cairossam

The Concept of A.I.M was born out of necessity while I was writing (well more to the point attempting to write) my book called Financial Dignity. The book took many years to research and develop but I was to realise just now much of the time was taken up doing nothing. Many months would go by without me even lifting a pen, tapping a key on the word processor, or turning a page. In between times I would feel highly motivated and would get stuck into the research and bang out a few more pages then do nothing for months. In the introduction of Financial Dignity I refer to my age at the time and recall quite clearly when I realised I was 3 years older than when I had first started writing the book, but it was still nowhere near finished. I shudder to think that those 3 years had crept up on me so swiftly. The inexorable movement of time had caught me out while I was looking the other way and I had wasted so much of it. Then it had dawned on me why I had not finished the book I had started ...

A good motivation theory has to recognize the fact that we each get motivated differently. In the practice of neuro-linguistic programming or "NLP" this is taken into account in many ways. One of the more useful NLP theories is the concept of "away-from" and "towards" personalities. Of course, we each have both modes of operation as a part of the way we function, but often one is dominant in each of us. Those in who the "towards" motivation dominates will be more affected by thoughts of future rewards. Those with a primarily "away-from" motivational style, will be more affected by thoughts of escaping pain or trouble. Why not use this test to get an idea about which motivational style dominates your personality? Just read the following two descriptions of what having millions of dollars could mean to you. 1. You are safe and secure. You never have to return to your job or do anything you don't want to do. You have the means to elim...

Intrinsic motivation is when an individual is motivated by internal factors, as opposed to external factors.  Examples of intrinsic motivation would be doing something because you feel it is the moral and ethical thing to do; doing something because you know it will benefit others or doing something because it brings you pleasure and joy.  The latter is common in regards to an enjoyable pastime or a hobby. It is believed that intrinsic motivation is far stronger than extrinsic motivation however there are times when extrinsic motivation can become stronger because it displaces intrinsic motivation.  This is known as the overjustification effect. For example this occurs when you begin doing something for intrinsic reasons and then are offered monies or another type of reward for doing it that overrides the reason you started doing it in the first place.  In many cases when this happens, a person loses interest in the activity once the reward is taken away. The key is ...

Today’s fast-moving business environment demands that the effective manager be both a well-organized administrator and highly adept in understanding people’s basic needs and behaviour in the workplace. Gaining commitment, nurturing talent, and ensuring employee motivation and productivity require open communication and trust between managers and staff. 1. Understand their behaviour People at work naturally tend to adopt instinctive modes of behaviour that are self-protective rather than open and collaborative. This explains why emotion is a strong force in the workplace and why management often reacts violently to criticisms and usually seeks to control rather than take risks. So, in order to eliminate this kind of perspective and to increase employee motivation, it is best that you influence behaviour rather than to change personalities. Insisting what you expect from your employees will only worsen the situation.  2. Be sure that people’s lower-level needs are met. People have va...