Motivation vs. Inspiration: The Science and Art of What Drives Us

What drives us? was the question that two of SHSMD’s 2011 keynote speakers, Lance Secretan and Dan Pink, tackled in Phoenix this past week. Both men shared their insights on how to get peak performance from ourselves and others in our organizations.

Beyond topic, though, Secretan and Pink had virtually nothing else in common.

Secretan, a former Fortune 500 CEO and leadership consultant, applied a very “Zen”-like tone to his speech on Wednesday evening, complete with animated rings of fire that illuminated the phrases, “Inspire Self. Inspire Others. Inspire the World.” His dignified demeanor and clean-shaven head reminded the audience of Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek fame.

While Pink would go on the next day to emphasize “motivation” as the term for what drives us, Secretan, on the other hand, told the audience that motivation is rooted in fear. Inspiration, on the other hand, comes from a sense of love for one another – lighting a fire inside us instead of lighting a fire under us. Lance used Humana as a case study, which has undergone a tremendous transformation in recent years. The organization faced severe changes to its business model in the early days of President Obama’s healthcare overhaul. By thinking of itself as a “Movement” instead of a “Corporation,” Humana’s executive team tapped into a higher purpose  – to be provider of well-being, instead of simply an insurance product for health care. The organization has gone on to demonstrate outstanding stock performance and is revolutionizing the way wellness is delivered.

Dan Pink, New York Times bestselling business author, began his talk Thursday morning by saying he had a “nerdier” perspectives on what drives us. A contrast of styles, Pink had a great comedic wit and emphasized the science behind his theories. He came across to the audience as grounded and approachable.

Pink mentioned the well-known fact that money isn’t the greatest motivator for employees. Companies, according to Pink, ought to pay people enough to take  the “money issue” off the table so the focus can be on the three factors that motivate people to do their best: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose.

• Autonomy allows people to feel they are in control of their work and performance – Dan reminded us that no great manager was ever described as someone who “breathed down our necks every waking hour of the day.”
• Mastery allows people to see the possibility for improving in their work, and that signs of progress and getting better is crucial for any position.
• Purpose allows people to know the “why” in their work – why it matters; why they matter.

Pink talked about companies that do “FedEx Days,” allowing people to work on a project of their choosing, a tool for hard-wiring innovation throughout the company. (They’re called “FedEx Days” for a reason: the project has to absolutely get delivered in a certain time frame.) Google is famous for its employees focusing 10% of their time on new projects and inventions. (A great example of this 10% output is Gmail.)

Secretan began his talk by saying that his insights on what drive us contradict Pink in that Secretan emphasized Inspiration while Pink focused on Motivation. According to Secretan, it’s the difference between love and fear.

From my viewpoint, I don’t believe Secretan and Pink contradicted one another. Both men had a 3-point philosophy on how to achieve optimum performance, which I termed “The Big Three.”

Here’s Lance’s “Big Three”, which he calls “Why, Be Do”:

• Why are We Here?
• How Will I Be?
• What Will I Do?

By answering the “Why, Be, Do,” you become inspired, you inspire others, and your creations inspire the world.

Pink’s “Big Three” factors of Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose overlay nicely Secretan’s “Why, Be, Do” concept.

• “What will I do?” answers the need for Autonomy
• “How will I be?” answers the need for Mastery
• “Why are we here?” answers the need for Purpose

I was grateful to have the experience to hear both points of views and styles, which created a richer experience for me, like hearing two different bands interpreting “Strawberry Fields Forever.”  The tones and rhythm are different, but the notes are the same. Leadership is never easy, especially in healthcare today. By focusing on the Big Three, we can ditch the 5-Minute Manager handbook and get to the heart of the matter of what drives us.

Were you at SHSMD? What did you think of the presentations? What drives you? Is there a brand (healthcare or other) you would hold up as an example of inspired leadership? Are you a Trekkie?