Idea 28: The 50:50 rule of motivation

Although I discuss their ideas in this section, I have come to the conclusion that Maslow, Herzberg and that school of thought are only half right about motivation. Fifty percent of our motivation comes from within us as we respond to our internal program of needs; fifty percent comes from outside ourselves, especially from the leadership we encounter in life.

My ‘50:50 rule’, as it has become known, is not meant to be mathematically accurate; rather, it is indicative of the ever-shifting balance between internal and external influences. From it I have deduced a set of practical rules (see Idea 29) for leaders who want to motivate others. They will enable you to put other theories of motivation into perspective. The important thing is to apply these principles, for they connect up with the other fifty percent of motivators – the internal sets of needs and values that is in all of us.