2024.11.13

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Watch a video of this post or read it below.

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Many high-ambition leaders have an unhealthy relationship to motivation.

But it’s not their fault. You see, they don’t realize that they’ve been conditioned to achieve using “acceptable” kinds of motivation as a driver.

The problem with being driven by inauthentic motivation is that it drains your energy unnecessarily and leads to burnout.

So let’s talk about the common motivators that people tap into that allow them to persist over the long run, and do a check-in to see if you are relying on your authentic motivators or if you’ve been conditioned to rely on ones that aren’t completely natural to you.

Note: We’ll talk about short-term motivators, fear-based or loss-aversion motivation, and toxic motivation another time.

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10 Sources of Authentic Motivation

As you read the following list, take note of which ones resonate with you. Keep in mind that none of these is intrinsically better or worse.

1. Competition

Testing one’s own skills and abilities against another person, a metric, or the “clock” motivates some people. They can equally relish playing their part on a team, can intentionally foster camaraderie in a group, or want to rise to a challenge together.

2. Curiosity

Experimentation, the discovery of information, or having an inquiring mind is what motivates some people. The desire to satisfy their curiosity keeps them going.

3. Fun/Enjoyment/Pleasure

When you’re having a good time, it’s natural to be motivated to continue.

4. Helping others

When directly helping someone, the experience itself could be the motivation to keep going. When indirectly helping others (e.g., being an accountant at a nonprofit) sometimes the ultimate outcome (e.g., having helped the organization to deliver on its mission this year) is why people persist.

5. Material Rewards

Money, financial instruments (e.g., stock), material possessions, experiences (e.g., vacations), perks, etc., are examples of material rewards that motivate people to achieve at work.

6. Purpose

Purpose can be role-dependent or can span across an entire career. When a sense of purpose is especially strong, it may be thought of as a calling.

7. Recognition

Recognition includes formal acknowledgement like awards, degrees and certificates, job titles, and memberships, as well as informal acknowledgments like a note of praise, having a certain reputation, etc.

8. Self-mastery

Being motivated by self-mastery means we desire to better ourselves in some way, for the sake of evolving, growing, or to stretch ourselves. We are motivated to rise to our potential.

9. Social connection

Being with certain people, getting to know them, and working alongside them motivates some people at work.

10. Structure

Completing tasks within a certain cadence, routine, or context is highly motivating for some.

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Inauthentic Motivation

As you read the list of common motivators, you likely easily picked out the ones you rely on most.

But the ones that we rely on most aren’t necessarily the ones most authentic to us. You see, many of us have been conditioned to use a certain motivation in order to achieve.

As we were growing up, our parent(s)/caregiver(s), authority figures in our lives, groups we were a part of, and society at large directly and indirectly shaped our motivations. We received strong, overt messages about what kind of motivations were acceptable, appropriate, distasteful, or just plain wrong.

For example, a high-achieving mission-driven individual might initially think their strong motivators are helping others, recognition, and self-mastery, but then realize that they are actually motivated by material rewards, fun, and self-mastery. It’s just that they had internalized messages that said fun and material rewards weren’t “appropriate” reasons to do something.

Problems with Relying on Inauthentic Motivation

As long as the work gets accomplished, why does it matter what the underlying motivation was?

The biggest reason is that relying on an inauthentic motivator is a surefire way to end up getting burned out. You see, during the process of becoming conditioned, we end up disconnected from our inner wisdom. We learned to override our natural desires and tendencies – one of which is our personal “early warning system” that alerts when we’ve started working too hard for too long.

But in our original, unconditioned state, we naturally do not work ourselves to the point of being drained or burned out. We stop when it’s time to rest and replenish ourselves – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

When you rely on your authentic motivators, you’re just as productive but you no longer routinely push past your limits. In fact, you might even be more productive (because you don’t get as drained) and find that you are enjoying your work on a new level.

Note: It is possible to end up in a toxic application of a healthy motivator. That is a topic for another day.

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Identifying Your Authentic Motivation

Pro tip – you don’t have to tell anyone what you are motivated by. If you’ll be judged or disapproved of for what motivates you to do the awesome work that you do and to achieve at high levels, then consider keeping your reasons to yourself.

Here is a set of reflection questions you can use to help discern whether your current go-to motivators are truly authentic to you.

Questions to Ponder

What are your top motivators?

When you read through the list, were there any that you judged or viewed negatively? That’s a sure sign that you’ve received some messaging about it.

Think back to your childhood. Which of the motivators were viewed positively in your home? Which were viewed negatively?

In your chosen discipline and industry, which of the motivators seem to be most prevalent? Are there any that you’d be embarrassed to claim as your own among your colleagues?

As you’ve personally experienced societal pressures and norms, which of the motivators are most celebrated versus demonized?

Upon reflection, are your go-to motivators truly authentic to you or are you relying on ones that you’ve been conditioned to choose?

Relying on a Different Motivator

Often the mere act of realizing what truly motivates you and embracing it is all it takes to shift into an authentic relationship with motivation. Tap into your authentic motivators and enjoy the flow.

But sometimes, we’ve been so conditioned to use a particular motivator that relying on a different one feels completely foreign. If that’s the case, adopt an open mindset and commit to experimenting a little bit at a time. At the end of a workday you can reflect on what was driving you. Or, for any given day you could pick a motivator, lean into it, and see how it feels.

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