Motivation discussion

Interesting topic.  I agree with you...100%. What is the best way to motivate others?  I used to play a lot of baseball.  Played on some very competitive teams(state championship runs) and some not so competitive ones.  The best teams I played on had one common theme.  Yeah the coaches were decent with the game planning and knowledge of the game, but the teams that were most successful had a coach who would tell each player that he believes in them and believes that they can contribute and makes sure they feel part of things.  I had a rough year once when I moved to a new city and played with a new team.  Only hit like .220 or something like that.  Just brutal.  At the end of the season the coach sat me down and said don't worry, you will be on the team next year and went on to say how much he believed in what I could do.  The next year I hit close to .380 with a OBP close to .500.

I get what you are saying.  I will just say that in business pretty much nobody is self motivated enough on their own.  If they are, they are not working for someone else, or won't be for long.

I have to agree with that.

In a xTED video this guy, who was comparing different motivational methods to help people learn in school, found out when people faced with negative support the brain shuts down. Example would be if a teacher puts a lot of pressure on a student to perform at a certain level. The brain perceives negative support as a threat, and higher learning areas on the brain don't activate as well as with positive reinforcement.  He found that if a teacher constantly positively reinforces the student through the learning process then they actually learn much better and quicker.

When it comes to teaching a player an aspect of the game, like the X's and O's, I don't think adding a lot of pressure is beneficial.

Now if it is to get them to play up to the ability they have, that totally depends on the player. I do think some people are more focused when angry. Kinda like, "Well prove me wrong" approach. I think some people shut down when yelled at. They might think, I might as well quit instead of going through the abuse.

This is were I think the better coaches stand out. They know how to micro manage a team on a player by player basis.

Or one of these...

http://www.despair.com/motivation.html

I agree, people are different. We respond to situations different. Human nature. When it comes to coaching I give respect equally to all my players as long as I get that respect back, if I don't 9/10 times that player will no longer be on my team. As for motivation some kids respond to yelling where as others fold when yelled at, and would rather have a pump up before hand, or individual pep talk. Before we touch the floor each year I have my players answer a few questions about themselves and what they define as success and so forth. Helps me gauge what type of mental player they are.

I get it. But motivational for me has to come from doubt, or authentic encouragement. I can't "do" artificial motivational videos or TED Talks.

That makes sense, I am the same.

My motivation, in anything I do, is based on my own self esteem. It allows me to meet all challenges head on, with my best effort. Do I always give 100% effort, 100% of the time? Probably not, and I doubt that many folks are 100%/100% participants in everything they do. To me, the task at hand has it's own weight of importance attached to it. Sometimes 90% is good enough.

The game of golf is one of those challenges for me. Before I even get to those challenges that the game of golf will throw at me, I have other physical challenges I must over come before I can even swing a club. I love playing it because it is one of the hardest things I have every done while trying to be some what successful doing it. There's just something about hitting the ball, finding it, and hitting again that is appealing to me.

I shop at Wal-Mart quite often, and it is my opinion, after watching how some of their employees go about their work,  that quite a few of their employees have very low self esteem.

I found this true for the one I worked at. Aside from the few younger employees a lot oft then co workers were half speed go through the motions people. Working over night is tough if you are not used to it but some of those guys/gals had been there 5+ years and just seemed to out of it like they hated their lives and were always tired. Walmart may not be the greatest store but it's a job, and the opportunity of advancement in their system is extremely high.

Your Walmart story is intriguing indeed! The manager that asked or told you to give 120% in your work is being true to Walmart ethics (if they have any ethics at all). Walmart is the bully of the retail world when it comes to dealing with suppliers. A number of Fortune 500 companies were wooed into becoming a supplier to Walmart only to find higher volume and lower prices don't equal happiness. Stories of suppliers closing their manufacturing facilities in the US and putting up shop in China so they can meet price demands has happened for years. So the manager wanting 120% from you goes back to their bully attitude.