Three Parts:

1. Priorities
2. Calculation vs Serendipity
3. Execution

Priorities

Two-factor theory of motivation

Frederick Herzberg: satisfaction and dissatisfaction are separate, independent measures

Hygiene Factors vs Motivation Factors

Hygiene factors: elements of work that, if not done right, will cause us to be dissatisfied.

• E.g. status, compensation, job security, work conditions, company policies, and supervisory practices
• Importantly: Herzberg asserts that compensation is a hygiene factor, not a motivator.
  • The best one can hope for: post a list of every employee’s name and salary on the bulletin board, and hear every employee say, ‘I sure wish I were paid more, but darn it, this list is fair.’

Motivators: things that will truly, deeply satisfy us, the factors that will cause us to love our jobs

• E.g. challenging work, recognition, responsibility, and personal growth
• Much more about intrinsic conditions of the work

Common mistake: choosing careers using hygiene factors as the primary criteria

• Sacrifice motivators for hygiene factors
• Getting on the hedonic treadmill: "Worse still, they found themselves stuck. They’d managed to expand their lifestyle to fit the salaries they were bringing in, and it was really difficult to wind that back."
• Ask yourself a different set of questions:
  • Is this work meaningful to me? Is this job going to give me a chance to develop? Am I going to learn new things? Will I have an opportunity for recognition and achievement? Am I going to be given responsibility?
  • These are the things that will truly motivate you. Once you get this right, the more measurable aspects of your job will fade in importance.

My thoughts

• Cf. to Andy Grove's (more complex) theory of motivation
  • Grove is focused on motivating employee, Christensen is focused on personal decision-making
  • Interesting to consider how swapping positions would yield different insights