Worked in the Banking Industry as an

¶ … worked in the banking industry as an administrative assistant. Extrinsic rewards are those external rewards that motivate behavior (Cherry, 2014). For this job, the extrinsic rewards to take the job and keep the job included a pay package and a range of benefits. There were medical and dental benefits, for example. The pay package also included a bonus, which was based on the operation's total sales volume.

I received a percentage of sales as part of my package, which was designed to help me want to contribute to the success of the organization. Intrinsic motivation is a little bit trickier. Psychologists understand intrinsic motivation as when someone engages in a behavior for the rewards that they believe they will reap. There is no external force that promises these rewards; they are simply what the person believes he or she will get for that behavior (Cherry, 2014). For me, this job offered only a few intrinsic rewards.

I like to do a good job because it is simply in my nature to feel quite satisfied when I know that I have done my best. I am sure that there are instances where my performance on this job was higher than it needed to be, simply because I wanted to be better. In theory, one is also working towards a potential promotion, but I definitely felt that it was important for me to just be my best, because I feel better when I perform at a high level.

This is especially true when I am solving problems, which on that job seemed to be quite frequently. What I find interesting is that my bosses never really sought to cultivate a sense on strong intrinsic motivation in me. I know that employers can sometimes help to guide or coach people, by encouraging them to believe in themselves and to perform at their highest potential level. Looking back, I do not really see that this occurred much.

In other companies where I have worked, there was a lot more cultivation of intrinsic motivation, of trying to build me up like a sports coach would, and in that way get me to want to perform better. At the bank, this wasn't really the case. You were left to your own devices with respect to intrinsic motivation, and they seemed to really like extrinsic motivation as a means of getting people to do things.

I feel that in general, from my life's experience, intrinsic motivation is pretty powerful for me, but that I also value certain forms of extrinsic motivation. First, with regards to intrinsic motivation, I like to do a good job, and to give my best effort. It makes me feel good to know that I am maximizing my output. I wouldn't dream of maximizing my output for the benefit of the company -- I do it for myself. So that's important for me to realize.

I mostly do my best because it makes me feel good, accomplished, and that I have done everything in my power to ensure my own success. With extrinsic motivation, I am highly motivated by some things but not motivated much at all by other things. Money is a big one, but money varies a lot in terms of how well it motivates me. If I have little of it, for example if I'm having trouble paying my rent, then yes money can be a pretty big motivator for me.

It's why I work in the first place -- if I didn't need money there's no shortage of personal pet projects to which I could direct my energy. But once I have a decent amount of money, I have no real motivation from money. I get a bigger bonus one month, it doesn't mean much to me, and it really doesn't spur me to work any harder. Other forms of extrinsic motivation are far more powerful, in particular recognition.

But with recognition, it can vary in terms of motivation based on how powerful that recognition is. I wouldn't be all that motivated by winning employee of the month at Denny's, mostly because I don't think I would need to be that good to win that award. It's not a big achievement.

But in banking, if I was a top producer, and was recognized by my superiors and my peers as the best in the field, a great salesperson, or even just an excellent human being to be around, those are the sorts of things that would really motivate me. The harder the task is, the more I want to be recognized for achieving it. That recognition can really drive me to work harder, and it is probably the reward that I seek the most.

Nothing makes me feel better than someone paying me a compliment, or when they choose to seek me out for advice because they like me and feel I am capable of giving great advice. That kind of motivation is powerful because it represents feedback that I have been successful at whatever it was that I was working towards. I like Herzberg's two-factor theory in the sense that I genuinely feel different.