Locke and Maslow on Motivation

Feeling Extremely Motivated
Introduction
This paper will describe an experience in which I felt extremely motivated. The paper will first provide a description of the experience. This will be followed by a reflection involving multiple perspectives. The experience will then be discussed on a deeper level using motivation concepts and theories. Finally, the paper will discuss how what I learned here can be applied in future experiences. At the end, the main points of the paper are summarized.
The Experience
I was tasked with developing a report and presenting it to upper management. The report was to explain a project that I had advocated for and that had been greenlighted by upper management six months prior. Now management wanted an update to see how well the project was coming along, where it had succeeded and what it had run up against challenges. To help me develop the report, I needed to obtain a great deal of information. I did not waste any time. I began meeting with the various members of my team to get the data I could use to show how our project—a social media campaign to promote the company’s brand—had come along since being given the green light. I met with every member—there were four of us, including me—and determined what they had done to contribute to the project, when they did it, how they did it, and what the results were. I double-checked all results to confirm them using the metrics available to us through social media tools. I then prepared the report, had it checked for grammar and cohesiveness by my team, and then worked with them to create an interesting presentation that I could give using power point.
Reflection
From my perspective, I felt extremely motivated because it was an opportunity for me to validate my ideas before upper management by giving them facts and creative solutions for where we could take the project from here. I was also motivated by the enthusiasm from my team. I had originally planned on developing the presentation myself, but each of the members of my team had creative ideas on what to do because they all felt equally invested in the project. They were motivated by my enthusiasm and their enthusiasm in turn helped to motivate me even more. For that reason, I wanted them to play a part in developing the presentation with me as I felt all of us pouring our enthusiasm into the presentation would make it even better.
Abstract Conceptualization
I was driven mainly by the desire to lead the company in a new direction. It had never before used a social media campaign to enhance the brand and I felt I could spearhead this project and bring it to life. As Bauer, Erdogan, Short and Carpenter (n.d.) show, “finding a ‘way to do it better’ is a challenge that helps all individuals to meet their personal and professional goals”—and this was born out in my experience. The team came together and our presentation was impressive to the upper management level, who finally realized the full potential of social media in building the company’s brand.
The main behavior pattern that I identified in me and the others was a continuous enthusiasm. According to Redmond and Bower (2015), this was happening because everyone was motivated by a sense of job satisfaction—i.e., Locke’s theory in which workers have “a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from the appraisal of one’s job or job experiences.” In truth, I think all of us had needed this opportunity to show our creative talents to upper management and we were eager to take part in the project. This fits in with Maslow’s theory of the hierarchy of needs—his motivation theory—which notes that esteem needs are important for people and have to be met so they can continue to develop personally and professionally (Motivation and motivation theory, 2015). This was also a big project that took us half a year to conduct, so we were all working very hard on it. Our motivation in this regard could be explained by Locke’s theory of task motivation and incentives, which states “that the more difficult and specific a goal is, the harder people tend to work to achieve it” (Locke’s goal-setting theory: Setting meaningful, challenging goals, 2015). Locke’s goal-setting theory helps to make sense of this drive, as the challenge to succeed was important to all of us: it was like finally getting to play in the big game—something we had all been preparing to do for a long time.
Experimentation
Three ways to respond to the next occurrence of a similar experience would be to be aware of what motivates us. Use the needs hierarchy of Maslow to identify what the team members need to stay motivated. Use Locke’s theory of goal-setting to determine what challenge would be suitable to drive the team as a whole. And use the concept described by Bauer et al. of “finding a way to do it better” to give everyone creative space and license to take ownership of the project and do a great job. I will use this knowledge to motivate myself and others and create a work environment that is motivating by keeping things positive and acknowledging that everyone who is sincere about what they do wants to be challenged to prove they can do it.
Conclusion
Motivation is personal but it can also be reinforced and supported by a group. People feed off the enthusiasm that others bring. I was looking for a chance to prove to my managers that I could “do it better”—and I took their approval to my team and they enthusiastically signed on. We all worked together, motivated by a need for esteem from our managers and by the challenge of the task. I learned that the best way to keep people motivated is to keep them interested and let their enthusiasm be of service to the task.
References
Bauer, T., Erdogan, B., Short, J., & Carpenter, M (n.d) Chapter 3: Personality, attitudes,
and work behaviors. From Principles of management. Retrieved from http://scholar.flatworldknowledge.com/books/29741/fwk-127512-ch02/read
Locke’s goal-setting theory: Setting meaningful, challenging goals. (2015). MindTools:
Essential Skills for an Excellent Career. Retrieved from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newHTE_87.htm 
Motivation and motivation theory. (2015). In Reference for Business: Encyclopedia of
Business(2nd ed.) Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Mar-No/Motivation-and-Motivation-Theory.html
Redmond, B. F. & Bower, C. P. (2015). Job satisfaction. In Work Attitudes and Job
Motivation. Retrieved from https://wikispaces.psu.edu/display/PSYCH484/11.+Job+Satisfaction