Why nothing succeeds like success…
When a recent corporate founder gave an interview and proposed a 70 hour work week for the employees, the internet flipped out. When he said that people should work altruistically those extra hours because it was important for nation building, I will choose to both agree and disagree.
Agree because some hard work and innovation is probably a must for taking the nation forward, a nation like India where most people had to start from scratch after the exit of the imperial powers. The families who managed to carve their niche did it with their own efforts and fortitude and a dash of luck and some goodwill and support from the right sources. Some of the head honchos still probably clock in 12 hours a day. Their enterprise is their baby after all. When you see your brainchild succeed, it automatically propels you forward. That is why they say, ‘Nothing succeeds like success.’
However if you ask a regular employee in your establishment to work the same 12 hours a day 6 days a week for the same pay year after year, they are bound to give up after a point. Nation building is great but for most people it isn’t a personal motivating factor. When most people are caught in a survival mode making ends meet, fending for their family and the multitude of their needs, nation building is the last thing on their mind. Individuals need to thrive first in order for the nation to thrive as a whole.
Altruistically working is something some people may do when they are in their learning curve. I know because I have done it. They give you their time and effort because they too are getting something in return. In this case an enriching experience for their career ahead. Also the only people who can afford to do it are the ones who know that their needs are being met by someone else.
When people ask, “What is privilege?” I always say , “Having a choice is privilege”. To be able to walk out of a place if you feel the ethos of the place do not suit you or you want to take a year or two off to follow your passion because you know people at home have your back, that to me is privilege. Most people do not have it.
We do belong to a culture where our parents support us well into our prime but irrespective of how privileged or not a person is, expecting them to go out of their way beyond a point and chug it out for you is just wishful thinking.
When a sportsman trains for hours together everyday from the time they are little and well into their prime, one of the factors that keep them going is probably the high of winning and the accolades they get in return. I would challenge someone to tell me that isn’t the case but only patriotism that propels them forward. Well, remove the other contributing factors and we will know how truly patriotic one can practically afford to be.
If you expect people to chug away year after year for no good return on investment of their time and efforts and zero quality of life, they will refuse and express outrage and rightly so. What is the motivating factor for them? Four square meals a day and a roof over one’s head isn’t much of a motivation. It’s compulsion. Most people are depressed and lack purpose and do not understand why they had to pour into their books for years together and get multiple diplomas to end up frustrated and just make ends meet.
Edit: I agree to what Mr Chetan Bhagat answered when quizzed about the controversy. He said you need to work hard and put in those 70–80 hours/week, but not in the work place alone. Some of the time has to be spent on self improvement. I agree one hundred percent. You could spend those 40 hours in office and another 30 a week either upgrading yourself or spending time on a side hustle or that business you wanted to do or your hobbies. If neither your office pays you for those extra hours and nor can you earn with a side hustle in those extra hours, how can we expect the per capita GDP to improve?
I will repeat this open secret. If you wonder what motivates people the most? It is money. Anyone who says otherwise probably already has enough of it. What motivates our corporate honchos? It is seeing their enterprise succeed. How is that decided? Based on their company’s valuation and their net worth. It boils down to the same thing ‘Money’. That regular employee in your office lacks that motivation. ‘Purpose’ is a topic for another day. Most people need to solve for basic necessities first.
A win is motivating. Success builds confidence and motivation. Not the other way around. You wonder why people laud survivors? They are people who have seen immense setbacks and yet manage to keep their spirit alive. The average Joe does not have that in him. Also, it isn’t enough to survive alone. It is important to thrive.
Motivation keeps the wheels moving. Altruism in my opinion, realistically speaking will make it to the bottom of the list for most. For eg, do not make government employees or any employee in any sector work for pittance. It only encourages corruption and malpractice. Pay people handsomely and command output. Have stricter laws for defaulters and corrupt practices. People will do their job because now they have something precious to lose.
Let always that carrot be the motivating factor. A stick works only so much.
