We Have Learned How to Put the Science to Work

My curiosity about motivation peaked in 1985, when virtually overnight I became a strict vegetarian. A study on how we treat animals so moved me that I simply could not eat animals anymore. People who knew how much I had enjoyed eating meat remarked on my amazing discipline. I found this intriguing. My new behavior had required no discipline at all. I found myself energized yet grounded in my new lifestyle. In almost thirty years, that dedication has not wavered.

I developed personal motivational theories about my experience, but it was not until I caught The Oprah Winfrey Show on October 14, 1996, that I began to understand the science behind my motivation. Winfrey's guest was Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards—The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes. Winfrey announced that Kohn's message could be revolutionary, that it would change the way viewers think about parenting. Kohn's primary point was for parents and teachers to stop bribing children for doing things they are already inclined to do—such as learn, grow, and excel. Bribing children, Kohn asserted, killed the intrinsic motivation of the behavior being rewarded.

Kohn's ideas resonated with me—but I was not a parent or a teacher. Those who were, fought back. They were not just dismissive of the ideas—they were angry. Couldn't Mr. Kohn understand that when a child won't stop crying, ice cream can be your best friend? When a kid won't read, promising a prize prompts him to pick up the book. When your daughter doesn't do her chores, rewarding her does the trick. One mother stood by her tactics—she had doled out thousands of dollars to her kids. Bribes and incentives were the only way she could get them to listen to her.

Kohn tried to explain that rewards and punishments can work at the moment, but they only buy one thing: temporary compliance. Kohn tried to convey the undermining effect these carrot-and-stick tactics have on the quality of a child's learning, comprehension, and commitment—especially over time. He challenged parents and teachers to consider what happens when the reward or pressure is gone or resources run dry. Since the reward was the reason for action, the child will have no interest without the reward. Kohn pleaded, children should not be trained like pets.

Alas, Kohn's focus was on what parents and teachers needed to stop doing. You could see, hear, and feel their fear. What does he expect of us? What should we do instead? Kohn did his best, but under the glaring lights of national television and with limited time, his explanation of these cutting-edge ideas came off as defensive.

Now we have decades of data and uplifting research that undeniably demonstrate how alternative approaches to motivation make a difference. I now understand why becoming—and remaining—a vegetarian was so easy for me. I have been able to translate that knowledge and apply it to other tasks, goals, and situations in both my personal life and my professional life.

Through years of experience, we have learned how to position and promote the provocative research by Dr. Edward Deci, Dr. Richard Ryan, and other groundbreakers upon whose work Kohn and other popular writers such as Daniel Pink have based their ideas. Thanks to these dedicated researchers, we have come to understand the true nature of human motivation. It is full of hope and promise.

The time is right to challenge antiquated ways of leading through a combination of contemporary motivation science and real-world application. There is a different and better way to approach motivation—which raises a question: If there is a proven better way to approach motivation, why aren't more leaders using it?

This question has three potential answers. Which of the three best describes you?

• You are not aware of the evidence.

• You don't believe the evidence.

• You don't know what to do with the evidence.