Page 177 - Appreciative Leadership

150 Appreciative Leadership

In the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “If you want to build
a ship, don’t drum up people to collect wood and don’t assign them
tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immen-
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sity of the sea.” Th e many people with whom we talked do not yearn
to be motivated or micromanaged; they yearn to be appreciated and
engaged in meaningful, uplifting, enlivening ways that serve the good

of the whole.
Motivation is a mechanistic metaphor applied to human perfor-
mance. It refers to both positive and negative practices: the carrot and

the stick. While both can powerfully influence human behavior, they
are not both positively powerful. Negative motivational practices such
as criticism, threats, and punishments stimulate fear, compliance, and
low self-esteem. They are diminishing. Th ey stifl e potential and tend

to be destructive rather than socially constructive.

Anna was absolutely thrilled to begin her new job with a well-
regarded national social profit organization. Finally, she was

getting to do what she loved and get paid for it. On her fi rst
day she completed the necessary paperwork for new hires, and

she was escorted to the CEO’s office by the HR manager. Th e
CEO looked up from the papers on his desk and said gruffl y,
“Don’t screw it up.” Anna was stunned. She walked away won-
dering why she had been hired and whether or not she wanted
to work there aft er all.

Positive motivational practices, on the other hand, are inspira-
tional. There is a saying, “A good life is counted not by how many

breaths you take, but by how many experiences you have that take
your breath away.” So it is with inspiration. It gives people pause. It
causes them to stop, take a deep breath, and realize they are on the
right track. It gives them a sense that they are part of something big-

ger and more meaningful than themselves. The story of the three
stonemasons illustrates this well: