Motivation

“Business: It’s Not Really About the Money”

Why do you work?

Here’s a deceptively simple question: why do people work? On the face of it, the answer seems relatively straightforward:

The 3 Core Levels of Material Need

Level 1: Resources

Working for immediate needs like food & shelter; living paycheck to paycheck.

Level 2: Security

Working to ensure safety; saving and investing for future needs.

Level 3: Freedom

Working to ensure self-sufficiency and independent choice of action.

These three levels of work are similar to the first few levels of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs or ERG Theory: work is a way we can meet our basic existential needs effectively and reliably.

That’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, but here’s where things get interesting: what happens when people have enough resources to do whatever they want? What does “Level 4” look like?

Level 4: Primary Motivation

Consider individuals like Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Dick Cheney, and Angeline Jolie. Each of these individuals has enough money to ensure that they never need to work again – they could quit tomorrow and live off of their savings in perpetuity. For some reason, however, they don’t – they keep working. Why?

After considering this question, I think that people who have reached the “Freedom” stage of work make a choice (either explicitly or implicitly) about what they’re ultimately working for. The choice ultimately revolves around what that person values most: power, status, pleasure, creation, or quality.

#1: The Autocrat

The Autocrat’s primary motivation is power and control. Common behaviors include continually seeking influence or control over the lives and actions of other people. Examples: businesspeople turned politicians like Henry Paulson (US Secretary of the Treasury), Dick Cheney (US Vice-President), and Michael Bloomburg (mayor of New York City).

#2: The Narcissist

The Narcissist’s primary motivation is attention, status, and fame. Common...