Autonomy, Mastery, Purpose - What’s Your Thing?
Earlier this year, I had the personal tragedy and deep privilege (in equal measure) of spending some time in the palliative care unit of a small regional hospital. I managed to get permission to stay, in the room, with my lovely Mum for her last days. An intense, and deeply profound experience.
Along with all of the deeply personal stuff, staying 24/7 in the hospital gave me the opportunity to observe at close quarters, the medical and nursing staff going about their duties. Many changes of shift, detailed handover of clinical status, day to night, day to night, daylight again. They went about their work with good humour, and often with genuine tenderness and compassion.
Regardless of how nice they all were, I felt no temptation to find a way of joining that team. No Siree, not a gig for me, but I’m eternally thankful that some folk do choose it as a vocation.
The recruiter part of my brain kicked in. Why do people do that job? I guess that goes for almost any job. What motivates people to do the jobs they do?
How on earth would you pitch palliative care nursing in a job advertisement? (spoiler alert - pretty much they all die in the end…?)
In his Ted Talk, ‘The Puzzle of Motivation’, Dan Pink puts forward a case regarding intrinsic motivation. Ultimately, he asserts, people seek work which will satisfy one of three key elements;
Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose ( I believe it’s often a combination of the three)
Autonomy — the urge to determine the direction of our own lives, to set our own pace, to be the captains of our ship. To build something from scratch. Think entrepreneurship. In our ‘new normal’ the ability to work from home could also satisfy those with autonomy as a key driver, simply by affording them more autonomy in the structure of their day.
Mastery — the desire to get better at something that matters, to hone skills, a quest to be the best at something, or to work in a setting that fosters improvement and growth. To craft something exquisitely beautiful. To get better at what it is you do- either for the extra money on offer or the next rung up that ladder or for the sheer pleasure of being the best you can be.
Purpose — the yearning to be a part of something that is bigger than ourselves, to be part of a team obsessed with challenging the norm, to work for an organisation whose purpose is closely aligned with our own values, to do work that is personally meaningful. I strongly suspect this is where the nurses and doctors fit in.
For some, it may be that their sense of purpose is elsewhere - not with the actual job. Perhaps the job is a means to support their purpose - such as providing for a family or supporting self on the pathway to something else, such as while studying.
For Employers - narrowing down the key elements that your role and workplace would offer a potential employee, and directing your marketing efforts towards in that direction could prove far more effective than listing employee benefits program on your job advertisements. It will certainly help to attract candidates with values aligned with what’s on offer at your workplace. Here’s a link to that Ted Talk, where Pink suggests the elements of intrinsic motivation are more effective that ‘carrots and sticks’ as a management tool https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_pink_on_motivation
For Job Seekers - if you find yourself at a career crossroad, about to embark on the journey of finding a new role, take some time to analyse what’s driving you?
What element of intrinsic motivation is highest in your workplace hierarchy of needs? Is it Autonomy, Mastery, or Purpose? Is it a combination of all three? Getting a grip on your own hierarchy of needs will help you to set your direction, explain why you’re on the move, and enable you to articulate yourself better at your next interview.
Whatever it is, go for it. Life is too short to stick at the wrong job. Good luck!