According
to Andy Mulholland, there are three most significant motivators: to do
interesting work, to expand skill sets, and to be recognized and valued. It’s interesting to me that money and power are
not among these motivators.
These
motivation can manifest themselves in a variety of ways and will change from
person to person and job to job. When I
was in school, one of the hardest things I dealt with was jobs that were known
as “college jobs”. These are jobs that
you get to help pay the bills, but don’t use very much brain power. For several years I worked as a merchandiser
for a major manufacturer of cookies and crackers. I would drive from store to store, stocking
shelves and building displays. At first,
the work was good, and the pay was decent.
I was able to pay the bills, and as time went on, my skill level
increased and I was able to work faster and finish up quicker. After a while, though, the work was boring
and depressing. We were never recognized
for anything we did, and dealing with store managers was generally a
nightmare. The only thing I looked
forward to about work was being able to listen to audio books. The first motivator Mr. Mulholland talks
about was not present in my job. I was
going crazy with boredom and not being able to use my brain in my job. Over time, I would find other jobs, some of
which were more engaging then others.
Even for the first little while in the Air Force I would get frustrated
because I had very little responsibility and did not feel like I was fulfilling
my potential.
I
was recently placed into a job that stretched both my mind and my
capabilities. While this job can be incredibly
stressful and overwhelming at times, I still like this job substantially more
than previous jobs I’ve had. I still
feel like I am inadequate for this job; however, I would rather deal with these
feeling while learning and impacting, than being confident in a menial work
based job.
This
leads me to the second motivator. The
work I do is very interesting and fast paced.
At times I feel like I am drinking from a fire hose, and can’t learn
everything I need to do fast enough. I
am learning a great deal about deployments, logistics, planning and
leadership. I am in a position where I
am forced to learn and grow at an incredibly rapid rate, yet the rewards are
tremendous. I don’t know that I will never
want to do a job like this again; yet, I am grateful for the opportunity, and
hope to learn all I can from it.
The
third motivator is being recognized and valued.
It can be frustrating when you put a lot of effort into a job or event
and you feel that no one appreciates your work.
I have worked for various people that have treated their employees
poorly. This can be frustrating,
disheartening, and make you want to quit.
At my current job, my commander never hesitates to show his appreciation
when you have to stay late, work weekends, or put a lot of effort into a successful
project. He not only lets you know he
appreciates your work, but he will praise you in front of others. I have also seen the Wing Commander present
coins, awards, and congratulate publicly when they have done something
praiseworthy.
While
these are significant motivators, I don’t feel like they are the only
ones. In my own life, I have other
motivators that push me to work hard at my job.
The first one is family. My
family is the most important thing in the world to me. Being able to provide my child and wife with
healthcare, education, quality food, and a respectable home are very important
to me. I don’t feel like I have to rain
down gifts and jewels upon their heads; but, I want to do the best I can to
give them a comfortable life free from constant financial problems.
Another
motivator in my life is pride. I want to
take pride in the things I do, and do them well. My grandfather and father have always worked
hard to build our name, so when they people meet us, we never have to worry
about being associated with them. I want
my wife and children to be able to say the same thing. I want them to be proud of who they are and
where they come from. I am constantly
motivated to do my best so I can make them proud.
A
final motivator for myself at work is taking care of others. What I do at my job affects the ease and
ability to which other people can do their job, and go to where they need to for
our country’s defense. If I do my job
poorly, it complicates others jobs. It
gives me great pride to be able to make life easier for others, so they can get
to where they are going safely, and return to see their families with
ease. When I first moved in to this job,
I was put in charge of handling a redeployment for over 200 people returning
airmen. It was my job to get them on the
ground, through customs, and back to their families as quick as possible. We received a lot of backlash from commanders
because we would not let them see their families before processing through
customs. We were trying to obey the law,
and get them back to their loved ones as quickly as possible. With the help of many volunteers, we were
able to get them back to their families in under two hours. Having grown up in the army, I understand the
anticipation the children had while waiting to see their deployed parent and
how excited they were. My greatest motivation
was getting them home so they could be reunited with their loved ones.
When
we lose our motivations in life, we lose our desire to actively participate in it. When I think about my motivations, and what
it would be like to lose them, I can’t imagine being able to function. As long as I can keep these motivations
strong, I feel like I can handle anything that is thrown at me.
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