“Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.” ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower
Engage Intrinsic Motivation Definition: To be energized and driven by personal values and commitments rather than by external forces.
Importance: Intrinsic motivation drives performance. Research shows that employees who are more engaged are more productive, and students who are more engaged in the classroom perform at the highest levels. If you want your organization to be as effective as it can be, you should focus on having employees who are motivated by the organization, its people, and the work itself.
Example: The difference between an engaged employee and one who is there to collect a paycheck is huge – and the difference is internal motivation. Whether it is a salesperson, a teacher, or a mechanic, the ones who truly love what they are doing do exemplary work. They go the extra mile, do more than what is necessary, and it shows in the quality of the work.
Engaging Intrinsic Motivation helps you infuse vitality into your life and organization. When you have truly engaged your own and others’ intrinsic motivation, the quality of your work changes drastically.
How to Engage Intrinsic Motivation
Whether your organization is a business, school, or family, here are some of the key components of engaging intrinsic motivation:
Develop powerful values. Before you can figure out if someone’s core values match your own, you need to know and clearly state your own values. While many organizations produce value statements out of necessity, those organizations with the most engaged employees make formulating its core values a key part of its business plan.
Connect with people. Humans are wired to connect, and one of the most fundamental intrinsic motivators is belonging. But leaders are often too busy for something as informal as hanging out with employees and talking about life outside of work. If you really want to engage the intrinsic motivation of your team, that has to change. Take time to simply connect, hang out and let your guard down.
Constantly articulate purpose. Why does your organization exist? You need to have an answer to this question, and make sure your employees understand how their everyday actions relate to this overall purpose.
The Different Types of Motivators
As explained in The Motivation Iceberg, we need to understand that different motivators (things that move us) push us to be motivated for different kinds of goals.
Extrinsic: Examples of extrinsic motivators are bonuses, perks, fines and awards. They are concrete and require constant reinvestment. They generally come from the manager or the organization, which reinforces the existing power dynamic.
Intrinsic: Examples of intrinsic motivators are passion, alignment with values, and sense of belonging or purpose. They are intangible, abstract, and self-perpetuating. They come from the organizational climate and the relationships within the organization, which reinforces interdependence.
Video: Definition of “Engage Intrinsic Motivation”
Emotional Intelligence Articles about Intrinsic Motivation
Emotional Insights for Leaders: Daniel Pink’s 3 Drivers of Motivation (12/5/2023) - How can you harness the power of emotions to fuel sustainable motivation - for yourself and your team? Try these activities today. ...
Engage Intrinsic Motivation in the Six Seconds EQ Model (7/22/2023) - What is "intrinsic motivation," why does it matter, and how can it be enhanced? Emotions are the key... here's a summary of the science & practice of emotional intelligence for lighting the fire within. ...
Emotions for Motivation: 6 Tools to Fuel Energy (2/7/2023) - What makes motivation... motivating? Three powerful questions, a free worksheet, and powerful ways to strengthen energy from within (which we all need, especially when work/life feels challenging) ...
The Motivation Iceberg: 3 Tips to Unleash Motivation (8/12/2022) - How do you use emotional intelligence to fuel lasting motivation? The Motivation Iceberg is a simple, clear model for understanding how to motivate - even in WFH during a pandemic. ...
Does Hybrid Work Have to Be the Worst of Both Worlds? (1/31/2022) - Here are 3 tips for using empathy and emotional intelligence to create remote work policies that prioritize employees' wellbeing. ...
Active Listening as a Leader: 4 Ways to Use Emotional Intelligence To Listen Well (7/12/2021) - Exceptional leaders have mastered the art of deep, active listening. Here are 4 practical tips to use emotional intelligence to listen well. ...
Motivational Interviewing: 8 Questions to Ask Clients to Motivate Change (5/3/2021) - Motivational interviewing is a communication technique that engages people’s intrinsic motivation to make changes – with powerful results. ...
Illuminate: 3 Steps to Acting on Your Values (5/20/2019) - We all make hundreds of decisions a day; do they align with your values? This week's Illuminate gives you three practical steps for identifying your values, putting them into practice, and making your life more aligned with your values. ...
Illuminate: Where Do You Want to Go? (12/15/2018) - Take a moment to clarify your (emotional, professional, physical) destination + represent it in a fun way. ...Click here for more Engage Intrinsic Motivation articles on our site
Recommended Tools
Management Essentials: Igniting Motivation: Igniting motivation involves engaging the heart and the mind. To set employees up to perform optimally, managers need the skills to inspire and engage by providing meaning, freedom to innovate and building trust. In this 2.5 hour module, managers learn how.
Value Sort Cards: Use these value sort cards to find out what is truly important to you.
At the Heart of Leadership: Where other books tell you about emotional intelligence, this book provides the roadmap to put it in action. Includes case for EQ, background, and detailed explanation of the Six Seconds EQ Model and how to use it to improve leadership — and a free code to test your EQ strengths online.
The Leader as a Mensch: This insightful and engaging book speaks volumes on ways in which all of us, at any level, can improve our leadership impact and develop the humility, integrity, and honor that instills hope and confidence in others.
- Pursue Noble Goals in the Six Seconds Model of EQ - July 29, 2023
- Increase Empathy in the Six Seconds Model of EQ - July 26, 2023
- Exercise Optimism - July 24, 2023
EIM changes the way you live, love and lead. Living from place of value and purpose rather than external drivers.
I think to Engage Intrinsic Motivation is a competency, if practiced enough, that can really contribute to the sustainability of the goals one wishes to pursue or achieve. This is because once we are driven by personal values and what we have chosen to commit ourselves to, it is easier to pick ourselves up once we find that we are discouraged by whatever obstacle comes in the way. Being motivated by personal values and commitment allows us to understand that in order for us to achieve whatever we view as success, mistakes are necessary in order for us to learn and shape us into better versions of ourselves. If we are motivated by the extrinsic, one does not necessarily identify with a purpose or personal values,and mistakes frustrate us and lead us to think negatively about ourselves. If one identifies with purpose and personal values, it is more likely that one will live a more fulfilling life because with that, one is able to reflect with positive energy which is coming from within.
EIM is the internal drive, the passion, wanting more . Being true to my values. Connecting with people and creating a sense of belonging by being fully engaged in the ‘present’ and by being ‘real’ and authentic in my interactions with others. I want more energy and more drive in my life.
as a synthesis, to me EIM is really about looking at the concave ad convex side of the lens..one side is about looking within and truly seeking what values we hold close to inside while the second lens being really about how the external world will benefit from it. I need to ask myself this question time and again, “how can I be True to myself and create or participate in what truly makes me shine and how will this be of value to the larger workplace/family/world/”?
Its ‘happily alarming’ how interconnected are the competencies and how if EIM as a wheel doesn’t roll, PNG and ACT get impacted in the long run.
Thanks for the articles and videos- helps one to connect, reflect and act!
the best part of EIM I learnt today from this article/video – is that being curious – ask questions – that draw upon reflections, that helps from deep within to improve, become strong, become connected, being driven by values – its a journey of inner awareness and growth.
I am very excited about the EQ Updates addressing motivation and more. I have read and listened to them. I enjoy Shared-Knowledge. At the same time, I am reflecting about how I can be a greater source of information. Therefore, as I prepare for an online summer class, I will share this information with my teacher candidates. The teacher candidates will get the opportunity to listen, read, reflect, and wRite purposefully about how this material is meaning to their personal lives, as well as, their futures as effective teachers.