Comments on: Competition and counterfactuals http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/407?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=competition-and-counterfactuals Dave Ferguson's interests, ideas, notions, tangents Thu, 09 Sep 2010 21:11:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Dave http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/407/comment-page-1#comment-9258 Dave Mon, 18 Aug 2008 19:51:11 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=407#comment-9258 I think the secret to motivation is... it's what motivates the performer, not the manager. I remember hearing a lot of claptrap about how money isn't a motivator. Usually that comes from people who have more of it than you do. Money certainly isn't the only motivator, but it's mighty fungible, which means you can get your own damned motivator with it. More to the point: a misplaced emphasis on competition, challenge, stretch goals -- especially when people have no genuine voice in helping to set them -- can work against fully engaging people for whom outperforming others is not that big a deal. I think the secret to motivation is… it’s what motivates the performer, not the manager. I remember hearing a lot of claptrap about how money isn’t a motivator. Usually that comes from people who have more of it than you do.

Money certainly isn’t the only motivator, but it’s mighty fungible, which means you can get your own damned motivator with it.

More to the point: a misplaced emphasis on competition, challenge, stretch goals — especially when people have no genuine voice in helping to set them — can work against fully engaging people for whom outperforming others is not that big a deal.

]]> By: Charmed http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/archives/407/comment-page-1#comment-9256 Charmed Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:05:35 +0000 http://www.daveswhiteboard.com/?p=407#comment-9256 Hi Dave I come from Ireland and we would be happy with just one medal of any colour. We celebrate our athletes personal bests and national records even if they're well behind the winners. On a wider note, I wonder about distance races (on the athletics of bike track) where much team effort goes into ensuring at least one member of a given nationality makes it to the podium. Only the podium finisher gets a medal while the others are unsung heroes and are unlikely to have their name remembered. Food for thought! Hi Dave
I come from Ireland and we would be happy with just one medal of any colour. We celebrate our athletes personal bests and national records even if they’re well behind the winners. On a wider note, I wonder about distance races (on the athletics of bike track) where much team effort goes into ensuring at least one member of a given nationality makes it to the podium. Only the podium finisher gets a medal while the others are unsung heroes and are unlikely to have their name remembered. Food for thought!

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