You may be familiar with the famous TED talk by Simon Sinek, or his accompanying book “Start with Why”. The impetus of the text and video is that, by focusing on a “why” as a whole, “some companies are able to inspire their employees, and others aren’t” ^[1]. Our “why” are the values, beliefs, and motivation behind what we are doing. It is the internal drive behind anyone’s actions.

The concept of “why” is closely related to scientific concepts of organizational behavior that support its relationship to increased performance, organizational commitment, and motivation. Developing “why” happens on three levels in this article: Conceptual (definition),  individual (employee), and leadership (company). By taking the steps outlined below, one should be able to identify what “why” is, as a concept, and its application to your organization. Additionally, the relationship between “why” and motivation (intrinsic and extrinsic) should be more explicit, making it easier to apply tips on making space for motivation to flourish in the individual in your organization.

Let’s tease this out a little bit…

I can get out of bed in the morning in a few different ways. I can wake up with an attitude of, “today I’m going to sell books”. Exciting right? No, not really. What makes selling books exciting is a value/connection with one or multiple aspects of selling a book. Starting with why, entails finding something I (internal) value (external) about the individual or collective task/function. These aspects of how to connect with what we are doing are as follows:

• Identity – “Who I am—my skills, and values, are an expression of the tasks I do.
• Impact – “I value the outcome(s) of the work that I do”
• Control – “It is me that made/took part in this difference, completed this task, or met this standard which I value” ^[2]

For now, be aware that what makes a what, a why (what–>why), is an internal connection to some aspect of the what—intrinsic motivation, which is addressed below.

Identity relates to belonging. If I am a gregarious individual, my chances of finding things about myself that align with, say a librarian, are significantly reduced. When I get up in the morning, who I am is fundamentally in conflict with what I have to do. When who I am doesn’t connect with what I am doing, cognitive dissonance can occur. If the connection to the job not internal, this will result in the “why” I am in this position being about something external.

Impact isn’t always about the tangible results of the organization, but it can be. We like to see results, but they don’t stop anyone from waking up in the morning motivated by the possibility that your actions at work will have an outcome that you value.

This step often requires an interpretation of both the action itself and the outcome. If what you do is sell books, then the impact you make is an interpretation of the outcome of selling a book. For example, “I provide an opportunity for others to learn, grow, relax and discover their creative side.”.

You can also have an impact on the action stage of what you do through interpretation. For instance, “I don’t just sell books, I provide content and customer service in a way that allows for people to feel safe and welcomed”.

If anyone has ever been on a team that has won a huge game or championship, but you sat on the bench, you know how much it can suck to be a part of something great, but not feel instrumental in achieving the goal. Exercising our free will over the multitude of directions any given project could go is the cultivation of responsibility and ownership, which increases our motivation for a task.

Dear employee,

Let’s talk about our motivation, in particular, intrinsic versus extrinsic motivation of us as individuals. Intrinsic motivation is about a connection between something inward(why) with a task itself (sound familiar?). The basis of extrinsic motivation is a connection between a task/behavior (what) and its result. An easy way to distinguish the two is just intrinsic-inner and extrinsic-external.

People who are motivated intrinsically are far more resilient than those who are motivated by something extrinsic. Here’s why– Extrinsic motivation is based on a constant measure of what one wants and what they are willing to do to get it. In contrast, intrinsically motivated people identify with some aspect of the work itself.

For example, someone who goes to school to learn has identified a pervasive characteristic in everything they have to do and identified with it, not just as something external but something internal that gets fulfilled every time they do it. That means that no matter the class, they will remain motivated to learn the subject because they value learning and find satisfaction in the action of fulfilling this desire. This individual is motivated intrinsically.

Someone who is motivated extrinsically is connecting behavior with an outcome. For example, they would go to school and complete assignments for something else external. Meaning, they go to class to get an “A” or even to receive their degree. The problem with this way of thinking is that everything between actions, and the outcome of those actions, is seen as an obstacle. From this perspective, the skill’s strength is what allows this person to get what they want. Consequently, the moment that skill is not enough to get them to their want, motivation fizzles out.

This is also why resilience is so low. Instead of identifying things in the task itself that motivates with/by, our motivation is quantifiable by the ability to reach the desired result. If the product is too easy or too hard to obtain, motivation drops. We all know what this feels like.

As employees within an organization, the most important thing to take away from this is the importance of creating an intrinsic perception of the tasks that have to be done. Walk through each step of “why” listed above, and then use that outline to reframe tasks intrinsically. After you have that done, the rest is just remembering.

If you haven’t noticed, the three concepts of “why” are closely related to intrinsic motivation. Following those steps will get you one step closer to more resilience, purpose and desire for the work day ahead. What that means is that working with a “why” isn’t abstract garbage. Do these things and the results of higher motivation will follow.

Dear Leaders,

Clarity is crucial for employees to align themselves with the mission and purpose of what you are doing. Businesses have a “why” in an almost identical way to an individual. Take the first step by answering the question, “what is it that you do, and why is it that you do this?”— try to answer why your company does what it does in terms of identity, impact and control. The process of answering this will give you the best idea of where improvement is necessary. Which areas are hard connected?

When and if a company gets clear about what their why is, employees will naturally follow suit. Having a “why” is a step in creating a culture that attracts others who value similar things. This is especially important in our current context.

During the current COVID crisis, we are in isolation from many of the things that reinforce our “why”. People can know what they value internally, but there needs to be a connection to whatever they value outside of them in the real world. COVID has exasperated these connections to our detriment in our impact, control, and identity with tasks.

Connection around belief/”why” is a direct counter to burnout, depression, and the isolation experienced due to the pandemic. During this tense political climate, and seemingly endless video calls, keeping motivation and your “why” alive is more crucial and challenging than it has been in a long time. A sense of “why” will inspire movement and cooperation amongst colleagues.

Leaders, your employees are, without a doubt, bumping up against these walls. A connection to what we value is so important. If leaders have done their job in reminding employees and creating intentional space to develop and redevelop their relationship to “why”, then individual whys have the best chance at succeeding.

My advice is to walk through the questions I asked earlier. What is your what, and what is your why in terms of identity, impact, and control. Answer this question pre and post-COVID. Then, outline the differences/new challenges that have arisen to what fuels you during this dramatic change. Once we have identified the areas in our life that newly threaten our “why” we can get specific about how to rekindle or stoke the flame.

^[1] Sinek, Simon. 2014. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPYeCltXpxw.

^[2] For all you aficionado’s, yes, Daniel Pink writes about similar aspects of internal motivation in his book Drive as autonomy, mastery and purpose. Leading organizational research consolidates aspects of intrinsic motivation under Self-Determination Theory as (a) competence and (b) autonomy.