Discipline or Motivation: Which One Works?
Discipline or Motivation: Which One Works?
Motivation is the desire to accomplish something. Discipline is the practice of training people to follow rules. We can probably all agree that our society functions because of societal rules, and having consequences for such rules benefit our culture.
Have you ever broken a rule? When you follow rules, why do you? It is my opinion that we follow rules based on our own self interests. Following rules has a benefit for the rule follower. Sometimes it’s is as simple as, “I will not steal because I do not want to get arrested.” Or, it may be more complex, such as “I will set boundaries at work so that I can be home with my family.” Inviting our children or employees to be successful and responsible is easier said than done.
When it comes to responsible and successful behavior, from what place do we want the motivation to come? Is it because we have trained someone to follow rules, or because they have the desire to accomplish something? Do I want my son to have good grades because he knows how to follow the academic rules, or have good grades because he has a desire to be successful? Which will sustain him more? Do we want our employees to follow rules because that’s what we have trained them to do, or because they are committed, motivated and feel good about the environment in which they work?
I have a hunch that we’ve all broken a rule, and it was most likely a rule that we were trained to follow, not one that we were motivated to follow. A good example of this is behavior during high school. We broke the rules at school such as no talking in class, no chewing gum or sleeping in class, rules that we were trained to follow. However, we consistently followed the social rules of our peer group because we were motivated to be a part of a community.
Healthy family and work environments are a community in which members are motivated to be a part of that community. Let’s take a look at the work environment. Do you want an employee who is motivated to make sales because they are committed to the success of their company, or an employee making sales because the policy states that if they don’t, their pay will be docked? Who is happier? Who is more likely to stay? Who is a better salesperson?
There are many different definitions and opinions about discipline. I invite you to use whatever definition you like as you read this and ask yourself, “how and why do I want my employees to be successful on the job? How and why do I want my son or daughter to be a vital part of our family, or be successful in school?”
I am committed to getting the best out of our youth and our employees. To do that I propose that we use a motivational technique that is unique to each person, versus a blanket-approach in which everyone follows the same set of rules. I believe people will actually follow rules better when they are motivated than when they are simply trained to comply.
Finally I have to disclose a bit here. I see myself in my 14-year-old son. He struggles with rules that he does not recognize any personal benefit in. When called into the school I hear how he is struggling with a rule that someone is training him to follow, but which he is not motivated to follow. On the flip-side, I have seen him (and myself) run through a brick wall for someone because we were motivated to accomplish something for someone or some organization.
Next Element offers a complete range of seminars, training and coaching to help people communicate and lead more effectively. Our seminars go beyond typical training, we help people learn how to motivate themselves, and how to motivate others.
To learn more about our services, call us at 316-283-4200, or e-mail michele@next-element.com.
To learn more about Jeff King, go to http://next-element.com/about/jeff-king/
Posted on by Jeff
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