The Eyelet.

Last Tuesday, we had the pleasure of hearing Daniel Pink speak on the topic of motivation at the annual NAPEO conference and marketplace. For an introduction to the book, watch this CBS interview with the author. If you’ve yet to read his book, Drive, get it and read it now. It is certainly the most important book written to date on service branding if not the most important business book written in the last 30 years. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that it’s about what motivates us. It’s not about branding at all. So, why would we make these claims?

In a nutshell, Pink summarizes over 50 years of scientific research on what motivates us. What he concludes is that traditional forms of “carrot” and “stick” motivation are woefully inadequate in our daily lives. While these types of rewards work well for simple tasks, they actually serve to destroy creativity and reduce productivity within more complex jobs and tasks (pretty much the entire service and information economy). What he outlines is an approach for fostering intrinsic motivation within a team or organization. Intrinsic motivation is built on three things:

1. Autonomy – I have some level of control over what I do and how I do it.

2. Mastery – I’m making progress both for the company and in my career.

3. Purpose – My work has meaning. I’m working for something greater than profit.

At Mlicki, we would argue that the third element of motivation is the cornerstone of your brand. Industry leading brands stand for something. That something is meaningful both to the customer and the folks that work for the brand.

Pink goes on to profile companies who are fostering new approaches to the employment relationship. From autonomous work days (work on anything you want today) to peer rewards systems and to commission-less sales teams. The one constant across all his examples is the resulting higher levels of employee motivation and engagement. For years, we’ve said the backbone of every service brand is its people. How a company engages and motivates its people has a direct impact on how that brand is presented to the customer and perceived in the marketplace.

So, essentially Drive forms the blueprint for how to activate your brand internally. Once you’ve clearly defined your brand strategy, think about the three drivers of motivation. Identify ways to introduce your brand strategy to your workforce that will activate learning and passion. Look for opportunities to integrate your motivational strategies with your brand strategy. Make them one in the same. Ultimately, your brand motivates your people and your people motivate your brand.

So, what do you think?