I’ve often wondered why I enjoy working much more and tend to be more creative when I am giving my services for free.

I’d like to say I laugh at Money – Pah! However I don’t think I’m nearly that cool and I like life’s little luxuries but now I think I know the answer.

At Aspire we are often asked:

How do I motivate my workforce? How do I get them to show initiative? How do I get them to take ownership? How do I get them to go the extra mile? etc. etc.

Well, obviously, you can offer higher incentives (status/money) or you can beat them into submission with threats and intimidation. That’s extrinsic motivation (in that it is coming from an external force). Will it work?

Think of something difficult and not necessarily enjoyable that you have achieved that you voluntarily not only embarked on but went the extra mile. Why on earth did you do it?

This brilliant video of Dan Pink on TED talking about intrinsic motivation – mastery, autonomy, and purpose – might help clarify things:

Freedom to be Creative

So my thoughts are that when I give my services for free I am literally free to think creatively. No pressure of an incentive to box in my vision. I don’t feel bought or owned. I don’t have to be right. I have the freedom to fail – crucial in the creative process.

Autonomy Within a System

At Aspire, when we look at the issues of growing initiative and a sense of ownership in the workplace we start with Personal Branding.

If you know your values and have an understanding of the vision for your work and your life you have a sense of purpose.

If you know who you are, what you stand for, and why you are doing what you are doing, you can start to make decisions about what to do and the best way for you to do it effectively. So you start to build a sense of autonomy.

When you take responsibility for tackling a task in your own way you develop mastery.

If these three ingredients are encouraged and nurtured in the individuals that make up an organisation you can create a workforce  with real motivation who show initiative and creativity. If the leader has them too then, like Russian Dolls, each person’s autonomous vision can sit within the greater shell of the whole vision.

I call this autonomy within a system.