The 3 Dimensions of Motivation

Many people are motivated to do things for many different reasons. In class we talked about some of these reasons. We talked about the three dimensions of motivation. These dimensions are extrinsic rationale, relational rationale, and intrinsic rationale. Extrinsic rationale is the motivation to do something because you get tangible rewards such as money or prizes, credit towards something, experience to build your resume, opportunity for advancement, avoiding penalties, public recognition, knowing that someone may return the favor or competition with others. Relational rationale is motivation because you do not want to let others down, you want to make a difference for someone else, you want to please others, you want individual recognition, you want to achieve or maintain status/credibility, you feel the need to be loyal to the values of one’s community or you want to be accepted by others. The intrinsic rationale is motivation by learning something or being better at something, seeing the fruits of your labor/accomplishment, wanting to do well because you took it on, competition with self, caring about the project or task, advocating for something you believe in or leaving a legacy.

An example of when the extrinsic rationale was my main motivator was in the beginning of the semester when my Communications professor offered extra credit to participate in a communication study. Of course the last thing I wanted was one more thing to do that week, but the extrinsic rationale of extra credit motivated me to get out of bed at 9am, walk over to the communication building and participate in the study.

An example of when the relational rationale motivated me was when I was assigned to do a group project with three other students last semester. We all met up with each other and we were all assigned to do a specific part of the project. In this situation everyone was relying on everyone else to do his or her part so we could receive the grade we deserved. I felt that I could not let my group down and that gave me the motivation to complete my task and make it the best that it could be.  

An example of when the intrinsic rationale motivated me was during my four years of studying the Spanish language. One of my main goals in life is to become fluent in a language other than English. Although I struggled to get through each and every Spanish class I took, I had the motivation to continue on with my studies because I was determined to become better at speaking Spanish and I was dedicated to learning the most I could about Hispanic culture.

Clearly different things motivate different people. Everyone, in some way, has been motivated at some point in his or her life by extrinsic rationale, relational rationale, or intrinsic rationale. I believe that you can tell a lot about a person just by knowing what motivates them to do the things they do. Now think, what motivates you? 

3 Dimensions of Motivation

This week in class we talked about empowerment.  Empowerment is to be able to enable others through clear instructions and trust. Through empowerment, we learned about the 3 Dimensions of Motivation. The 3 motivations are: Extrinsic, Relational and Intrinsic. The extrinsic rational motivates people to do things because there are tangible rewards, you may receive credit towards something, maybe gain public recognition, and many more motives for personal reward. The relational rational includes; not wanting to let anyone down, making a difference for someone else, pleasing others and/or gaining acceptance from others. The intrinsic rationale is motivation by learning something new, seeing the fruits of your labor, wanting to do well because you took it on and/or leaving a legacy. All of these different dimensions motivate people to do the things they do and the way that they do them.

            An example of when I used the relational rationale was when I was working on a group project in 10h grade. We were all assigned to do little parts of the assignment and I was chosen to do all of the research. I really did not want to do the work, but I did it anyway because I knew it had to be done. I got the motivation from thinking, if I didn’t do the work I would let my group members down. I would never want to let others that were depending on me down, it is just not in my character. I also thought that if I didn’t do my work, my teachers would not view me as the good student I once was anymore. I thought they would all respect for me, and that in itself gave me the motivation I needed to get the project done!

            When I was on the dance team in high school, we had to do a lot of fundraising in order to get the things we needed for competition season.  There were many fundraising opportunities throughout the year and we only needed to attend two in total. I was thinking to the future and I thought, if I went to all of the fundraising activities, my coach would see that I am a major part to the team and she will elect me as team captain next year. So I went to all of the fundraising opportunities, and I gained positive recognition from that and I was elected captain the next year. I now realize that I was extrinsic dimension of motivation. I was setting myself up for an opportunity for advancement.

            In all, I have learned that there are underlying motivations that make people do the things they do. Now I am able to put an action with a reason to why it’s happening in that way.  Now, when doing a task, I will always think about what it is that is motivating me, and think about the 3 Dimensions of Motivation and wonder whether it is extrinsic, relational and/or intrinsic. 

Oppressive Language and Society.

This past week in class we learned about oppressive language. Oppressive language is the use of words or phrases that discriminate against a certain group of people.  There are many oppressive words in the English language that are used every day without many of us even realizing we are using them.  Because of this, many people that fit the literal description of these words become offended.

For example, when I was younger, I thought the word “retard” or “retarded” were just words that were used to describe something or someone that was dumb. I have always been compassionate towards people with special needs, even going to the point of helping them read and write during my 1^st period class. But even though I was conscious of what this word actually means, my friends and I still used it quite frequently. Until one day, my friends and I were walking down the hallway and a special need’s student was approaching us from the other direction. My friend (who was not very considerate) called something “retarded” in the presence of this special needs student. Although I do not believe the student heard what my friend had said, it still had an effect on everyone in the situation.  After putting two and two together, I felt extremely guilty for even being in the presence of someone so ignorant as to blurt out such an awful word. I believe that occurrence had shaped me into becoming a more conscious person about the words I decide to use. Not only do I not use the word “retard” or “retarded” in that context, I try to refrain from using any other sort of oppressive language.

            Another example of how oppressive language effects society is the simple use of phrases that have probably been taught since early on in childhood.  An oppressive phrase that many people do not realize offends a certain culture group is the phrase, “Sitting Indian style.” Indian style refers back to the Indians in the new world and still to this day offends Native Americans. Although this “style” reflects the culture of the Native Americans and how they would sit back then, it still deems disrespectful to the culture.  Instead of using the term “Indian style,” people should use the culture neutral phrase of “sitting cross-legged.” This phrase does not pinpoint a certain culture or group, but merely describes the way a person sits, with their legs crossed. This term makes a lot more sense and should be taught in schools and in early childhood instead of the phrase “Indian style.”

            Clearly oppressive language effects a lot more people than many think. The use of this language should be eliminated and the new words or phrases should be neutral for all people. With a language full of neutrality, no one would have to watch what they say and most importantly, many people will not feel hurt or offended.

Adapting to New Cultures

This week in Bluechip was all about learning to adapt in different cultures. We found that this was very hard to do even when were we just playing a simple card game but by different rules. We all broke up into different groups and we were given a rules sheet to read, only when we were trying to figure out the game , we could not talk. Once we thought we knew how to play, we started playing in silence. Depending on if you “won” or “lost” you would either stay at the table you were at, or you would move to a different table. This means that we had a new player at our table every round. This person would have to play by our rules without getting a clear overview of how we play meaning they simply had to just adapt. At the end of the game we were asked why playing this game was important and we all had a pretty clear view as to what they wanted us to get out of it. We learned a lot from this game, and we can now have a better understanding of what it feels like to have to be immersed in a new culture without previously understanding how it works and what their customs are.

            For example, this year coming to the University of Arizona all the way from Chicago was a complete culture shock. I was not really sure how different the people here really are. At one point last semester, I was very close to transferring because I felt very out-of-place and I wanted to be back in my comfort zone in the Midwest. After deciding to come back on a whim, I realized I just had to adapt a little bit more to the way people live out here. I am still not 100% used to it, but I am getting better and I have become a much stronger person because of it. I feel like I can do anything after I’ve overcome the obstacles of living in a new culture.

            Another time when I had to adapt to a new surrounding was when I was in high school. I had one group of friend that I always hung around and had a good time. But one day, a friend from outside that group asked me to hang out with her group of friends. Of course I agreed, and there I went. I hung out with her friends, and they all did things way differently than my other group of friends. I soon came to find out, I liked the way this new group of friends did things, and I started hanging out with them more often. That group has become my best group of friends yet! I am so happy I adapted to that culture and took a risk.

            In all, from the game we played in class and my own real-life experiences, I have realized how hard it is to adapt to a new culture. I will always have respect for people coming into our country and having to adapt to our ways. 

Personal Vision Statement

This week in BlueChip, we talked about vision statements and how to write one effectively. Prior to this class, I had heard of a vision statement but I had no clue as to what one actually entailed. This week I learned that there are two types of vision statements, one being organizational and one being personal. An organizational vision statement is a statement exemplifying how great your organization is. For example, a sorority’s vision statement includes what that sorority specifically involved in and what they care about as a whole. It is not based on a specific person’s beliefs like a personal vision statement would. A personal vision statement revolves around one specific person’s life and how they envision it to be in their future.  Many people’s vision statements are a good indicator of what their goals are and what they want our world to be like in the future.

            When I think about things that I want to include in my own vision statement, I always include something to do with bettering education and making young people feel like they are worth something so they can live a fulfilling and successful life. I believe that these are my beliefs because I have watched too many people go down the wrong path when they could have done something useful with their lives or they could have at least still been alive today. I also want to educate young people about hardships of others and make them look at their life from a different perspective. I have learned to do this, and because I have, I have become an open minded and caring person who believes everyone deserves happiness. I believe that by everyone thinking like this, we could make a huge difference for our youth so we can have strong leaders for tomorrow.

            When I think specifically as to what I can do to make my vision statement a reality, all I can think about is becoming a teacher. I have been a teacher ever since I was a little girl, but I was just never paid for it. I remember teaching my little brother math and I just remember the pure satisfaction of knowing that he can succeed because of me. I came to realize my greatest joy in life is to help others attain their personal goals. I will do whatever it takes as a teacher or as a friend or as a sister to make sure that they attain their goals so they can be as happy as I am. I believe that by helping each other attain their personal goals, everyone will be happier and we will live in a much more peaceful and loving society.

            With all of these goals included in my vision statement, I will be sure to enlighten anyone who reads it with what I believe will make for the best future. I have learned so much as to what a vision statement is, and it has helped make mine unique to me. 

Finding the urge to fight toxic leadership

            Experiencing toxic leadership is one thing but experiencing the actual force that causes you to stand up and fight can be an entire new experience.  On the other hand the experiencing what makes us stay with a toxic leader can be poisonous it.  We may choose to stay with a toxic leader for internal reasons like psychological feelings like needing an authority figure to replace parents and or caretakers that have structured our lives for so long we have failed to learn independence.  Pragmatic reasons may include simply earning money to continue paying the pills and earning money and maintaining a stable job.  Next we may stay for existential reasons just to have the sense of belonging and avoiding the fear of loneliness and isolation.  There are also external reasons like uncertainty due to fear of loss of security and psychosocial reasons, which include the need to meet society’s standards of achievement and increasing self-esteem.  The last external reason is the feeling of being unfinished in an unfinished world.  Whatever reason it may be, finding the urge to fight it must come from some driving force. 

            These driving forces to speak out may include proximity, information, cost, and the identification with the victim.  Being in close proximity to the toxic leadership will most often result in the chance of someone to speak out.  In order to speak out one must be sure they have the right information, being accurate will give rise to confidence and build the urge to fight.  Emotionally we are humans and seeing other people get hurt is tough but many also weigh the costs because if it is too high many people will refuse to speak up.  One must remember there is power in numbers and whoever is leading this “rebellion” must have strong qualities to convince his or her followers that they will win and do the right thing. 

            Growing up and witnessing even the simplest things I would feel guilty.  If I saw my brother steal something from the candy store or even from our own kitchen I had this urge to say something to him, but was nervous of the outcome because he was older and more intimidating but he was influencing me and showing me anyone could get away with it.  But I had the information, I saw it with my own eyes but he was my brother how could I turn against him.  These situations are always tough even if they are minute but doing the right thing should always be a priority.  In high school I was driving with one of my girl friends and she backed up into a nice car.  She hit it pretty hard and was just planning on leaving.  Fear of karma I convinced her to turn around and find the owner, the lady who drove the car lived in my town, if I didn’t say anything I wouldn’t be able to face her later.  Toxic leadership is a strong influence but a terrible odor.  It is best to find the urge from somewhere and do what is right because it’s not worth it if you will feel guilty and unsure of what to do.   

Toxic Leadership

            This week in Foundations of Leadership we learned about toxic leadership. There are many types of toxic leadership that should be looked out for in certain situations. Many people fail to recognize these characteristics and it can have a harmful effect on the group itself or the people the leader is trying to lead. I have had an encounter with two of these types of leadership and these situations have helped me to understand what to look for in a leader.

            The first type of toxic leader I encountered was the Bully leader. I was in fifth grade and I remember having a group of friends that I always spent my time with. There was one girl in particular who had to be the leader at all costs. We naturally allowed her to take charge and she led the group in everything that we did. Eventually, she became a bully. She would always make fun of the girls in the group that did not have the “cool” clothes or the “cool” lunchbox. This brought down the girls’ self esteem and therefore forcing the girls to want to leave the group. And now without her followers, she had nothing. Clearly, groups with a Bully leader do not stay together and do not have positive outcomes. I am glad I learned my lesson early on, and now I know that if I were to lead a group I would not use the bully technique.

            The second type of toxic leadership I learned not to take part in is the controller leadership style. When I was on the dance team in high school, I had a coach who had to be in control of EVERYTHING. If I were to ask to make up a sequence for a routine, she would always want to see it before I taught it so it could fit her standards. Half the time she would change the ENTIRE sequence and turn it into her own. She also never allowed anyone else to have a say in what we wore on Fridays. She would always make us wear these ugly, itchy polyester uniforms that no one liked. No matter how much we complained to her that they were uncomfortable to wear during the day, she would not let us wear what WE wanted. It was always her way or the highway. The lack of leeway made me think that when I become a high school coach, I will ALWAYS make sure my team has a say in what they do and wear otherwise it will cause resentment.

            Clearly these types of toxic leadership cause dissatisfaction for the group members. When someone is in a leadership position, it is their responsibility to make sure their members are happy and have a say in what goes on in the group. I have definitely learned my fair share about toxic leadership growing up and I know now that one day I will know exactly how NOT to run a group and instead adopt new ways of leadership and apply them to the group I run. 

Taoist Leadership Principles

This week in Blue Chip we talked about Taoist Leadership Principals. Although the list of his principals is much longer, we only talked about 6 of the principals we thought best reflected our views in Blue Chip. One of the two principals I thought was most relevant to everyday life was principal #47 called Here and Now. This principal basically states that a leader must know the obstacles that are obstructing the group from attaining their goals now, rather than having idealist views about the future. In my life this has happened a few times. Recently I was pondering about what I wanted after college graduation. I thought about getting a good job and having nice things to go along with it. Sure these things are nice, but I was not thinking about the here and now. In the present, I had a huge exam that I had not done much studying for. I then thought of the Taoist principal and realized I had to pass this test in order to reach my goal of the finer things in life.  Clearly it helps to live in the present and overcome obstacles that will lead to the future rather than thinking too far into the future and forgetting about what is going to get me there. 

The other important Taoist principal I thought was important was principal #54, The Ripple Effect. The Ripple Effect states that if you are a positive influence in the world, it will rub off on everyone else and the ripple effect continues. I believe this is so true for many reasons! For example, one day in high school I was walking past a girl down the hallway and I really liked her shirt. I then smiled at her and acknowledged that I liked her shirt and kept walking. After passing her, I heard behind me that same girl’s voice. She went right ahead and complimented another girl on her shirt while they passed each other in the hallway. My act of kindness and positivity clearly rubbed off on others and it put everyone in a better mood including myself.  It is clear that one act of kindness can lead to many great acts of kindness no matter how little it is. My philosophy is if you can make at least one person smile during the day, you have done your job. Of course making many people smile is even better but if you could lift one person’s spirit it is a job well done. Clearly this Taoist principal is important in my life and I believe if everyone displayed this kind of positivity, great things will happen.

The Taoist principals are wonderful to live by. They are insightful and powerful and should be used by everyone in the world. Not only do the principals work in leadership situations, but more importantly they work in every day situations. There is nothing better than to make someone happy and to be living your life to the fullest in the present rather than searching for the good in the future. 

Social Change Model and my life.

            This week in the foundations of leadership class we talked mainly on the Social Change Model that we analyzed in our reading. The Social Change Model is built on the basic premises that the model is inclusive, views leadership as a process rather than a position, and promotes the values of equality, social justice, self-knowledge, personal empowerment, citizenship and service. In the model there are seven key values that include: Consciousness of self, Congruence, Commitment, Collaboration, Common Purpose, Controversy with Civility and Citizenship. All of these factors contribute as to what makes change possible in our society today.

            Out of the seven values of the Social Change Model, I have used Congruence the most in my life. For example, I was the captain of the varsity dance team my senior year in High School. It was up to me to keep order among a group of 17 girls at practice and at competitions. Of course there were always arguments between 2 or a group of girls and it was usually up to me to be the peacemaker. I had to use the skill of Congruence by not choosing sides but rather coming to a collective decision in the situation.  With congruence, I had to make sure I heard both sides of the story before I could make an informed decision on the matter. I had to be honest with the girls because then the best decision could be made for the sake of the group as a whole. Being a team captain was very challenging, but the skill of Congruence helped me be the best captain I could be.

            Another value of the Social Change Model I utilized was the skill of Collaboration. Collaboration is a vital aspect if you want to have a successful dance season in the world of competitive team dance. Collaboration definitely helped us reach our goals in 2010 by winning the State Championship! Through Collaboration, we as a team all put in our own ideas as to how we thought our pom routine could be better. We all sat down one day at practiced and just brain stormed ideas until we all came to the conclusion as to what is best. This method resulted in the winning of the state title and allowed us all to feel as though we all contributed to winning state. Clearly Collaboration was the key to our success last season and will continue to help well into the future.

            In all, the Social Change Model has helped me tremendously reach my goals personally and with a team. There are many things I learned about leadership because I was able to base my leadership skills off of the different values of social change. The “Seven C’s” of the Social Change Model clearly demonstrates what it takes to create a change or reach a goal in a specific situation and people everywhere should study these seven values so that change in our society can happen in a faster and more beneficial way. 

Myers Briggs personality test and me

Leadership has and always will be a huge part of my life. After taking the Myers Briggs personality test I came to realize why leadership and responsibility is a natural part of my personality. On the test, I turned out to be a ENTP and after figuring out what these mean, I was able to figure out my 8 mental functions and how I can relate them to my everyday life.

My top mental function was Extraverted Intuition. This means that I create possibilities for the future and spontaneously recognize patterns and connections. For example, I recently was interested in the sports broadcasting network called CatNation here at University of Arizona and I immediately contacted someone that could help me reach my goal of becoming a sports reporter for CatNation. In doing so, I was offered to shadow CatNation this Friday to go behind the scenes and fully understand what it takes to be a CatNation reporter. Because I noticed the connection between my extroverted style of communication skills and love for being in front of the camera, I was able to determine what I want for my future.  My personality profile fits this situation perfectly.

In contrast to my number one mental function, my last mental function is Extraverted Sensing.  This can be described as being alive in the moment and aware of what the senses are able to immediately experience. I am clearly the complete opposite of that. I plan everything out before I do it and make sure that I am always setting myself up for the future. Many of the decisions I make depend on how it will affect me in the future. For example, my friend loves to take pictures and is always documenting our every move. We always go to parties together and the flash is always going off. It is hard to monitor what pictures are being taken and put on Facebook so me, having Extraverted Sensing last, I always ask her not to put the ones making a fool of my goofy self up on the internet. I partially do this because I don’t want my friends to think I’m a complete nut, but I mainly do it because I don’t want my future compromised by my crazy photos. I would be devastated if I did not get a job because of one crazy night in college. This is just one example of many that represent how I live my life not in the moment, but for my future.

Obviously the Myers Briggs personality test can tell someone a lot about his or her personality.  I noticed many things about myself I never really noticed before and it helps me make sense of my day-to-day actions.  I believe that putting a meaning to everything you do makes someone a more mature and self-confident person.  When a person understands the root of what is causing them to act in a certain situation, that person is better able to evaluate themselves and everything around them. 

History of Leadership

There have been many types of leadership throughout time. After a class on the different types of leadership, I came to realize how much our style of leadership has progressed throughout the years. It was just as fun as it was shocking to compare how the styles of leadership have changed throughout history. One of the very first forms of leadership was Tribal Leadership and this varies so much from our modern style of leadership known as Post-Progressive Leadership. After being a captain of a dance team of 17 girls, it is interesting to think about how running the team would have been different during the tribal times than it is during the modern time period we are in today.

If I were to be a leader of a specific team like my dance team during the Tribal Era, I would probably have to hit the gym 7 days a week and grow about a foot in order to even be considered to be the captain. Next, I would have to intimidate the girls to the point where no one would want even want to talk to me or get in my way.  My term as captain wouldn’t be the year I was assigned, but most likely until I was physically brought down from power like being defeated by another leader on a power trip. I would have to direct the team with different tasks I wanted completed and if they failed to follow directions they would immediately be put to death under my orders. To think of death as punishment for not following directions in modern times is morally unfathomable as well as very illegal. Clearly, I was a captain of a team or group back then I would not have the same positive experience I gained through modern leadership skills.

We see Post-Progressive leadership very often these days. I am very happy I was a leader in this time period because I learned a lot as a person and as a leader through many of these skills needed to be an effective leader. I for one did not use any intimidation to be chosen as a leader. Instead I used the Post-Progressive technique of expressing why I would make a great leader and how I would incorporate everyone’s ideas to make the most effective decisions for the team as a whole. I also never wanted to make anyone feel inferior to me as the leader but I wanted to make sure everyone had equal say in what we did as a team. This is one of the core values of Modern day Post-Progressive leadership. Another value of Post-Progressive leadership is the value of social change. As a team we would volunteer for different organizations to help promote well-being in the community. By doing this, the role of me being the leader turned everyone on the team into a leader as well. With this, we were able to simultaneously collaborate while promoting social change and this is what modern leaders do.

Clearly times have changed when it comes to leadership. I am happy to say I was and still am a part of the Post-Progressive era of leadership and will continue to collaborate with others to create change where it is needed rather than force others into making changes without their consent. 

Definition of Leadership

How Princes Should Keep Faith by Niccolo Machiavelli states "...a prudent Prince neither can or ought to keep his word when to keep it is hurtful to him and the causes which led him to pledge it are removed. If all men were good, this would not be good advise, but since they are dishonest and do not keep faith with you, you, in return, need not keep faith with them; and no prince was ever at a loss for plausible reasons to cloak a breach of faith..." (Machiavelli 68) 

After reading this, I immediately related this idea to modern day leaders such as people in high office in business and political leaders such as Mayors, Governors and Presidents.I believe that anyone, especially striving for this kind of power, will do whatever it takes to reach it even if it means bending the truth a little bit.  When trying to attain a goal, one will almost always distort the truth to make sure that he/she looks good in a certain situation if not all situations he/she is put in. With this false image, these leaders persuade their audience by stating false or far-fetched ideals which in turn leads to a business or country being led by lies and false hopes. No one wants the blind to lead the blind, so it is important that voters have their own views and that the leaders they are voting for should reflect the same ideas as the voters and provide realistic means to reach the common end result. 

I believe Machiavelli makes a strong point in illustrating what NOT to do as person in high power and how the public should not trust everything they are told to trust.  With this being said, it is important that the voters be educated on what they are voting for and who they are voting for. It is the responsibility of the co-workers or general public to understand that although these ideas being preached to them sound great, they must be a leader themselves and take societal responsibility to fully understand what they are being told and to evaluate how realistic these situations seem. By taking action and not just voting for what SOUNDS good, the definition of a leader sets in. By knowing and understanding that no man is truly honest 100% of the time will help the business or society in the long run. This is just an example of how a leader steps up to the plate and makes a small yet meaningful impact on society. Leaders are formed everyday through many different situations. It is clear that a leader must have a mind of their own and must make informed decisions whether it be doing research or just collaborating with others. By reading this excerpt by Machiavelli, it made me realize that it doesn't matter how high of a position someone is in or how convincing their ideas are that makes them a leader, it is the decisions you make in that position and the realistic ideas you express that make you a leader. Clearly, the leaders in many situations are not only the ones running for office, but also the ones voting and supporting the expressed ideas. Everyone's input counts in democratic situations and it is up to a leader to make sure that truthful ideals are carried out.