Pleasure and Pain Don’t Offer Perspective

Pleasure and pain are wonderful motivators:

People by their very nature are experiential. This is to say that they must generally experience a great deal of pain or pleasure to enable the catalysts for change to take root. It is my submission that change only occurs in any form of permanence with the former as it takes an increasing amount of pleasure to perpetuate lasting change (see economics 101: the law of diminishing returns). – Culture is the King of Change

The Dance of Pleasure and Pain:

Pleasure, as a motivator, requires an ever-increasing dosage to sustain a given trend line of behavior. Pain, on the other hand, can serve as an acute catalyst to spur violent change. However, both lack the ability to sustain both long-lasting and high-performance results.

We are all hard-wired to seek escape from pain. The higher the amount of pain in a given situation (whether physical, emotional, or psychological) the more we seek refuge from it. The results are generally immediate, but not necessarily sustained unless the pain is consistently reintroduced. The downside – this begins to have the negative side-effect of diminishing the quality of performance sought as the only real motivation becomes avoidance behavior.

As an example, the pain of 9/11 (September 11, 2001) seems a bit more distant today than yesterday, for most not involved directly. However, the economic meltdown the U.S. (and world) recently experienced quickly snapped our heads away from the ongoing global war on terror and back to our homes and families where our livelihoods were being threatened. This certainly didn’t diminish the tragedy of 9/11, but our humanistic perceptions force us to focus on relevant threats as part of very survival instinct.

The introduction of pleasure, on the other hand, has an interesting side effect: ungratefulness or entitlement.  Over a period of time, we begin to think we are owed a certain reward for the same level of performance or types of behavior. Naturally, we also thirst for more. As an example, is it not commonplace wage-earners to expect a raise each year for what amounts to tenure?

Neither of these options offer long term motivation; One is a motivator which seeks to tear down the very core of positive motivation, whereas the other motivator encourages ultimately selfish behavior. Both are good for short term gain, but what about long term gain?

Perspective:

Perspective requires a much deeper inspection of the human psyche. A team that practices obtaining and maintaining the appropriate perspective can be maximally effective over longer periods of time when managers seek to tap into the feeling of worthwhile work – a sense that your work contributes to a great good in this world.

These thoughts on perspective tie back to my thoughts on the keys to success, specifically that of Vision:

Vision:

Perhaps the single most important component of success I witness in down times is that of vision – having a goal towards which you strive, as well as that innate ability to recognize opportunity in the darkest of times. Some might term this as hope,  but vision is much more deliberate.

Leaders are made and broken during difficult times, and can often be the most unlikely candidates. I have learned that the best of leaders offer their teams not only hope, but an achievable vision to fight towards. They do this by painting a picture their followers can not only see, but also envision how to achieve.

Vision and a solid understanding of a team member’s role in the organization and part to play in the grander scheme offers a backdrop which encourages the individual to seek self-motivating practices; that is to say, the team member seeks to impact team’s goal rather than solely focus on his or her own goals despite the team’s need. Perspective allows those with negative outlooks who are willing to see the situation without blinders to gain long term, strategic advantage over their circumstances.

Think about the military’s all volunteer force as opposed to the draft many years ago. Though I am too young to remember the draft, I can assure you the military is attracting smarter and brighter recruits because the volunteers want to contribute to the well being of our country – not because they are forced to enlist. As new armed service persons, we are encouraged to think and act in ways which preserve the the country, the unit, the mission, and each other.

In summary… pleasure and pain do not offer lasting mechanisms to spur a solid team’s performance. Instead, engendering a shared perspective ensures the team itself seeks preservation of not only its members but of the mission as a whole.

I’d love to hear your perspective… leave your comments below.

Image courtesy of chefranden.

Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Ken is also the founder of Seeking the Son. He is always interested in connecting; To discover the many ways you may connect with him, visit him at DandyID.