Six Human Needs
Will an increase in income (money) motivate employees to work harder or not?
My viewpoint is that an increase in income will only motivate an employee to work
harder for a short period of time and that it’s not a long term resolution to maintain
a win-win relationship between an employer and employee. In reference to
Maslow’s theory which indicates that the basic needs is the physiological need which
includes food, water and shelter. Therefore people work to earn an income (money)
to satisfy this need and the second need which is their safety needs (security). One
of the main reasons people work are to satisfy these needs and if they don’t earn
enough to satisfy for a start their basic needs there could potentially be a lack in
motivation or productivity. On the other hand the fact that they don’t earn enough
money to cater for their basic needs could also be a motivator to earn, excel or do
more in order to be promoted, with their primarily intention to be able to satisfy
their basic needs.
Once a person basic need has been addressed, more money will be only a short term
solution (it will only be a matter of time before they seek for the next pay increase)
because they will get use to the higher income and their requirements will increase
and if their new needs can’t be satisfied their motivational levels at work could
potentially be lower. Primarily, people do what they do basically for two reasons the
first reason is to avoid pain (fear of failure or success or/and rejection is equal to
pain) and the second reason is their desire to gain pleasure.
People have primarily six basic needs that are natural and innate in each and every
one of us. These needs are paradoxical; i.e, they seem to be in conflict with one
another. Serious problems can arise when we choose destructive “vehicles” to try to
satisfy these needs. Yet we can choose to establish new patterns of fulfilling these
needs that will move us rapidly toward life mastery. Tony Robbins in his Personal
Power program lists the six human need that must be met consistently in order to be
fulfilled as: 1) certainty/comfort 2)uncertainty/variety 3) significance 4)
connection/love 5) growth and 6) contribution.
1) Certainty / Comfort
For most people certainty equals survival. We all need a sense of certainty
that we can avoid pain and gain pleasure. The need for, and the assurance of
being able to breathe, to eat and sleep. The assurance that you’ll have a roof
over your head, and a bed to sleep in. Some people try to achieve certainty
by trying to control everything around them. Here is the paradox. When a
person becomes totally certain when things are completely predictable,
when you satiate this need, you become b-o-r-e-d. And so while we want
certainty, we simultaneously want a certain amount of uncertainty and/or
variety.
2) Uncertainty/Variety
Everyone needs variety, a surprise, a challenge to feel fully alive and to
experience fulfilment. With too much certainty, we’re bored. Likewise, with
too much variety, we become extremely fearful and concerned. We need a
degree of certainty in our lives to appreciate the variety. There’s a delicate
balance between these two needs that must be struck for us to feel truly
fulfilled. Some people choose to get variety, to feel a change in their states or
the way they feel, by doing drugs or alcohol. Some people do it by watching
movies. Others use stimulating conversation and opportunities to learn. The
need for the unknown, change, new stimuli. Life needs to be interesting
enough to keep you looking forward to the next day.
3) Significance
We all have a need for significance, a sense that we am unique in some way,
that we have a special purpose or meaning for our lives. Again, we can try to
meet this need through destructive vehicles - making ourselves unique by, for
example, manufacturing a belief that we’re better than everyone else. Some
people become unique by developing extreme problems that set them apart
from others. Medical science now shows that some people have developed
the subconscious ability to make themselves ill in order to gain the caring
attention of others. Some people develop uniqueness by earning more
money, having more toys, going to school and achieving more degrees. Or by
dressing in a unique way, having a certain sense of style. Or we can choose to
live a life of extraordinary service. Just remember, we all need to feel unique.
But, paradoxically, in order to feel unique we have to separate ourselves. If
we feel totally unique, we feel different and separate, and this violates our
need for connection and/or love.
4) Connection/Love
This includes feeling connected with yourself as well as others with whom
you can share your love. To meet this need, you can join a group or a club
that has a positive purpose. Some individuals join a gang for negative
purposes but they still achieve the feeling of connection. By aligning with
your Creator, and feeling like you’re being guided, you can feel immediate
connection. Again, sometimes individuals become ill in order to feel
connected and loved. Some people will steal, do drugs, drink excessive
amounts of alcohol, to be part of a group and to feel a sense of connection.
Others will perform at extraordinary levels in order to be accepted, loved, or
connected to a high performance team. A simple thing to remember is, as
with all other human needs, if you give consistently that which you wish to
receive, you tend to get it back from others.
5) Growth
Growth equals life. On this planet, everything that is alive is either growing or
dying. For example, you need to feed a young flower with water and food
otherwise it won’t grow and will die; the same applies with a relationship if
you don’t feed it with love and affection the two individuals will eventually
grow apart and be separated. Growth is one of the two primary needs in life.
It doesn’t matter how much money you have, how many people
acknowledge you, what you’ve achieved in life. Unless you feel like you’re
growing, you will be unhappy and unfulfilled. But in addition, you must also
experience the euphoria of meaningful contribution.
6) Contribution:
We all have a deep need to go beyond ourselves and to live a life that serves
the greater good. It is in the moments that we do this that we experience
true joy and fulfilment. Contributions are not only made to others but
contributing to ourselves is a meaningful action as well, for we cannot give to
others that which we do not have. A balance of contribution to oneself and to
others, especially unselfish contribution, is the ultimate secret to the joy that
so many people wish to have in their lives. Contribution refers to a sense of
service and focus on helping, giving to and supporting others - in other
words, adding value.
The key is the last item on the list: Contribution. Focusing on contributing to any
relationship, with another human being, and concentrating on meeting that vital
human need, will make the other needs fall into place naturally. You will start to
meet those other needs by extension. If you’re contributing in the right way, you will
feel secure in your job. There will also naturally be variety, significance, connection
and growth. Whether you’re an employee or an entrepreneur, your goal at work is
to add value to people’s lives. You do that through using your gifts, skills and talents,
and giving your time. The more you develop your skills and talents, the more value
you can add, and the more successful you become.
The mentioned six human needs are the driving forces that determine the choices
that people make, this therefore, will potentially affects the goals and aspirations of
workers and their respective motivation levels. Although money is a big enabler it is
also clear of its significant role and if team members could met some or all of these
needs then he or she could potentially contributes to a highly motivated team.
To conclude, If there’s anything you do that others find difficult but that you love to
do (and that you could do for hours), I can promise you it’s because you get a
tremendous amount of certainty, variety, significance or uniqueness, connection,
growth and/or contribution from this. When we perceive that an action will meet
many of our needs, we are driven to take that action. Likewise, if there’s something
you avoid doing or are constantly putting off, it’s because your current strategy of
approaching it causes you to feel a lack of certainty that it will have pleasure (maybe
you actually have a sense of certainty that it will be painful) or you don’t believe it
meets many of your other needs. Anything human beings do can meet all six needs if
they simply change their perception (what they notice, appreciate, or believe) or
their strategy (how they approach getting the job done). If you’ll find just a few
vehicles to meet all six of your needs, you’ll find yourself full of drive and you’ll know
what to do to achieve your goals. And it all starts with awareness - you must become
aware of why you’re doing what you’re doing now so that you can find a new
pattern for fulfilment!
