Drive by Daniel H. Pink

A colleague highly recommended this book. The introduction alone is motivation enough to continue reading. Apparently, extrinsic rewards for performance and motivation have a negative impact in the long run. Very controversial outcome. Although this book is not about education per se, it is about human behavior and motivation. Any leader would benefit from reading this book.

The seven reasons why carrots and sticks types of motivations don't usually yield results in the long run:

1. They extinguish intrinsic motivation.
2. They can diminish performance.
3. They can crush creativity.
4. They can crowd out good behavior.
5. They can encourage cheating, shortcuts, and unethical behavior.
6. They can become addictive.
7. They can foster short-term thinking.

I found this flowchart rather illuminating:

Page 69

"When people use rewards to motivate, that's when they're most demotivating." 

"If you believed in the 'mediocrity of the masses', as he put it, 'then mediocrity became the ceiling on what you could achieve'." This quote rings true with me. Many teachers often perceive their students as being mediocre; particularly students from diverse backgrounds. If this logic of thinking is followed, then I could not imagine anything higher than mediocre academic results. The goal is to set the highest expectations, preach intellectualism and autonomy, and expect nothing short than greatness from all students.

"Motivation 3.0 seeks engagement. Only engagement can produce mastery."

But the one funny thing about mastery, is that it can never be achieved. Mastery is a an asymptote; forever getting closer to the x axis, but never touching. That is why mastery is a cause of frustration. "In the end, mastery attracts precisely because mastery eludes." What a great concept.

Nine Strategies to Boost Motivation

1. Give yourself a "flow" test.
2. What is your sentence? Define your life and purpose with a sentence.
3. Ask yourself the small questions.
4. Take a sabbatical.
5. Give yourself a performance review.
6. Get unstuck by going oblique.
7. Move closer to mastery by practicing (page. 159).
8. What gets you up in the morning?
9. Create your own motivational poster.

Things That Can Be Implemented In A School Setting

1. Play the "purpose" game. Have the entire building staff write down the school's purpose on note cards. Read them aloud. Is there a common shared purpose? If not, then what is the next logical step?
2. Pronoun test. Listen closely to how your staff speaks. Do they use words such as "they," or "we"? Do employees feel like they truly belong and are a part of something significant?
3. When things feel stagnant, try FedEx Day. Give staff the opportunity to to come up with suggestions for improvement. The catch is that they must present something - an idea, a proposal, etc. 

In the end, as a future leader, "if you need me to motivate you, I probably don't want to hire you." This is synonymous with "getting the right people on the bus."