Comments on: Business: It's Not Really About the Money

By: Pranay

Pranay — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:26:30 +0000

None of the likes of Jesus, Sai Baba, Guru Nanak, etc? They too kept working despite of any selfish intention

where do u place them?

By: Shaun Connell

Shaun Connell — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:11:06 +0000

First, let me say I just discovered this website. I am absolutely loving it. What a brilliant concept, and business model. My hat is off to you.

That said, I think we can’t forget the thoughtless and/or incoherent motivation. Many people pick jobs, go to school, retire — all without really having a /coherent/ motivation. To them, their reasoning for working might simply be “because” or “everyone expects me to” or “what else would I do?”

This is one of the most blatant motives I see around me. I work with several people who could easily walk away from what they are doing, but simply … don’t. They don’t really fit into any real “mold”, and their response to the idea of quitting is usually a quizzical look.

I’d love to read your thoughts on the topic. Thanks once again for the stellar content,
Shaun Connell

By: Darren

Darren — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:41:06 +0000

“it’s easier to get what you really want if you identify what you really want.” – brilliantly said!

Great article Josh. You’ve explained it in substantial detail, and what I take out is really that when we do something for the love of it, that’s when true success follows. If you’re just doing something for the money, it will always be the wrong reason.

I like your take on it!

After all, why settle for a fortune when you can change the world!

By: Gokhan

Gokhan — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 11:15:55 +0000

First all, I read Personal MBA book and benefited a lot from the authors. Thank you for the good work.

This question has been wrestled with centuries & one of the best philosophers and clergies answered. I found the best answer comes from one of the greatest American philosopher/clergy on why do we do things and what’s the motivation behind Jonathan Edwards:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/Articles/ByDate/1987/1494_Was_Jonathan_Edwards_a_Christian_Hedonist/

By: Jesse Dame

Jesse Dame — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:41:57 +0000

I love this post and the comments that follow. I think the most difficult thing and most rewarding thing anyone can do for themselves is find their passion and understand their motivation. To be honest I am still struggling to narrow down my own passion. It is certainly an ethical question that is not questioned enough today. I may be biased as a former philosophy student, but I think everyone should study some basic ethical philosophy and consider their own beliefs. For a solid exposition on this topic check out Peter Singer’s “How Are We to Live?: Ethics in an Age of Self-Interest.” It’s not one of his top selling books, but he proposes altruism as a universal ethic and cites some very interesting case studies, including an NFL coach that won a Super Bowl and a wealthy New York family that moves to Africa to serve others.

By: John Spence

John Spence — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:30:14 +0000

Josh, another great post with some great comments from your other readers. I spent all last week in Palm Springs at the Global Institute for Leadership Development and while I was there had a chance to chat with Tom Peters about this very subject. It turns out he and I are in almost complete agreement that the major things that motivate workers today are: opportunity, appreciation, and meaning. In my work with hundreds of high potential employees at Fortune 500 companies around the country the words I most often hear now are: respect, passion, meaning, authenticity, and making a difference. Oh sure, they still want to get paid well, but they’re not so wrapped up in status and salary as folks used to be just a few years ago. I like the different archetypes that you have created, and as you said these are just your names for a pattern you’ve seen in the way people act and behave, but your main point of “it’s not about the money” is absolutely 100% on target. If you give people a really great working atmosphere, a superb culture, and pay them fairly — you can attract and retain superb employees. Give them a crappy culture and a lot of money, and only the greedy ones stay — give them a crappy culture and low pay, and only the ones who cannot find a job someplace else will stay. I think Lou Gerstner from IBM said it well “In my time at IBM I learned that culture wasn’t one of the things– it was the only thing.” Keep up the great work Josh, I love your website and always enjoy reading your blogs. Take it easy my friend — John Spence

By: Josh Kaufman

Josh Kaufman — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 15:14:41 +0000

Great points, everyone. To Hari & Bart’s point, I think service is more of an orientation that can fit any of these motivations – i.e. are you attempting to gain power, status, pleasure, creation/change, or quality for yourself (egoism), for someone else (altruism), or some combination of the two? It’s a fascinating question that points toward important questions of ethics – what is the “right” orientation, and what is the “right” motivation?

Take all of these archetypes with a grain of salt – they’re patterns that I’ve noticed and put a name to, not facts etched in stone. Thanks for your thoughts – keep the ideas coming!

By: Anupam

Anupam — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:48:00 +0000

The article makes sense in theory but at the face of it, consider maslows.. parents in india might let go of their food clothing and shelter needs to give their kids education .. here the maslows theory goes for a toss …. people live in rented places but buy the best appliances for comfort.

While the theory is good, generalization becomes a bit difficult as mentioned by hari and the rest !?

Regards,
Anupam,
PRO,
http://www.ManagementParadise.com

By: Bart

Bart — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 05:09:01 +0000

I agree with Hari. Where does service fit into this model?

By: Hari

Hari — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:13:10 +0000

I suspect that there should be something more deeper level of motivation beyond the “craftsman” kind, because even a craftsman can get bored doing the same thing again. May be some altruistic intention – like to serve others in a better way.