What Really Motivates Us Is Not What You Think

A business strategy professor breaks down the challenges ahead of Starbucks’ new CEO—and how he can improve conditions for employees. Starbucks’s new CEO, Brian Niccol, has several challenges ahead of him. 

A new development on Florida’s coast was designed to be as hurricane-proof as possible. So far, it’s working. Last Thursday, when Hurricane Helene hit the small town of Cortez, Florida—about four hours south of the eye of the storm—a storm surge filled the streets with waist-deep water near a new development.

As a former employee at a job recruiting platform—and a recent job applicant myself—I think it’s important we focus on those who are ultimately responsible for overlooking qualified candidates. More often than I’d like this summer, I’d see an open job posting I knew I was qualified for, take the time to craft a personalized cover letter explaining why I was a good fit, and customize my résumé for the role.

In August, Australia’s right to disconnect law took effect, enabling workers to ignore emails and calls from their bosses. A finance worker shares how the law could impact people like her. In August, Australia become the latest of a handful of countries that have adopted laws to effectively codify work-life balance.

You may think extra cash or other outside rewards drive us to achieve, but true and sustained motivation comes from within, research shows. We sometimes look at motivation backwards: We assume there must be an outcome or reward in order to get ourselves or others motivated to act. This is not what science shows us. 

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