our Motivation, based on our underlying Values System,
can determine our Behavior, the visible aspect of our relationships with other people, which arise from our purposive strivings for gratification which are mediated by how we obtain such gratification, 2a) under perfect conditions and 2b) in conflict with other people.

Dr. Porter also believed 3) our weaknesses are no more than our strengths overdone (i.e., self-confidence overdone is arrogance). He came up with 3 MVSs: Altruistic-Nurturing; Analytical –Autonomizing; and Assertive - Directing

People can motivate themselves based on their MVS to do well or to do poorly, all of it is in an effort to support their Values System. People try to do good based on their MVS that they have learned and/or grown up with.They may be brought up to go to church and go to work and earn a living, and treat people right. They may have learned this thru their home, church, school or training, but they learn these norms of living and growing in society. And yet, as good as they may be, they sometimes do wrong things, usually small, yet sometimes large.

For example, you have seen the TV police dramas where people get into trouble trying to cover up what they did wrong; they stole or worse killed someone. Some were not criminals before, nor would do so again.

They always seem to sum up their reasoning for the troubles they created with words like “I don’t know why I did that.” Or “That’s not like me, really it’s not.” They are probably telling the truth; it’s just not like them to do something bad. But they did it hoping to reconcile, reconstruct and/or resurrect, or from some threat to protect their Values System.

On the other hand, people try to do good things because their Motivational Values System is so entrenched and ingrained in their lives, they couldn’t imagine doing anything else. And the chances of their doing wrong are improbable, though not impossible.

Creative Leadership helps people see their own motivations and how they can reconcile them with the company’s in order to get work done. Leadership that fails to help people “own” the company and its Mission, or fails to help people reconcile their values with the company, means people are not necessarily working for you, and could be working against you.

SDI^© can help you find your level of team leadership.

Take time to ponder (or we can test for) your Motivational Values in the following areas:

Altruistic-Nurturing [How much do you care about people compared to the other areas below?]

Analytical-Autonomizing [Where does data, tech, analysis and figures rank with the other areas?]

Assertive-Directing [How do you approach your goals/projects/time compared to the other areas above?]

Dan has a program for Leadership Team and Staff Team development, and can counsel, mentor or coach team development in your organization. e-mail/Call Dan@dancassin.com or 502-554-2397

Creative Leadership Dynamics

“If you want to be successful,
LEARN WHAT SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE HAVE DONE,
have the courage to do it,
and you will be successful, too.”
Joseph J. Charbonneau, (d. 1997), Speaker, CPAE

I. 10 Leadership Myths Debunked


Myth #1: Leadership is a Position.

The best idea in Creative Leadership may be that leadership is not about the position, the office in the corner, the money or the success. And yet these material objects are inexplicably linked to our notion of leadership by our society and the corporate culture which indicates it is dissatisfied with this staus quo.
Creative Leadership demands more from us.
Some people lead without ever gaining the big bucks, or big office, yet they have the status in their genre of business. Imagine going into a mission and not finding a missionary in charge, but the cook. You might question the mission of the mission. (Granted there might be a good explanation, in some cases.)
In every endeavor, someone has to oversee and direct what is going on. While they may occasionally “get their hands dirty,” the main functions of a leader are two-fold 1) to see that things are working according to a plan, 2) to find and prepare the correct people to work the plan.
“Creative Leadership is about leading people successfully through healthy change and growth. Synonymous?”
-Dan Cassin, Author, Speaker and ConsultantSo Creative Leadership isn’t about a position. In fact, we all know someone who is a de facto leader in an organization, but who doesn’t have the rank or authority. When there is a problem or challenge, everyone looks to that person for answers and help, instead of the assigned or positioned leader.
The myth of the Big (real) Title, Big Corner Office, and Big Salary is just that, a myth, for the majority of people who go to work for a major corporation. Some people figure that out and leave to start their own business, or go to another corporation, and try it again.
The fact that position is not the end all, result of Leadership means there is something more to value in Creative Leadership. And there is.

Creative Leadership is about leading people to success through healthy change and growth (synonymous?).
Creative Leadership is helping people to find their niche and area of growth, and then helping them grow to success.
Creative Leadership is about leading companies and organizations successfully using Mission, Vision, Values and Goals, Strategic planning, financial/ budgetary planning, Time Management, Project Management, People Management, Team and Training Development and Research and Development to help your people stay on the cutting edge, maybe even define that edge(?).
What is Creative Leadership really about for you?