Management for Extremely High Performers
Essentials of Intrinsic Motivation
The managers I’ve been most impressed by were masters at fostering intrinsic motivation across their teams. They all had this one thing in common — each had a secret passion early in life that they literally could not help but devote themselves to.
This began to make a lot of sense to me. If you want to build a team of people getting paid for work they would happily do for free, it seems pretty crucial to know what that feels like yourself. To build a team where each individual is recognized and supported for the genius they cannot help but contribute, you’ll likely have to balance tracking each person’s gifts while continually re-connecting to your own.
So…what is the earliest time you can recall, probably from childhood, where you gave everything you had to something for no reason other than the pure joy of it? Many executives I’ve coached instantly knew their moment, while others had to sift a good while to remember it, but I’ll share an example from my own childhood that always brings me back to my best work…the first time I discovered “Role-playing Games” way back in 7th grade.
The new kid in the neighborhood wanted to trade for some of my most cherished G.I. Joe figures, we’d gotten too old to play with them much but they remained our most valued currency for exchanging goods! Just when it seemed clear he had nothing worth it for me, I’ll never forget him reluctantly pulling out this peculiar looking box labelled “Dungeons & Dragons”. I was immediately skeptical yet at the same time something drew me in…and as he explained how this odd game worked, with it’s funny shaped dice and no board to play on, the lightbulb went off in my head. The board existed in our imaginations, upon which each player could co-improvise stories together. The new kid got my Joe’s.
It’s too much of a blur for me to track how many days straight I focused on nothing but this game. Time disappeared as I ecstatically wrote out descriptions of places that never existed and described all of the characters living there the players might encounter. I do remember the morning my Mom got up at 6am to find me already awake, fervently writing atop the stairs. Turns out her friends from church had warned her this game was actually some sort of satanic brainwashing for kids and sure enough here her son was zealously obsessed in a way she’d never witnessed…I was beyond crestfallen as I conceded and tossed the game into our outside dumpster.
And I was beyond elated as I snuck out that night, rescuing my game and burying it out in the woods where my friends and I could quietly rendezvous to play. This, of course, would’ve made it seem even more disturbing to any adults had we been found out, but also even more adventurous to play as we secretly convened at that spot for the next few years.
I see so many metaphors in this story for the times in my career I’ve been most passionate and devoted to my work, but the most important reminder for me is how ecstatic it felt to devote every bit of my creativity to something from sheer joy and zero obligation. Just remembering that feeling usually brings me back there a bit, and always helps me catch any of the ways my work has drifted back towards auto-pilot and efforting.
So back to you! Most people easily recall their first love in another person, but can you recall the first time you fell completely for your own creative process? There are volumes of distinctions on this topic, countless ways to better manage your team towards optimal performance and maximum sustainability, but I hope you take some time to sink back into intimate connection to your own optimal first.
I’d also love to hear from you if you’re inspired to share your memory, this particular exploration remains a life passion for me and one I’ve continually found myself surprised by, but only forever…
Prime Movers Lab invests in breakthrough scientific startups founded by Prime Movers, the inventors who transform billions of lives. We invest in seed-stage companies reinventing energy, transportation, infrastructure, manufacturing, human augmentation and computing
Sign up here if you are not already subscribed to our blog.
