According to Daniel H. Pink in his latest book "Drive", the motivation for people in the workplace has changed over time as our workplace has changed. Thousands of years ago when people were primarily hunters and gathers, Pink asserts that people relied on Motivation 1.0 technology. This consisted of being motivated enough to keep oneself alive. The drive to find food and shelter was satisfying enough to be the primary motivator for most people.

Things changed during the industrial revolution and Motivation 1.0 was replaced by Motivation 2.0 technology. Motivation 2.0 technology is more commonly referred to as "carrot and stick" motivation or "if-then" motivation or" extrinsic" motivation. Essentially, if you do X you will get Y in return. This sort of extrinsic motivation does not take into account what really drives the person from a personal perspective but rather assumes that the average person can be manipulated into a certain set of behaviours by rewarding those behaviours.

This system is still common in the marketplace today but according to Pink it needs to be upgraded to Motivation 3.0 technology because the majority of workers in today's society are considered to be Knowledge Workers. Knowledge Workers are not motivated by the external or carrot and stick approach. Rather they are motivated by an intrinsic motivation. Using a Motivation 2.0 approach with a Knowledge Worker can; extinguish their intrinsic motivation, diminish performance, crush creativity, crowd out good behaviour, encourage unethical behaviour, become addicting and foster short term thinking.

Motivation 3.0 or intrinsic motivation is composed of three main components;

1) Autonomy - Ability for an individual to work and make decisions on their own without constant supervision or overburdening rules. People take personal accountability for their work.

2) Mastery - Ability to work in an area of expertise to the point of becoming a master or renowned expert in this area. The activity itself becomes the reward. The state of mastery is also called a state of flow. Pink defined it as follows;

3) Purpose - Ability to attach yourself to a cause larger than yourself. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi defined it this way "One cannot lead a life that is truly excellent without feeling that one belongs to something greater and more permanent than oneself."

So, what does this have to do with your Strength Zone?

Knowledge and understanding of your Strength Zone is an absolute requirement of Motivation 3.0. In order for anyone to become a master in any area, they first need to understand and leverage their Strength Zone in this area. You can never become a master of anything unless you are already maximizing your strengths.

If you are a knowledge worker, make sure that you are operating within the Motivation 3.0 framework as this is critical to your success in all of your endeavours. Discover your Strength Zone and strive towards Mastery!