Motivation is a key to success. It seems that all academic disciplines have looked at the power of motivation at some time or another. The education field looks to motivation to develop learning and instructional strategies. The physical sciences look to motivation for athletic success. The cognitive sciences look to motivation to explain various behaviors. In the working world, motivation is an important topic of organizations, executives, managers, trainers, and employees themselves.

With the important that motivation plays in supporting goal achievement and satisfaction, it is always beneficial to identify what motivates you the most. However, it is just as important to identify what DE-motivates you as well. The following Motivation Grid and questions will help you acknowledge the role motivation plays in your world. After you work with this tool, come back and let us know how it helped you, and what surprises you discovered.

1. List tasks I LIKE and do well
2. List tasks I DISLIKE and do well
3. List tasks I LIKE and do not do well
4. List tasks I DISLIKE and do not do well

When complete, ask yourself the following questions:

1. For which tasks that I don’t do well would I like to receive training? Then list good sources for that training.
2. For which tasks that I don’t like will I accept my attitude but maintain a good performance level?
3. For which tasks that I don’t like would I like to change my attitude? What steps will I take to change my attitude? Do I need any special resources to help me change my attitude?