📘 Part 3: Motivation

This episode's vocabulary

Component (noun) - one of the parts of a system, process, or machine.

Interference (noun) - an occasion when someone tries to interfere in a situation.

Limp-wristed (adj.) - used to describe a man who does not behave in the strong and determined way traditionally expected in men.

Figure (noun) - an important or well-known person.

Cut (verb) - create.

Encourage (verb) - to help someone to feel confident and able to do something, or to give advice to someone to do something.

The forefront (noun) - the most important or leading position.

Zealous (adj.) - enthusiastic and eager.

Affirmative (adj.) - positive, or showing agreement.

Deter (verb) - to prevent someone from doing something or to make someone less enthusiastic about doing something by making it difficult for that person to do it or by threatening bad results if they do it.

Outlier (noun) - a person, thing, or fact that is very different from other people, things, or facts, so that it cannot be used to draw general conclusions.

Muddy the waters -  to make a situation more confused and less easy to understand or deal with.

Overwhelming (adj.) - very great or very large.

Put your head above the parapet (idiom) - to be brave enough to state an opinion that might upset someone.

Charisma (noun) - a special power that some people have naturally that makes them able to influence other people and attract their attention and admiration.

Promote (verb) - to encourage people to like, buy, use, do, or support something.

Cheerleading - the fact of strongly supporting a particular idea or person.

Channel (verb) - to direct something into a particular place or situation.

Frivolous (adj.) - behaving in a silly way and not taking anything seriously.

Praise (noun) - things that you say that express your admiration and approval of someone or something.

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Questions and Answers

M: Rory, how could employers motivate their staff?

R: Well, I suppose the basic components are just by treating them well and with basic respect and then by paying them well as well. Probably some good humor and allowing people to learn from their failures works too. This isn't rocket science, and it seems many employers struggle with these concepts.

M: Do you think money is the most important motivating factor at work?

R: I think it's the baseline, but isn't the only thing. There are other factors, but it depends on the job. Like, for example, I have a reasonable amount of freedom from interference when designing my lessons. I don't like being told to do something in a particular way. And that's useful because my bosses usually just say, like, here's the material, do what you like. So if you value that kind of freedom, then that can also be a really important motivating factor. Maybe in a job where you work in a factory, for example, that wouldn't be very motivating.

M: How could leaders encourage their employees?

R: By actually leading, I think. There are so many sort of limp-wristed and uninspiring leaders out there who say a lot, but they actually do very little and they don't exactly cut inspiring figures to follow. So leaders should be prepared to give good examples and encourage people to do the same.

M: Is it a good thing that a leader likes taking risks?

R: I suppose they should be carefully calculated risks, but there is always an element of risk, well, when taking the lead. You're at the forefront of the effort. And that means you'll most likely be the first to see problems or at least take decisions to deal with them. So you shouldn't be scared, but you also shouldn't be overly zealous, since this can have negative side effects, too.

M: There are more male then female world leaders. Do you think this will change in the future?

R: Not unless there's some positive discrimination or affirmative action or whatever you want to call it. No. Firstly, generally speaking, men are better at this kind of work, although they shouldn't exclude or deter women, who are like outliers, from participating if they can. If they have the the goods, then why not use it? Secondly, most leaders have support from the majority of their population and that seems to include men and women. So they seem to prefer voting for and supporting men in this case. So this all seems largely biological in origin, and that means it's probably not likely to change anytime soon.

M: When making decisions should a leader discuss it with team members?

R: It depends on the nature of the problem. To make a good decision, you need to have access to as much relevant information as possible. So some team members may have access to this information and involving them might be useful. Other times it could just muddy the waters if you have lots of non-expert input that doesn't add anything to the decision making process.

M: Why are some people afraid of becoming a leader?

R: Well, the responsibility can be overwhelming or even terrifying for some people. In addition, when you stick your head above the parapet, you can put yourself in the line of fire when it comes to serious consequences from the decisions that leaders have to make. I suppose that happens to me a lot. I'm prepared to accept the consequences of leading, but there are some people that aren't because they're afraid.

M: What are the qualities of a good leader?

R: Well, patience and the ability to forward plan and charisma and the ability to listen. If you lead people, you have to be willing to accept that they might make a mess of things, so being patient is critical. You also need to prevent the messes from happening in the first place and promote success. So you should plan for this and people follow those they can believe in, so charisma is important. But you can't know everything, so you should be able to listen to others but ultimately be ready to make the final call.

M: When should parents encourage their children?

R: Always. Well, assuming that it's not something obviously stupid, they should always be encouraged to get back up again and try. And if not, if it doesn't work, then find a way around whatever it is or focus on something that's more achievable.

M: What kind of encouragement should parents give?

R: Well, ideally, more than just cheerleading, they should set a good example in addition to flexible boundaries and be ready to channel their children's passion into whatever they happen to set their sights on, assuming again that it's not something frivolous or ridiculous.

M: Should parents reward their children when they help others?

R: Absolutely. It doesn't have to be a physical reward, but it can just be simple praise, for example. But there should be some recognition that something good has been done. It helps encourage it to happen again. And it's a nice thing to do to be encouraged and recognized.

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