SCHOOL LEADERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY ARE FACING A BURNOUT CRISIS. IN A JUNE 2022 GALLUP POLL, K-12 TEACHER
REPORTED THE HIGHEST RATES OF BURNOUT AMONG ALL U. S. PROFESSIONS, WITH FOUR OUT OF EVERY 10 TEACHER
SAYING THEY ALWAYS OR VERY OFTEN FEEL BURNED OUT. PART OF EVERY SCHOOL LEADERS JOB IS TO KEEP THEIR STAF
MEMBERS MOTIVATED BUT WITH SO MUCH PRESSURE MOUNTING ON EDUCATORS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, HOW CAN YO
KEEP YOUR FIRE FOR EDUCATION BURNING BRIGHT? THROUGH THEIR EXTENSIVE RESEARCH, HUSBAND AND WIFE TEA
NEEL DOSHI AND LINDSAY MCGREGOR HAVE BECOME THE WORLDS LEADING EXPERTS ON THE SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION AN
ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY. AS THEY SEE IT, MOTIVATION CAN BE LEVERAGED TO PROMOTE POSITIVE CULTURES O
HIGH PERFORMANCE AND WITH THEIR COMPANY VEGA FACTOR, THEY HELP ORGANIZATIONS DO JUST THAT. THEY’VE EVE
PUBLISHED A BESTSELLING BOOK, PRIMED TO PERFORM, LAYING OUT THEIR MOST IMPACTFUL FINDINGS. WE SAT DOWN WIT
DOSHI, AN EXPERT IN HUMAN CAPITAL AND PERFORMANCE, TO DISCUSS THE SCIENCE OF MOTIVATION AND HOW YOU CAN APP
IT TO KEEP YOUR STAFF ENGAGED IN THEIR CRITICAL WORK. AS HE EXPLAINS, THE LEVELS OF MOTIVATION IN YOUR SCHOOL
ARE VERY MUCH WITHIN YOUR CONTROL IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS. WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU MEAN BY MOTIVATION
MOTIVATION BOILS DOWN TO A FAIRLY SIMPLE PRINCIPLE: WHY WE WORK DETERMINES HOW WE WORK. A PERSONS REASON FO
DOING SOMETHING IS THE SOURCE OF THEIR MOTIVATION. THERE ARE SIX FUNDAMENTAL REASONS WHY PEOPLE DO ANYTHING. TH
FIRST MOTIVE IS CALLED PLAY. PLAY IS WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING SIMPLY BECAUSE YOU ENJOY DOING IT. A LOT OF COMPANIES GE
THIS WRONG, BY THE WAY. THEY THINK PLAY COMES FROM PING-PONG TABLES OR KOMBUCHA ON TAP, BUT THAT’S NOT WHAT IT
LIGHTING A FIRE,
ABOUT. THE PLAY MOTIVE HAS TO COME FROM THE ACTIVITY ITSELF. FOR EXAMPLE, A SCHOOL TEACHER MOTIVATED BY PLAY SIMP
ENJOYS THE WORK OF TEACHING. THEY MIGHT ENJOY COMING UP WITH CURRICULA OR ASSIGNMENTS. THEY ENJOY THE DAY-T
DAY MOMENTS OF WORKING WITH KIDS IN THEIR CLASSROOM. THE SECOND MOTIVE IS CALLED PURPOSE. PURPOSE IS WHEN YO
DO SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU VALUE ITS IMMEDIATE OUTCOME. THIS IS ANOTHER AREA SOME COMPANIES ARE GETTING WRON
NOT BURNING OUT
THEY THINK THAT PURPOSE IS SOME BIG, GRANDIOSE MISSION STATEMENT. THAT’S NOT WHAT IT IS. WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE WHAT YOU’R
DOING MATTERS RIGHT NOW NOT THAT IT WILL MATTER EVENTUALLY, BUT RIGHT NOW THAT’S THE PURPOSE MOTIVE. THEN, THERE
THE POTENTIAL MOTIVE. IF PURPOSE HAS TO DO WITH THE IMMEDIATE OUTCOME OF YOUR WORK, POTENTIAL HAS TO DO WITH TH
EVENTUAL OUTCOME. WE CALL PLAY, PURPOSE, AND POTENTIAL THE THREE DIRECT MOTIVES BECAUSE THEY ARE DIRECTLY RELATE
AUTHOR AND RESEARCHER NEEL DOSHI TELLS US THE SECRET TO INCREASING M O T I V AT I O N .
TO THE WORK ITSELF. BUT THERE ARE ALSO INDIRECT MOTIVES, MOTIVES THAT ARE NOT CONNECTED TO THE WORK. WHILE TH
DIRECT MOTIVES INCREASE PERFORMANCE, THE INDIRECT MOTIVES DECREASE PERFORMANCE. THE FIRST OF THE INDIRECT MOTIVE
IS EMOTIONAL PRESSURE WHEN SOME KIND OF EXTERNAL FORCE ACTS ON YOUR IDENTITY IN ORDER TO GET YOU TO DO SOMETHIN
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, HAVE YOU EVER USED GUILT TO MOTIVATE A LOVED ONE? THAT’S EMOTIONAL PRESSURE. THE NEXT INDIRECT MOTIV
IS CALLED ECONOMIC PRESSURE THE CARROT OR THE STICK. YOU’RE DOING SOMETHING BECAUSE YOU’RE TRYING TO GET A REWAR
OR AVOID A PUNISHMENT. AND LAST IS INERTIA. ITS WHEN YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHY YOURE DOING WHAT YOURE DOING. YOU’RE JUS
GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. IF YOU WANT A HIGH-PERFORMING ORGANIZATION, THEN YOUR PEOPLE NEED TO BE MOTIVATE
BY PLAY, PURPOSE, AND POTENTIAL NOT EMOTIONAL PRESSURE, ECONOMIC PRESSURE, OR INERTIA. WHY IS THE SCIENCE O
MOTIVATION IMPORTANT AND HOW DOES IT APPLY TO SCHOOLS? ORGANIZATIONS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING WITH DISENGAGEMEN
ESPECIALLY TODAY. BURNOUT IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH. A RECENT SURVEY FROM GALLUP THAT FOUND THAT SOMEWHERE AROUND 70
OF AMERICANS AT WORK ARE JUST CHECKING THE BOX, DOING THE BARE MINIMUM TO GET BY. AND THIS IS NOT THEIR FAULT. THIS
THE MOTIVATIONAL CONSTRUCT AROUND THEM. ORGANIZATIONS ARE MAKING PEOPLE UNMOTIVATED AT WORK BECAUSE LEADER
ARE TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO ACT LIKE AUTOMATONS OR COGS IN A MACHINE; THEY GENUINELY BELIEVE THAT’S WHAT IMPROVE
PERFORMANCE. SO ITS NO SURPRISE THAT THE MAJORITY OF PEOPLE ARE SPENDING THEIR ADULT LIVES FEELING COMPLETE
UNFULFILLED. TOO MANY FORCES IN OUR SOCIETY THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE NEED TO BE PRESSURED IN ORDER TO PERFORM WEL
ITS NO DIFFERENT IN OUR SCHOOLS. EVEN PREDATING THE PANDEMIC REALLY SINCE THE EARLY 80SWEVE BEEN SYSTEMICAL
PUTTING EMOTIONAL PRESSURE AND ECONOMIC PRESSURE ON EDUCATORS WHILE DECREASING THEIR PLAY AND PURPOSE. AND TH
PANDEMIC HAS JUST MADE THINGS WORSE. IF WE CONTINUE ON THAT TRAJECTORY, WELL SEE PERFORMANCE MOTIVATION CONTINU
TO REDUCE, COUPLED WITH SIGNIFICANT STRESS AND EVENTUAL BURNOUT. THAT’S WHERE UNDERSTANDING THE SCIENCE O
MOTIVATION IS SO IMPORTANT. ONCE YOU KNOW WHICH MOTIVATORS ARE DRIVING YOUR PEOPLE, YOU CAN START TO PROBLEM-SOLV