2. What Motivates People: The Real Story

Have you ever thought about why you get out of bed in the morning (and stay up)? Why do you jump up enthusiastically on some mornings and drag yourself out of bed on others?

Have you ever wondered what it takes to walk away from the five-hundred-calorie muffin instead of caving in to the temptation?

Have you ever considered how your angry, defensive, or self-righteous energy differs from your loving, compassionate, and joyful energy?

Answers to these questions can be found in the compelling evidence that human beings have an innate tendency and desire to thrive. We want to grow, develop, and be fully functioning. Of course, the science is just catching up to what creative and thoughtful people have understood throughout our existence. Movies such as The Wizard of Oz, Star Wars, and Gravity portray our nature to thrive. Poets such as Kahlil Gibran, Maya Angelou, and Robert Frost have reflected our longing for wholeness. Ancient and modern artists and musicians continue to capture our yearning for self-identity, growth, and a meaningful connection to others. We want to flourish—but we cannot do it alone. We are, by nature, social animals. Striving to reach our individual human potential is natural, yet we innately recognize that the interconnection between ourselves and the world around us is a vital part of that process.

Our desire to thrive may be innate, but thriving doesn't happen automatically—especially at work. Just because we gravitate toward psychological growth and integration doesn't guarantee it will happen. Human thriving in the workplace is a dynamic potential that requires nurturing. The workplace either facilitates, fosters, and enables our flourishing or it disrupts, thwarts, and impedes it. In fact, conventional motivational practices have undermined more often than they've encouraged our human potential.

The bad news is that we have paid a high price for working with outdated ideas about motivation. The good news is that this is where the new science of motivation emerges as both a radical departure and an exciting opportunity.

If you come to know the real story of motivation, you will experience a shift in the way you live and work—and, importantly, in the way you lead.