Bringing Volunteering Back!

I am reading a fascinating book called Management Rewired (http://www.amazon.com/Management-Rewired-Feedback-Surprising-Lessons/dp/159184262X) which applies new findings in cognitive science to management. Yesterday on the train home from New York I read a chapter that blew me away. Studies show that people are not motivated by money (or deterred by punishment). If you try to get children to stop eating sweets by threatening them, they will not learn to stay out of the cookie jar but rather to cleverly avoid getting caught! If you incentivize people by paying them extra money, they will eventually come to expect the money and believe that is what the job is worth. They may even start enjoying the work less as the extra extrinsic motivation (the money) suppresses the intrinsic one (their personal love for the work).

 Buddhist “mind science” would not find these discoveries surprising, but I did. They have some profound implications. The most interesting to me is that, maybe to really love doing something, you need to do it for free! Since extrinsic motivation suppresses intrinsic motivation, maybe the best way to love something intrinsically is to remove extrinsic motivation entirely.

 In other words, volunteering – the Intent focus for the week – is the path to intrinsic happiness.

 Just don’t tell my clients this or they may suggest I release yet more love for my work.  ; )

 

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About kaihan.krippendorff

A strategist, author and innovation expert, Kaihan Krippendorff teaches executives, managers and business owners how to seize opportunities others ignore, unlock innovation, and build strategic thinking skills. Companies such as Microsoft, Citigroup, and Johnson & Johnson have successfully implemented Kaihan’s approach because their executive leadership sees the value of his innovative technique. A former consultant with McKinsey & Co., Kaihan has spent more than a decade studying corporate conflict. He is the author of three business strategy books – “The Way of Innovation,” “The Art of the Advantage,” and “Hide a Dagger Behind a Smile.” Each text delves into the keys to true competitiveness and innovation. Kaihan identifies mental patterns applied by great military strategists – from Sun Tzu to John Boyd – and applies those strategies to modern breakthrough companies, such as Apple, Whole Foods, and Rosetta Stone. His approach teaches a systematic way to reveal strategic alternatives others ignore. By combining multiple patterns, companies can create disruptive strategies that trigger breakthrough performance. An expert blogger with FastCompany.com, Kaihan has also been featured in key business media outlets, including BusinessWeek, The Miami‐Herald, Harvard Business Review, National Public Radio, and Bloomberg Radio. Kaihan works regularly with ambitious large and medium‐sized corporations including Wal‐Mart, L’Oreal and Morgan Stanley. He has delivered keynote speeches for organizations such as Motorola, Schering‐Plough, Colgate‐Palmolive, Fortune Magazine, Harvard Business Review, the Society of Human Resource Managers, the Entrepreneurs Organization, and The Asia Society. He also regularly conducts programs as a faculty member of Wharton Executive Education, and he is a professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at Florida International University. Beyond his research into Eastern military tactics and his own entrepreneurial success, Kaihan has master’s degrees in business administration from Columbia Business School and London Business School, a Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania's School of Engineering. Kaihan is fluent in English with conversational command of Spanish and German.

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One Response to Bringing Volunteering Back!

  1. laura.duksta July 2, 2009 at 7:04 am #

    Hello My Friend! What a nice surprise to see you here-I'm so glad I logged on this morning.

    And an intersting topic as well…I have found that I love what I do so much that I would do it for free–and often do–but that does not pay the bills or allow me to live the lifestyle I desire. In writing this I realize the exchange that I do receive aligns with my highest value…I have the opportunity to go into schools and connect with and inspire children. Perhaps if I begin to link growing my wealth and/or getting paid well to being able to fulfill on that highest value or intent (to travel the world, meet my brothers and sisters and spread the message of love) I would begin to value (more) getting paid well and attract that. Thanks for that reminder Kaihan!

    I would suggest that people look at their highest values (everyones are different) and seek motivation from that space. If it is not money or wealth and for many of us it isn't–we may want to spend some time figuring out how money will serve us in attaining our highest value or Intent!

    Keep Shining! Send love to you, Pilar and your family!

    Laura Duksta

    author, Ny Times Bestseller, I Love You More