Mass Mediocrity And The Motivation People Pattern
ByMASS MEDIOCRITY AND THE MOTIVATION PEOPLE PATTERN™
“Human nature is such that if we are relatively content, then we are not going to be motivated to do anything to change our comfort zone, whether it be now or later.” Marilyne Woodsmall
Why is this so? It is because when people have already gotten all the carrots and sticks they think they need to lead what they believe to be an acceptable lifestyle, then they no longer have that fire burning within to move any farther. Life is okay as is, nothing more nothing less, no bells and whistles; yet this is satisfactory to them so they don’t care to budge one bit. These are the very people who end up staying in jobs for years and are quite content to do so.
Most people are mired in mediocrity. All too sad yet true. These are the so-called masses. And these are precisely the people who don’t want to change even if they have the opportunity to do so as I’ll explain shortly.
This has major implications regarding motivation in the workplace. There are basically four reasons why people aren’t motivated:
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People who are move toward in orientation and have nothing towards which to move.
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People who are move away from and have nothing from which to move away.
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People who are move toward and who have reached their set goals and have nothing else to get them out of their satisfaction zone.
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People who are move away from and who have somehow managed to move away from all the things which they would like to avoid.
The last two types are the most challenging elements in any workforce because they don’t want to move in any direction. These people are a nightmare to any team, to any manager, to any organization, to anyone who wants to get ahead because they are indifferent to change. These people are the masses, the people who are content to live their lives in mediocrity.
Once again, the Motivation People Pattern is the basis of everything that we do in life, or don’t do for that matter. Imagine the possibilities if we could move people from relatively content to ecstatic and beyond! Tune in for more next time.
