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Can Enduring Excellence Occur without Passion? A Lesson from the Pros
Reprinted with permission from Dr. Lee McGinnis blog
Is it possible to be great without being intrinsically motivated? In other words, can you really, truly excel in your chosen profession for the long haul without being passionate about your work?
Reading some of the literature on what is called self-determination theory (SDT), motivation researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci from the University of Rochester make the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation is essentially performing an activity to attain a separable goal that is outside of one’s true passion. In other words, we engage in the activity because we are motivated by external forces, such as the goal of simply wanting to make a lot of money or doing something because somebody wants us to (e.g., children taking piano lessons because their parents want them to do so).
Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is “the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore, and to learn” (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Intrinsically motivated activities, in short, lead to greatness because the person is doing something that truly speaks to his or her inner desires.
As Dr. Brian Glibkowski and I continue our research (called the “GolfPro100 Project”) on the nation’s top teaching pros, we’re discovering that these professionals are doing something that truly speaks to their inner desires. In short, these pros are internally driven to teach.
Though these pros often make up to several hundred dollars per lesson, it is not the money that drives them to be excellent. It is the love of teaching. The fame and fortune they earn is a natural byproduct of their passion to have their students learn.
When people are intrinsically motivated, they spend hours with their chosen activity. Roadblocks are seen as welcomed challenges. These people often study anything they can get their hands on in order to improve teaching abilities.
Take Rod Lidenberg for example, a PGA Master Professional working in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. He spreads his time between two facilities, 28 miles apart from each other or a minimum of 45 minutes driving depending on traffic. He essentially teaches year around (partly in a climate-controlled setting), which allows him to service some 300 clients. He often works 12-hour days in the process, six days a week.
His schedule, to say the least, is grueling. While he admits that this is something he is somewhat compelled to do due to the fact that teaching is his only revenue stream, it is obvious that his work is internally driven or intrinsically motivated. The proof, you might say, is in the pudding. There is simply no way that a person can maintain this schedule over several years (over 30), establish the credentials he has and other pros like him have, without passion.
This passion or internal drive, as mentioned, makes a person learn as much as possible. Rod is a student of the game. He never stops reading books about teaching and golf, and often learns from other pros too. He treats each student as an individual, modifying his approach to meet the individual needs and circumstances of his students. He deconstructs their swings to maximize results, and as a result does not think there is a singular method for everyone’s swing.
The long hours, grueling schedule, multiple locations, and individualized approach to teaching are evidence of Rod’s passion for teaching. I would be hard-pressed to think that anyone can perform at this level if he or she were not intrinsically motivated.
Reference:
Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci (2000), “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being,” American Psychologist, 55 (1), 68-78.
Is it possible to be great without being intrinsically motivated? In other words, can you really, truly excel in your chosen profession for the long haul without being passionate about your work?
Reading some of the literature on what is called self-determination theory (SDT), motivation researchers Richard Ryan and Edward Deci from the University of Rochester make the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Extrinsic motivation is essentially performing an activity to attain a separable goal that is outside of one’s true passion. In other words, we engage in the activity because we are motivated by external forces, such as the goal of simply wanting to make a lot of money or doing something because somebody wants us to (e.g., children taking piano lessons because their parents want them to do so).
Intrinsic motivation, on the other hand, is “the inherent tendency to seek out novelty and challenges, to extend and exercise one’s capacities, to explore, and to learn” (Ryan and Deci, 2000). Intrinsically motivated activities, in short, lead to greatness because the person is doing something that truly speaks to his or her inner desires.
As Dr. Brian Glibkowski and I continue our research (called the “GolfPro100 Project”) on the nation’s top teaching pros, we’re discovering that these professionals are doing something that truly speaks to their inner desires. In short, these pros are internally driven to teach.
Though these pros often make up to several hundred dollars per lesson, it is not the money that drives them to be excellent. It is the love of teaching. The fame and fortune they earn is a natural byproduct of their passion to have their students learn.
When people are intrinsically motivated, they spend hours with their chosen activity. Roadblocks are seen as welcomed challenges. These people often study anything they can get their hands on in order to improve teaching abilities.
Take Rod Lidenberg for example, a PGA Master Professional working in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota. He spreads his time between two facilities, 28 miles apart from each other or a minimum of 45 minutes driving depending on traffic. He essentially teaches year around (partly in a climate-controlled setting), which allows him to service some 300 clients. He often works 12-hour days in the process, six days a week.
His schedule, to say the least, is grueling. While he admits that this is something he is somewhat compelled to do due to the fact that teaching is his only revenue stream, it is obvious that his work is internally driven or intrinsically motivated. The proof, you might say, is in the pudding. There is simply no way that a person can maintain this schedule over several years (over 30), establish the credentials he has and other pros like him have, without passion.
This passion or internal drive, as mentioned, makes a person learn as much as possible. Rod is a student of the game. He never stops reading books about teaching and golf, and often learns from other pros too. He treats each student as an individual, modifying his approach to meet the individual needs and circumstances of his students. He deconstructs their swings to maximize results, and as a result does not think there is a singular method for everyone’s swing.
The long hours, grueling schedule, multiple locations, and individualized approach to teaching are evidence of Rod’s passion for teaching. I would be hard-pressed to think that anyone can perform at this level if he or she were not intrinsically motivated.
Reference:
Richard M. Ryan and Edward L. Deci (2000), “Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being,” American Psychologist, 55 (1), 68-78.