The Death of Motivation

One of the most Stressful elements in most People’s lives is Motivation, or lack of it. That and the fact that may People confuse motion for Motivation, effort with achievement, and activity with Strategy.
Organizations are constructed of People, not balance sheets. However, if the balance sheet doesn’t, then neither do the People. And because it is the People and their actions that make or break the balance sheet, you need to understand what motivates your People to do the things they do. Or Motivates you to do the things you do.
Research shows clearly that Motivation is the cause of actions (Behaviour), and in any Organization, is the primary support for maximising Organization performance, profit, and success. It stands to reason then that to succeed you need the greatest quantum of controlled Motivation available to you in any restructuring, Organisational change, Team building, Peacemaking, Group or focussed performance program.
People are Motivated to work in an Organization because they believe that the Organization is (or will be) successful, and that their Behaviour will be seen as reflecting the positive attributes of the Organization.
The four primary attributes are:
# - A purpose beyond profit
# - A positive product or service differentiator
# - A dynamic working environment, and
# - Strong, focussed management.
Simply put, People want to get into the Organization, not out.
While this might seem overly simple, examine the Organization you currently work within. Does it have these positive attributes? Is the general environment Stressful? Do you have HOT processes? Good multi-directional Communication, well balanced Teams or Groups, and are you rewarded with positive, self-worth enhancing feedback?
Are you Motivated each and every day to burst out of bed, get yourself ready, and rush off to work?
The primary work on Motivation, in the fields of Applied and Cognitive Psychology commenced in the early 1930's, with major discoveries applied only in the last 25 years. The results of this work are now routinely accepted in the general areas of sports and industrial psychology, where Performance enhancement is crucial. Slowly, every so slowly, Organizational Psychology is catching up, the biggest barrier being Management’s inability to understand the true importance of People in any system, and the need to Motivate them beyond any Profit objective.
For an Athlete to win a Gold Medal, they have to deliver an Elite Performance on demand - on time, and in place. They are able to train for this Performance, peaking and resting as necessary, getting ready for the “big” event. It is accepted that they will give their all, strive beyond pain and performance barriers in their quest to be the best of the best. This is what we believe “getting the Gold” is all about.
In Organizational terms, to be the best of the best, you pretty much have to perform near the top of your ability every single day, and on that special occasion, pull out excellence on demand! You can’t rely on “peaking”, you’ll surely get fired if you’re caught “resting” too often, and it’s extremely Stressful trying to anticipate when the “big effort” might need to be pulled out of your hat.
This brief look at Motivation is designed to help you discover the real “horse-power” that exists in everyone, and how to “balance” your Performance attributes so that you are capable of presenting the best of your skills and abilities in a way that achieves excellence without the Life shortening Stress attacking you.
First, the bad news. There is no one accepted scientific theory of Motivation. Instead, several Behavioural Theories exist that can be described as “Motivational”.
Motivation is the hypothesised cause of Behaviour.
Motivation is the determinant of Behaviour's arousal, vigour, direction, and persistence.
Motivation is often considered an answer to the question of why an action is performed.
Is has been observed that every action, whether physical or cerebral, is the result of some degree of motivation, either positive or negative.
The four internalised "States" that explain actions are described as :
Needs – Drives – Motives - and Desires.

Motivates & Desires
PUSH
Needs & Drives
PULL
In common sense terms, Motives and Desires (Emotional) provide the "Push" for an action, Needs and Drives (Incentives) provide the “Pull”.
Every action requires a balance of both “Push” and “Pull” motives, for the action to be completed successfully. If this balance is not achieved, you quickly move into Stress, and the action will fail.
Marslow created the description of “The Hierarchy of Prepotency” in human Motivations. He observed that “man is a wanting animal”, and that one desire is no sooner satisfied than another takes its place.
He also noted sense and order in the succession of Motives, suggesting that there is a predetermined importance of certain Motives that must be satisfied.
There are five generally accepted Need categories (Maslow) :
1. Physiological
2. Safety
3. Love or Belongingness
4. Esteem or Status
5. Self-actualisation.
Clearly, there is a preponderance of “Emotional” forces at work in these five need categories
As we have already discussed, there are four accepted Personality Types, each with their own Emotional quotient.
The Director, who is described as High Involvement, Rational Behaviour.
The Socialiser, described as High Involvement, Emotional Behaviour.
The Thinker, Low Involvement, Rational Behaviour.
And the Relator, who is seen as Low Involvement, Emotional Behaviour.
Relator
Thinker
Socialiser
Director
Darwin (1872) concluded that Emotions help animals as well as People in the struggle for survival by Communicating information to others. The expression of Anger signals the likelihood of attack; The expression of Fear, the likelihood of retreat.
Freud said that unconscious Emotions could be identified on the basis of a Person’s Behaviour. If someone constantly frowns, grinds their teeth, or has dreams in which People are killed, they are most likely Angry, in spite of any verbalisation to the contrary.
American philosopher William James believed that the perception of a situation led to Behaviour (eg: running away) that created physiological changes, and that a Person’s recognition of these internal changes was the actual feeling of Emotion.
Notwithstanding all of this work, it is clear that when we are Stressed, we exhibit all the signs and symptoms of extreme Emotion, and that we often radiate this Emotion as a means of attempting to reduce the perception of loss of control, or force a change in our environment to achieve this reduction.
It is now universally agreed that Emotion is a complex State, and is a condition that affects the entire Organism and influences how successfully it interacts with its environment.
Although Emotion represents a change in a Person’s inner-State (inner-stance) it is also a change in Behaviour. Most importantly, this change in Behaviour is designed to have an effect on the People or the events around the Person that is broadcasting the Emotion.
Emotion can and does shape the environment, it influences Attitudes, and it can directly change the Behaviour of others!
The names given to our Primary Emotions are :
Anger
Fear
Joy
Sorrow
Acceptance
Disgust
and Surprise.
Secondary Emotions are complicated because they are a mix of Primary Emotions, and the names given are often the same as those used to describe Personality orientated Behaviour, for example :
Anger + Disgust = Sarcastic
Acceptance + Joy = Sociable
Simply put, Emotions are the biopsychological reactions of an individual to important events in his or her Life. These reactions involve special kinds of feelings, widespread physiological changes, impulses to action, and overt Behaviour.
If you play the “Memory” game, you soon come to realise how much Emotions “peg” our memories and feelings to specific events and memories over time. In fact, we now believe that your Emotions play a significant part in how well you remember events over time.
Emotions are the signals by which we let other People know how we are feeling about something, and what our intentions might well be. It is important to realize that Emotional reaction is always present in any Motivational situational, either negative or positive, and in any Behaviour that we may be exhibiting at any given time.
It is also important to understand that it is the Emotional projections that are the most observable of our Behaviour. If you relate this back to the three “V’s” discussed earlier, Visual cues make up 55% of any Communication, and Vocal 38%. It is reasonable to assume that if your are Emoting strongly, you will colour any Communication you may be involved in.
The different Personality Styles are going to react very differently to this projection of Emotion – The Director with distain and possibly embarrassment, the Socialiser with almost a mirror of the level of intensity of the Emotion, the Relator with empathy, and the Thinker with distrust.
An important component of Behaviour is Attitude, which we have discussed previously. We describe Attitude as a Person’s prevailing tendency to respond favourably or unfavourably to an Object, Person or Group, Institution, or Event (Attitude Object). Attitudes are hypothetical constructs, and because they cannot be directly observed, they must be inferred from an individual’s responses (positive or negative) toward the “Attitude Object” – and this response is always wrapped in an Emotional blanket to some extent.
Social Psychologists distinguish between three components of this response :
The Cognitive component – which is one’s knowledge about the Attitude Object, whether that knowledge is accurate or not.
The Affective component – which is one’s feelings toward an Attitude Object, and
And the Conative component – which is the Action, or the intent of Action, one will take toward the Attitude Object.
Cognitive Psychologists have created a model of Attitude Formation that shows a Person’s Subjective Knowledge (beliefs) about any Object determines their Attitude toward it. That’s why you must challenge any Attitude that doesn’t sit comfortably until you can establish exactly what the underlying Belief really is!
As we have discussed previously, the variables in Attitude change are :
1. Personality traits;
2. Credibility of the Source of different opinions or information countering existing Attitudes; and
3. Group Membership
The formal approach to understanding Motivation distinguishes between primary, survival, or viscerogenic sources, and the secondary, social, or psychogenic sources (of Motives).
Primary motivations such as hunger, thirst, and avoidance of bodily injury must be satisfied for the organism to survive.
Secondary motivations such as affiliation, sex, aggression, and achievement are important, but need not be satisfied for survival.
It is generally understood that you “autonomically” satisfy your Primary Motivations instinctively, to the best of your ability. However, you have to “work” consciously to satisfy many of your Secondary Motives.
The Primary Dynamic Principle in Motivational Theories is that deviation from a desired "State" leads to corrective measures - in this case Behaviour - to regain the original "State" (equilibrium). Emotion plays a large part in this correction, by allowing us to express our inner feelings in such a way that we can reduce any self-induced Stress. Emotion also allows us to broadcast to others exactly how we are feeling about any deviations from our “balance” State.
As an example of the Primary Dynamic Principle, if a person feels balanced at a room temperature of 24 degrees, when it falls to a significant level, the person will be Motivated to take action to correct the situation, and return the environment back to a comfortable level. They may not specifically understand or acknowledge the literal measurement (24 degrees), but they will always relay a level of “comfort” or “acceptance” in justifying their action – what “Motivated” them to act. They may even “act out” their discomfort Emotionally as a means of justifying their “corrective” Behaviour. This is an example of Psychological Motivation.
Psychological Motivation is more subtle. You can’t always predict how People will react to circumstances or events. Because we are driven to make our “picture” of reality come true, understanding individual Motivation is more complex.
The most ubiquitous assumption in the Psychological Theories of Motivation is the Optimal State of No Stimulation. Since needs or drives are sources of stimulation, the desired “State” becomes their absence. As an example, a high-achiever type salesperson is often found doing very little - as least from the perceptual point of view of the observer. Underneath, however, a veritable cauldron of mental activity is going on, as strategy, scheme, tactics, and volition all merge into a high-order level of cognitive application.
Freud believed the goal of the psychic apparatus to be the reduction of stimulation to its lowest possible level. Invariably, People do not like to be stirred up unnecessarily - or over stimulated, and our “elite” salesperson is a classic example of this type of Behaviour. If you examine the Personality Types closely, you will quickly see which are more comfortable in a stable, low energy environment, and which like the cut and thrust of pressure and change.
Lewin & Hull believe the presence of tension, and the presence of drive, are "States" the organism acts to eliminate. This is why so many elite performers are so often difficult to manage. They are often in their “zone”, and they resent being “pulled” out of it by casual or divergent Communication or stimulation.
Research clearly shows that these types of responses can be trained in (or out), simply by extending the physical and metaphysical comfort zone of the individual.
Festinger proposes that inconsistencies between two cognitions, or between cognitions and Behaviour, produce a "State" of dissonance that is reduced by bringing about consistency. Cognitive dissonance has become a study all to itself, as we try to figure out why People perform perfectly irrational acts while exhibiting all the signs of conscious, cognitive Behaviour.
A dysfunctional culture is the outcome of this State - and the cause of great Stress in any Group or Organization. In fact, it is believed that this aspect of performance may well be one of the greatest precursors of Stress imaginable. This “Dissonance State” drives changes in Behaviour, changes in Belief, and selective exposure to new information, and the formation of opinions (Attitudes) congruent with the desired “State”. The trouble is, this “State” is often formed on perception based on erroneous information or beliefs, leading to performance degradation and massive Stress in the organism.
As an example of this theory, Festinger hypothesised that the greater the difficulty a person experiences in making a decision, the greater the tendency to rationalise or justify that decision at a later time.
Look at this statement closely – what we are saying is that the degree of difficulty (Emotional expenditure) generates the need to post-rationalise the action even when it is proven to be incorrect, and understood to be incorrect by the participant! In other words, the participant feels a strong need to get an Emotional reward for his Emotional effort – in this case, the opportunity to rationalise his mistake.
Heider & Newcomb suggest that individuals often attempt to achieve “States” of balance between their own attitudes and those of other persons with regard to common issues. The Socialiser and Relator Personalities are known for this attribute, sometimes to their detriment. The whole process of Negotiation can often be seen as a means of achieving consensus, accommodation, or compromise. Notice that each of these “States” is a different degree of balance, and this can be very Stressful for Thinkers and Directors, who take a more “literal” view of their world.
Various so-called "Master Motives" have been postulated :
Adler believes striving for superiority is paramount. This has been expressed many different ways over the last twenty years, but none more powerfully that the statement, “People always aspire upwards!” They do, and so do you.
Brown believes most human actions stem from learned fear and its reduction.
White proposes competence as a major Motivational determinant.
deCharms suggests that man's primary Motivation is to be effective - to be an originator rather than a pawn.
Hubbard has shown that perceived harmony leading to a balanced inner-stance (“State”) is a significant motivational force. He also demonstrated the relationship between conscious external environmental stimulus and unconscious, autonomic Behaviour.
If you model a theory on man as a rational decision maker, then you can safely assume that Behaviour will depend on that course of action for which the subjective expected utility (SEU) is highest. This theory is cognitive as it involves expectancy as a construct, along with the assumption that alternatives and their consequences are considered in the decision-making process. It should also be noted that the SEU is a complex series of relationships between many different types of Motives, and that this area is one of the most researched in current work. The whole “commission payment” structure of remuneration is based on SEU - which is why primarily it does not always work with different Personality Styles!
Atkinson proposed the inclusion of Motives to account for individual differences in the value of certain consequences.
Heider, Kelly, & Weiner have firmly established a theory based on the common sense notion that how People feel and what they do depend on the causes they attribute to the consequences.
It is accepted that Motivation can be categorized by its intention and intensity - for example, Achievement Motivation is the tendency to strive to excel when a person knows that Performance will be evaluated in relation to a Standard (Metric). That Standard may be an Ideal, the Performance of others, or an internalised past Performance by the individual. This is what all elite performers are always doing - consciously, or unconsciously. Higher, faster, further!
In elite performance terms, there is an immutable “Law” of activity – if it can be measured, then it can be improved. The corollary also applies to any Management Process – if it can’t (or isn’t) measured, then it can’t be successfully changed or improved.
When Achievement Motivation is too strong, it can produce over-excitement that actively interferes with efficient Performance. We’ve all seen overstimulated People running around creating Chaos, in an effort to move things along too quickly for most to be able to participate at their best.
The synthesis of all this work on Motivation can be expressed in simple terms, and it is important to the Peacemaker to understand the critical role Motivation plays in the management of Stress. There is a strongly held belief by Consistency Theorists who stress the human need to keep beliefs mutually consistent and in harmony with feelings and actions. In even simpler terms, don’t say one thing, and do another!
And don’t allow any System to act one way, while expressing a different belief, or you will see Stress levels that defy gravity, shortening every Life it comes in contact with.
There are a number of interesting observations one can make based on all this work :
1. People do things for their reasons, not yours.
2. People are unlikely to be motivated by your needs and desires.
3. In any Organization (or Group or Team) Strategy, there must be a balance and recognition of the “Push” and the “Pull” motives. If the “Pull” motives detract or overwhelm the “Push” motives, the action will fail.
4. People learn only what they want to learn.
5. People learn only when they want to learn.
6. People naturally resist change.
7. People naturally regress to their prior "State" or Comfort Zone.
8. People will always move towards the least line of resistance.
9. People will always attempt to find their balance within a Group.
10.The attitudes and Motivation of the Group can and will affect the individual.
11.If the group is tightly focussed, then the individual will be drawn towards the common Attitude.
The majority of motivators are Mental stimulants (Emotional) not practical achievements (Rational). In recent Research work it was found that there are generally fourteen accepted “profit” Motivations People believe are realistic achievable, with monetary reward listed at the eighth spot.
People talk about other People, rarely about the financial realities or operational activities that drive any Organization (or might Motivate you).
People within an Organization (Team of Group) cannot treat People outside the Organization (Team or Group) any better than they are treated. This is particularly true of Sales People and their treatment of Customers or Clients.
Any negative Attitude People have will be transmitted to everyone else.
A balance between "push" and "pull" motives will maximise motivational stimulus.
Maximum Motivation will be obtained when it specifically affects the individual directly, and is expressed in their terms.
Every individual is a “Star” in their own minds, and they dislike being compared with others not of their choosing!
Because Motivation is the cause of actions (Behaviour), to succeed you need the greatest quantum of controlled Motivation available to you in any restructuring or profit orientated Organizational change program.
You need to be able to apply this Motivation at the individual level.
You must involve your People in any Change process, so that they can come to grips with it from their perspective, and relate their individual Motivations to the outcome.
To achieve this, you need to create an environment where the objective of your Organizational needs and desires become the "State" to which all your People naturally direct themselves.
As we pointed out earlier, empirically it has been clearly demonstrated that the natural tendency of People is to seek the minimum disturbance, and where possible, to actively resist Change. For this reason, in Organizational (Team or Group) terms, the redundancy, transfer, sacking or demotion of a single person can have a catastrophic and disproportionate effect on the whole Organization’s (Teams or Groups) confidence and Motivation. Such action must be framed in such a way that the People who are not touched perceive it to be critical, and therefore necessary, for the Group’s survival. This perception delivers the process into the domain of a Primary Need.
Any form of Organizational (Team or Group) restructuring needs to be positioned as a positive, innovative, creative and rewarding experience for all concerned. The feeling should be one of euphoria, the restructuring the result of the superior performance of the People (and therefore of the Organization).
In the psychology of the Organization, it should be seen as the taking advantage of an opportunity that will ultimately provide strong “Pull” motives, at the individual level. This “Pull” motive should be orientated towards an increase in the SEC (Subjective Expected Utility).
Again, in very simplistic terms, the “What’s in it for me?” syndrome.
Any reallocation of financial resources from one area to another within the Organization (Team or Group) needs to be perceived as a strengthening of specific areas, for strategic reasons, made possible by the satisfactory or superior performance of those areas from where the resources must come. The whole “bottom-line” drive must always be shown in the light of providing the maximum financial capability for the greatest area of performance (or Strategic need).
When the “bottom-line” starts to drive the Organization, People tend to lose contact with their Motivations. When Organizations live on their financial nerves, the People exhibit significant signs of stress, because the Organization’s financial problem always seems to be beyond the individuals’ ability to fix.
There is also often a significant misunderstanding and increase in Stress caused by the Attitude that some People “create” revenue, while others “spend it” within any Organization.
Any linking mechanism in this dichotomous achievement is the implementation Strategy you adopt.
You need to demonstrate to everyone three crucial aspects of a Strategic process :
1. You must create an objective evaluation process that relates the Individual Performance to the Organization’s (or Team or Groups) Performance. This evaluation must be related to both Primary and Secondary drives (motives) for both the individual and the Organization.
2. You must demonstrate the potential incremental growth in both the individual and Organization’s Primary and Secondary sources as a result of the deterministic action you take.
3. You must involve your People in the Change process, so that they can come to grips with it from their perspective, and relate their individual motivations to the outcome.

You must also empower your People with the Three Permissions - Permission to Listen, Permission to Speak, and Permission to Fail.
When these practical Motivational concepts are applied to any Organization change process you will find that it is possible to modify “Attitudes”, and get a successful objective orientated focus driven by your People’s self-interest. Remember, People only really do well what they want to do well for themselves, and are Motivated by things that reach them, not necessarily you or the Organization (Team or Group).
Every Communication is an opportunity to Motivate – take advantage of this adage, and us it as the catch-cry of your performance, by reducing if not eliminating the killer Stress from your Motivational processes!
Over the past thirty years, this somewhat epigenetic and deterministic view of Motivation has lead us to the creation of the “P” Principle.
“If you perform for People, and help them reach their potential, then People will powerfully and positively perform for you.”
As a Peacemaker, this is both a critical and illuminating statement.
Above all, BREATHE, remain HOT, be ready to RACE, and don’t forget to SMILE!

The First Pregnant Pause

If you’ve got this far, you are probably starting to think about how Making Peace might fit into your Life, and is related to things like Stress, Communication, Group Dynamics, Chaos, and Motivation. You have more than likely made the link between Stress and death, but you have probably been a little bewildered with the switching between the “personal” you, and the “organizational” you.
This is to be expected.
You are going through a learning process (and you know what that is now) and you are trying to link what we are saying here with your own Mental models, beliefs and Attitudes.
The simple truth is that unless you are suffering from a medical condition that brings with it physical and or emotional Stress, the only way you can become Stressed is if you “self-induce” it. You actually have to do all the work to become Stressed, and many People find this a difficult concept to grasp.
Self-induced Stress is the real killer. Self-induced Stress is the result of all the discontinuities, divergences, dichotomies, and discomforts that we have described so far. But it is Self-induced, and this in itself is worthy of further discussion.
In confronting the four “D’s” (discontinuities, divergences, dichotomies, and discomforts) it is critical that you understand, and believe, that these are the principle causes of Stress in the Human body. It is when your instinctive or trained-Behaviour becomes at odds with the environment that you induce the most Stress. When your actions are out of sync with your expectations. When you believe one thing, yet another is true.
If you don’t “self-induce”, then you can’t get Stressed. But most People find it almost impossible to not “self-induce” – it seems to be in their genetic code! But if you can develop the habit of mentally standing back from the action, long enough to mentally and physically prepare yourself for the required mental or physical activity, then you will find suddenly that you are not getting as Stressed as you once were, and that your ability to solve problems, help other People, and provide insightful commentary to those around you with increase dramatically.
Here’s a simple process to try the next time you sense that you might be stepping into a potentially Stressful situation.
First, take a few deep BREATHS, and deliberately calm yourself. Mentally review the situation, looking for the four “D’s”. Introduce HOT into the process immediately, and watch for Attitudes developed from flawed belief systems. Put yourself into the mental mode of a facilitator, negotiator, moderator, or Peacemaker.
Don’t immediately take sides. Don’t assume anything. Distance yourself from any Stressful Behaviour or over-boiled Emotional discussion. Calm everything down.
Managing Stress is, in our opinion, the second most important task anyone can take on, right after developing excellent Communication skills. It is a lack of consistency, and in most cases, a lack of Honesty, Openness, and Transparency, in either the process, Relationship, activity, or event, which leads to Stress.
Emotional discontinuity is also a great generator of Stress, in the way strong Emotions can directly affect other People. But you still have to do the work of self-inducing the Stress for it to affect you.
Being aware of this is the best defence – as a Peacemaker you must apply yourself to lowering the “Emotional” temperature around any event of action to that clear heads can prevail.
When you come across a situation where the Emotions have got out of control, stop it. Now. And make Peace.




The Death of Profit

Making a Profit can be one of the most Stressful activities you will ever be involved in.
Research tells us that there are at least fourteen different metrics that are used by the average person to measure their “Profit”. They range from monetary, experience, exposure, challenge, emotional, stimulus, vision, and potential reward to market, organizational, self-worth, achievement, potential and realistic value. Monetary reward has been identified as the eighth most important, and Self-worth as the first. People express this Self-worth value in terms of their peers and management recognizing them for their contribution to achieving the Organizational goals. In the case of an individual, it is an expression of their recognition by their peers that places them within the context of their environment positively.
Profit is critical to most Organizations, because if they don’t make one, then the doors don’t stay open very long. Individuals also believe Profit is important, but always express it in personal terms, as you, a potential Peacemaker, would expect.
The very latest understanding of Profit is that, when used at the Organizational and Individual level you take the Organizational Objective and marry it with the individual self-interest of every Person. This is done in such a way that their self-image (ego) provides the fuel for Organizational Success (Profit generation).
By “Profit” we mean not only the financial considerations of the Organization, but also the enhancement of the performance and potential of every person involved. If you are attempting a managed Change Process of any type, you must involve your People in the change process, so that they can come to grips with it from their perspective, and relate their individual motivations to the outcome.
You may remember that we said earlier that there are six critical elements that you must fulfil in any change Strategy :
1. You must generate specific belief in the necessity for change;
2. You must generate ownership of the process by everyone involved;
3. You must have multidirectional real-time Communication;
4. You must have vested authority and responsibility;
5. There must be perceivable benefits (profit) for all concerned, and
6. The change strategy must deliver on the promise.
Now, it is easy to argue that Motivation is getting mixed up here with Profit, and in a sense that would be correct. Research shows clearly that if the Profit goals are understood and accepted, then the Motivational goals tend to align themselves with the Profit expectation. This is not a value statement, but rather a process one.
The first Management Consultant - Niccolo` Machiavelli – put it into exacting words - “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”
Arthur Wyatt, the founder Wyatt & Co., said, “People and Culture - the Human Systems of a Company - are what make or break any Change Initiative”.
Current Research tells us that the most frequently mentioned barriers to Change are employee resistance, and dysfunctional Corporate Culture. Dysfunctional Culture is one whose shared values and Behaviour are at odds with its long-term health. In the majority of cases, this dysfunctionality is related to the Profit motives of the Organization, or at least to the perception of what they are or how they may be expressed. The Profit drivers get out of sync with the Performance drivers, remembering that People are Motivated by Emotional values, not Rational ones.
The Psychology of Financial Control is all about understanding just what Profit is to you and others whom you hope to Motivate, or make Peace with.
Research shows that many People see financial control as complex systems and reports that create fear, and that financial control can be compared to rocket science, subatomic physics, and quantum mechanics! The perception is that the individual can have absolutely no impact on any financial process at any level of activity.
Maintaining financial control shouldn’t have to be so difficult!
Making specific Profit can be as easy as understanding the relationship between Profit and Motivation, Communication and Group Dynamics, the four imperatives of any Organization success.
People are motivated to work in an Organization, because the Organization is (or will be) successful, and that their Behaviour will be seen as reflecting the positive attributes of this Organization. Sometimes it’s called the “Friday evening Bar Chat”, where you proudly tell your friends all about the Organization you work for, and bask in the reflected glory. However, it’s interesting to note that People rarely talk about Profit, but rather the Organization itself, in terms of the Organization being different and unique or having achieved some level of visibility due to overt Performance.
There are four primary attributes of a successful Organization :
1. A purpose beyond Profit
2. A positive product or service differentiator
3. A dynamic working environment, and
4. Strong, focussed management.
A purpose beyond Profit is essential for any Organization, Team or Group, as victory is always hollow if it is one-dimensional. Stories about people who have achieved great heights, only to discover that their achievement lacks substance are legendary. In this day and age, the “new” speak is about Triple Bottom Line, where Organizations are judged not just on profit, but also on social and environmental metrics.
Without a positive product or service differentiator an Organization has only price to market, and there will always be a competitor who either can sell at a lower price, or has a better capacity to sustain suicidal pricing strategies. Jack Welsh (the retired CEO of GE) put it aptly when he said, “If I can’t compete with a competitive edge, I don’t compete”.
Dynamic work environments are few and far between, but easy to spot. That’s the Organization that everyone else is chasing, trying to emulate, or living in fear of. Nothing is more Motivational or successful than an environment where you can make mistakes, fail, learn, and prosper. Where fear of failure doesn’t exist, and the only overt focus is the development of the People. As People develop, so too does the Organization.
There is also a dearth of strong, focussed, management in most Organizations. This is evidenced by the rapid rate at which they come and go, leaving nothing but a trail of financial and Emotional destruction behind them.
But where these attributes are present, the outcome is there for all to see.
Simply put, People want to get into the Organization, not out. Now, this is all very heavy stuff, as making a Profit can sometimes be. We need a lighter, more personable, People orientated approach.
Before any Organization can get rich - or maximise its Profit potential - first, you must get rich. Rich in spirit, rich in endeavour, rich in potential, and rich in performance.
You owe it to yourself to Be All You Can Be, because only in that way can you ever hope to achieve all that you most want in Life for yourself, your Organization, or those around you whom you love and cherish.
You can never become a Peacemaker sitting on the sidelines of Life.
Life is not a rehearsal - what you don't do now, you probably will never do. You can’t replay your intent like shooting a movie, what is done is done, and done forever.
Once you get "you" right, then it's relatively easy to get everyone else right - to force multiply yourself to achieve the bigger Profit picture for you or your Organization.
Don’t be scared of Profit. If you don’t Profit from your learning experiences and your mistakes, you might as well not have them in the first place.
There is no "fast-fix" or "magic bullet" to achieving a Profit - if there were, everyone would be rich, prosperous, happy, famous and extremely self-motivated, and genuine Peacemakers.
Profit is many things to different People - money, fame, fortune, wealth, health, happiness, self-worth, self-image, ego, participation, vision, recognition, and acclaim. To most Organizations, Profit is the magic "bottom line" performance, usually expressed in financial terms. It’s what they boast about to the Stock market and their shareholders.
Organizations that are not making the Profit they desire or deserve are dangerous, Stressful, unsatisfying, niggardly places to work, and demoralising in spirit. If this negative and destructive attitude is not changed, it ultimately causes People to focus on all the wrong things.
Excellence in Performance (and therefore excellence in Profit delivery) is obtained by excellence in thought and action, and you simply cannot achieve excellence by driving the numbers and crunching the People.
You see, Organizations don't do things, People do! And smart Organizations are rapidly starting to realise that real Profit is the result of managing three synergistic relationships - and you can't have one without the other two.
Every Organization needs to generate Profit - if it doesn't, either it shouldn't be in business, or it soon won't be.
But two other things must happen in concert with the delivery of this Profit potential - or the Profit genera­tion cannot be sustained, and will ultimately fail. The Organization must develop as a Performance focused culture, and the People who produce the Profit must develop as People.
The better the People are developed, and the closer this development is to their own self-image, the better the Organization is developed, and the better will be the Profit generation.
Profit comes down to People, People, and People.
It is often said that the only difference between a Military Person and a Civilian is Training – so always think of Profit in terms of developing the People involved in the process, so that through training and nurturing their growth and enlightenment fuel the Profit generation process from the inside.
Chase the bottom line by all means - be frugal, cost conscious, money wise and tight - but don't ever lose sight of the fact that you will make your Profit (or generate one for your Organization) only when you are focused on the real reason why you (and the People around you) do things. Remember also that making Profit once at the expense of a sustainable People-orientated process is no Profit at all.
The majority of things that Motivate you are mental stimulants (Emotional), not practical achievements (Rational). People talk about other People, they rarely talk about the financial realities that drive the Organization, or are likely to Motivate you. You talk about your success before you talk about other People's, or the Organization’s.
When the Organization is successful, you bask in the reflected glory of this performance - as one of the key contributors to it. And this "success" talk is rarely about Profit perfor­mance - how much money the Organization made - it's usually about achievement performance, the things that have gone right, worked out, made you or others look good.
Things you feel really good about!
When the "bottom-line" starts to drive an Organization, the People tend to lose contact with their real Motivations. Why would anyone work themselves to death so that a faceless Organization can make a few dollars?
When Organizations live on their financial nerves, the People exhibit significant signs of Stress, because the Organization’s financial problem always seems to be beyond any one individual's desire or ability to fix.
If we were to examine all the ways of shortening your Life by self-inducing Stress that we have discussed so far, trying to make a false Profit would be at the head of the list. You need to link the Communication process with your understanding of Motivation to put Profit in perspective.
The Communication Dictate (C3) demands “An accurate, clear, simple, and understandable exchange of information (ideas) at every structural level, irrespective of the capability or circumstances of the sender or receiver”.
The Communication Dictate is predicated on everyone in the Organization believing, “That what it is that needs to be achieved (action) is more important than what it is anyone thinks they have to say”.
From a Group Dynamic perspective, in any Organization, achieving the “bottom line” is the motive force, financial control is the accelerator, and teams of People (Groups) are the wheels on which the Organization runs.
The Gaia Principle of the Universal Linking Theory suggests that “Every individual person’s Behaviour impacts on, and in turn, is impacted on by, every other person’s Behaviour”.
It is universally agreed that Emotion is a complex State, and is a condition that affects the entire Organism and influences how successfully it interacts with its environment. Although Emotion represents a change in a Person’s inner-State (inner-stance) it is also a change in Behaviour. Emotion can and does shape the environment it influences attitudes, and can change the Behaviour of others!
Motivation is the determinant of Behaviour’s arousal, vigour, direction, and persistence. Motivation is often considered an answer to the question of why an action is performed. Is has been observed that every action, whether physical or cerebral, is the result of some degree of motivation, either positive or negative. The majority of motivators are mental stimulants, not practical achievements. People talk about other People, rarely about the financial realities that drive the Organization.
In simple terms, when the “bottom-line” starts to drive the Organization, People tend to lose contact with their Motivations.
Profit may well be the bottom-line, but to most of the People involved “Profit” will mean an experience, challenge, emotional stimulus, and vision reward, and will always be expressed from the point of view of “self-worth”.
Your Strategy has to become the linking mechanism between your Organizational objectives, and the enhanced “self-worth” prerequisites of the People with whom you are striving to make a “Profit”.
In a sense, you have to under promise, and over deliver.
Because Companies don’t do things, People do, and every Person sees things from a different perspective, what is essentially the same, is in fact, very different. If we understand how People think and how they differ, we can soon establish how to Motivate them to make the Profit you desire.
The Psychology of Financial Control comes down to understanding Personalities and learning how to Communicate with them, and how each Personality is likely to “see” Profit.
Remember, under Stress, it is the Prime Personality Type that will tend to dominate the attitudes and Behaviour of the individual. And making a Profit can be extremely Stressful as processes go.
The Director is seen as High Involvement, Rational Behaviour, and “lives” in the top left hand quadrant of the grid.
The Socialiser is seen as High Involvement, Emotional Behaviour, and sits opposite the Director.
The Thinker is seen as Low Involvement, Rational Behaviour, and sits in the bottom left hand quadrant.
And the Relator, who is Low Involvement, Emotional Behaviour, sits opposite the Thinker Style.
Now, by understanding the Behaviour of each Personality Type, we can establish how to maximise a Communication with them, and maximise their “Profit” potential.

Relator
Thinker
Socialiser
Director

If you remember, the Director Personality is :
- Self-contained, and direct
- Exhibits firmness in relationships
- Is orientated towards productivity
- Is concerned with The Bottom Line
- They accept challenges
- Take authority
- Go head first into solving problems
- Work by themselves
- Come on cool & independent
- They shape their environment
- And they demand maximum freedom
The negative side of The Director Personality is that they are stubborn, impatience, are tough, have low tolerance for feelings and attitudes, have bad listening habits, and are naturally competitive at any level of Performance. To get the Director to make your Bottom Line, they have to win, the numbers have to be exact, and covert financial support must be in the background.
The “rules” for talking to a Director were :
1. In the Communication, is the thinking, presentation, and attitude compatible with the importance of the action?
2. Does it somehow take into account the risk of wrong choice (or action)?
3. Does it provide enough food for thought?
4. Are the points made in the Communication logical and cogent?
5. Are the specifics, benefits or reasons-why real and important?
In simple terms, to get a Director Personality to take notice of your Profit Objective, you need to show them how important what you want done is - to them.

The Socialiser Personality is a very different kettle of fish. They tend to :
- Have a high tendency towards directness, and are open
- They are animated, lively and intuitive
- They are impetuous and excitable, and they are
- Not concerned about the bottom line at all.
- They keep a fast pace
- Act and decides spontaneously
- Are the classic “ideas person”
- Has little concern for facts, figures or detail
- Can motivate and influence others, and they
- Shape their environment
The Socialiser works quickly, constantly seeks approval and recognition, and they have a dynamic ability to think on their feet, and will use sheer energy as a means to getting acceptance.
The Negative Side of the Socialiser Personality is that they can be seen as manipulative, they tend to generalises or exaggerates facts and figures, and they are not interested in detail, work intuitively, and take risks. To make the Bottom Line the Socialiser must be implicitly engaged with detail support. They simply can never do it themselves, and are literally incapable of “seeing” all the detail that goes into a solid “Bottom Line” performance.”
Remember the Communication rules for the Socialiser :
1. Is the Communication compatible with the importance of the action?
2. Does it somehow take into account the risk of wrong choice (or action)?
3. Does it provide enough stimulation of the imagination, fantasies, and daydreams?
4. Does the Communication engender the right feelings?
5. Does it express the right personality values?
6. Does it play on the right sense (of the five senses) in the right way?
To get the bubbly Socialiser to deliver on your Profit requirements you simply must engage them emotionally in the process, and show them how they will feel with the success of the process.

The Thinker Personality, because they reflect the “Low Involvement, Rational” quadrant, tend to be :
- Indirect and self-contained
- Concerned with analytical process
- They are persistent and systematic
- They are security conscious
- Have a high need to be right
- An over reliance on data collection
- Ask about specifics
- They tend toward perfection
- Focuses on detail and the process of work
- Becomes irritated by surprises and glitches
- Emphasises compliance and working within systems
- Promote quality in products and services
- And they like organization and structure.
The Thinker works slowly, precisely by themselves, and is time disciplined. They prefer an intellectual work environment, and tend to be self-critical, sceptical, and they like to see things in writing.
The Negative Side of the Thinker Personality is that they can be seen as aloof, prickly, and critical, their actions and decisions tend to be slow and extremely cautious, and they can procrastinate. They also actively dislike People who are disorganised or illogical (as Socialisers and Relators tend to be) and they do not like contact.
To get the Bottom Line, Thinkers must have specific, precise, logical and measurable objectives, spelled out in great detail, with supportive evidence.
Remember their Communication requirements :
1. Does the Communication provide the energy that the personality will not provide?
2. Does it make one point inescapably clear?
3. Does the Communication demonstrate or prove its one point irresistibly, and irrefutably?

The Relator Personality sits on the opposite side to the Thinker, and have a completely unique set of Behaviours :
- They are open and indirect
- Relatively unassertive
- Warm and reliable
- They seek security
- They take action and makes decisions slowly
- They are the most People orientated of the four Personality Styles
- They has natural counselling skills and
- Are good active listeners.
The Relator has a strong desire to avoid risky or unknown situations, and they always consider the feelings of others before taking action or making a decision. Because of this trait, they tend to build strong networks of mutually supportive People, at many levels of any Organization.
The Negative Side of the Relator Personality is that they actively dislike interpersonal conflict so much that they sometimes say what they think others might like to hear. This is not a distortion of the facts as it were, but rather an overt concern for the other party to the degree that they will avoid any possibility of conflict or harm. Because of this, Relators are sometimes perceived as compliant and soft, and seen as unassertive, and overly sensitive.
To get the Relator to make the Bottom Line, they must understand and accept how the Profit process will impact on the People, and internally accept the consequences.
The Communication Rules for the Relator are :
1. Does the Communication provide the energy that the personality will not provide?
2. Does the Communication convey inescapably one personality?
3. Does the Communication work in, or on, the right sense, in the right way?
There is another critical issue in the process of making a Profit – and that is Empowerment. Getting other People to make a Profit for you is all about Empowerment, and anyone can do it, especially a Peacemaker.
Empowerment is a process - simple, fast, intuitive, and welcomed by everyone involved in making it happen. Companies that empower their staff do magic things - make more money, have more fun, and generally prosper. People who empower other People live rich lives, achieve great things, create great empires, and are looked up to as positive role models. Empowerment is as simple as giving control to the other Person unequivocally, and then supporting them as they do their best.
It's often said that "Money makes Money". Well, Companies and Organizations don't do things, People do, as we’ve mentioned many times before. So if you really want to make a Profit, you've got to discover how to get your People to make it for you - because they come to realise that what it is they most want to do, is to produce for you.!
Getting a Profit really comes down to excellence in Communication and Motivation, just like building a relationship. If you ask a hundred People what their view of Profit is, you are likely to hear any of the following observations :
- The Financial function is often seen as complex and confusing;
- It often cuts the legs out from under good People;
- It is time consuming, and often leads to criticism;
- Financial reports are seen as daunting detail and of little relevance to the writer.
In short, responsible Financial Control can generate fear of the System, instead of respect! The Peacemaker, always interested in how People think and feel, recognizes this, and designs any Profit process in such a way that the Stress is minimized, and the performance is maximized.
And that’s a Profitable solution for everyone concerned!