Here I present ideas and suggestions for structuring Personal Development Plans (PDPs) for Engineers. I’ve set myself the aim of conceiving a PDP format to probe deeply into what motivates us intrinsically and using those motivational factors to create compelling and potentially transformational PDPs.
PDPs and similar initiatives are dismissed as box-ticking exercises. People are tired of being told to come up with SMART goals, we need to dig deeper, and actually think about what is motivating to people, rather than trying to influence behaviours via bureaucratic form filling.
This article is intended as a reference to come back to when thinking about PDPs, rather than something to digest all in one gulp.
Personal Development Plan: It is more of a Process than a Plan
I’d like to start with the assertion that the idea of a Personal Development Plan is contradictory - you can’t Plan for the development of something as nuanced, uncertain and organic as a human being. Instead, you need a Process, systems over goals as per the advice of both Habits specialist James Clear and Dilbert creator Scott Adams1. People’s growth is squiggly and doesn’t conform to fixed Plans.
Just as our Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) world challenges the old ideas of Strategic Business Planning, favouring flexibility and adaptability in times of exponential change, we should apply the same thinking to the ever-changing human being. Seeing the person as an organic system, learning, growing, and adapting to environmental feedback. The human being is a process rather than a fixed entity. We are more ‘Human Doing’ or ‘Human Becoming’ than ‘Human Being’. We are an ongoing event rather than a static object, so it makes sense to see the ‘Plan’ part of PDP as interchangeable with ‘Process’. Plans are static, a Process is dynamic.
Engineers can often get stuck in terms of growth and career progression. They may find themselves in messy recursive loops, learning one new piece of tech after another but lacking an overall system for growth. They frequently find themselves in a rut and unmotivated, feeling unable to exploit their full potential in the workplace.
As a manager, you can’t force people to feel motivated. Promises of bonuses and pizza may backfire, and threats of shame or punishment are hopefully confined to the annals of history. However, by partnering with individuals through good-faith exploration of the factors which influence self-motivation, using appropriate coaching questions, and committing to actions in a structured PDP, you may be able to help Engineers become more attuned, more self-aware of what makes them tick, and how they can become driven to strive for their full potential.
This is a work in progress. It is based on the science of intrinsic motivation and my own ‘in-the-field’ experiments with structuring PDPs. There is no perfect way to approach PDPs, we are all different, we all have different needs and different values. This article is merely a summary of my current thinking on the journey to find the methods and approaches to yield the best results.
Context:
A PDP should represent the intersection of the Engineer and the organisation in which they are currently working. It is a guide and a set of commitments from the company and the Engineer with the aim of helping people to make the most of their potential in the given context of the organisation.
Self-Motivation:
I see self-motivation as central to PDPs - a PDP needs to feel inspiring in order to be useful. It should give you the urge to take immediate action and build momentum towards an enticing vision of what your full potential looks like. It should feel like a roadmap to an interesting destination.
With the view that motivation is foundational to a good PDP, I’ve drawn from credentialled thinking in the realm of motivation to create a scaffolding of thinking and questioning to form a structured approach.
My main source for understanding motivation is the work of Edward Deci and Richard Ryan and their Self-Determination Theory2 which considers people's inherent growth tendencies and innate psychological needs. It emphasises intrinsic motivational factors over extrinsic factors of reward and punishment (carrot and stick). This is especially relevant for cognitive tasks, such as those involving creative conceptual thinking associated with Software Engineering. People are highly motivated to do all kinds of hard things in their spare time for no extrinsic reward - we learn musical instruments, contribute to Open Source projects, train for endurance events, write blogs - they are intrinsically motivated, we don’t need the reward of money or pizza to do these things.
Self-Determination Theory stresses the importance of the following:
Mastery - developing and applying your skills
Autonomy - making your own decisions and being in control of your circumstances
Purpose - that sense of connectedness, relatedness, and meaning.
I will use these three themes as the main pillars for structuring PDPs, however, I will use the broader term ‘Meaning’ rather than Purpose. This decision is informed by the present-day Meaning Crisis3 which is pervading our everyday existence.
The video below is an accessible overview of intrinsic motivation, based on the book ‘Drive’ by Daniel Pink who popularised the work of Deci and Ryan. It’s an old video but it remains a great illustration of how Self-Determination Theory has usurped the behaviourist idea of motivating people through rewards:
Motivational Signature:
Geepaw Hill4 builds on the Self-Determination Theory of motivation through the addition of Rhythm and Safety to the Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose categories to create the RAMPS acronym.
Rhythm, as in music, it’s the tension and release which creates a sense of urgency. Rhythm is natural and organic, distinct to Meter which is the scheduled cadence of meetings you might have to attend in an organisation, those diaried corporate meetings that may actually detract from natural Rhythm. Rhythm is sensing, a natural cohesion of energies between collaborators. Rhythm is about the timing of motivation, we can’t be ‘always on’.
Safety is that sense of security that comes from belonging, of being accepted and valued by others. I think Safety, especially Psychological Safety, is important and have included it in the broader ‘Meaning’ category. The Google team in their Project Aristotle5 concluded that Psychological Safety is the most important determinant of team effectiveness. The work of Deci and Ryan speaks about Connection and Relatedness within the Purpose category so for simplicity include Safety within the Connection sub-category of Meaning and will elaborate below.
An interesting concept Geepaw introduces is the Motivational Signature of the person and the reminder that as unique individuals we all have our own Motivational Signature, our own set of sliders on a 0 to 10 scale on the various motivational categories and sub-categories, representing our motivational preferences and our current motivation status.
The Concept of the Flywheel Effect:
Jim Collins introduced the concept of the Flywheel in his book ‘Good to Great’ and ‘Turning the Flyweel’. The flywheel is all about momentum. It’s hard to start a flywheel moving, but once it gets going, and the faster it turns, the easier it is to maintain momentum. It requires smart, disciplined pushes to overcome inertia and gain momentum, but then the momentum becomes self-reinforcing and spins with little extra effort. It’s not about a solitary big push or a single momentous action, it is lots of small but consistent pushes to let the momentum build.
Writing this article is a good example. At the time of writing with a very small audience, it is unlikely to make much impact, so it is a small, consistent push of the flywheel in the effort to build momentum around a cohesive collection of thoughts and ponderings that may one day be a powerful influence in putting the needs of people at the centre of how we design our Software Engineering ecosystems.
I use the idea of an outer Self-Determination Flywheel constituted of three inner flywheels representing Mastery, Autonomy, and Meaning. Working on building the momentum of the three inner flywheels will naturally add to the momentum of the outer self-determination flywheel. The flywheels become self-reinforcing:
Assumptions:
The proposed PDP structure assumes the following pre-requisites. These are foundational assumptions:
The Engineer can meet their basic needs - food, warmth, shelter, security etc. If they are stressed with day to day concerns of survival they will not be able to dedicate energy to a higher level PDP. In terms of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs6, PDPs are a conversation striving for the Self-Actualisation capstone.
The Engineer feels they are already paid fairly so that the issue of money as a motivator is taken off the table.
The Engineer believes they can grow - they have accepted that we can change and improve ourselves, a growth mindset over a fixed mindset, an appreciation of neuroplasticity7. We are more Software than Hardware, we can reprogram ourselves.
The parties are discussing PDPs in an earnest way, where competition and envy are put to one side and we are genuinely applying our attention and creativity to creating a compelling PDP. There must be trust between the parties, we are not just going through the motions because somebody told us to.
The workplace sincerely wants people to be their best, engaged in their work, striving for their full potential, and will support them fully in the process. As per the oft-mentioned Richard Branson quote: “Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don't want to”
We have more foundational work to do if we cannot confidently meet these assumptions.
WARNING to overdoiong the enthusiasm the help someone grow:
The greatest assumption of all is that the Engineer is happy to engage in a PDP discussion. It could be that they feel indifferent towards growth and personal development. Or they might just have other more important things going on in their life right now. The organisation should ensure that people are accepted for where they are right now. Not everyone wants to be a high-performing corporate superstar, and that’s absolutely fine. Adopting a People First approach is to ensure people feel respected.
The Inner Mechanism of the Self-Determination Flywheel:
Here we delve into the inner mechanics of the Self-Determination Flywheel and draw out some coaching themes to help the Engineer to explore different areas of themselves. The output of a coaching conversation could be a number of commitments by all parties (Engineer, Manager, Organisation) to build momentum in Self-Determination - scroll down to see a proposed template.
Mastery Flywheel:
Mastery is the act of getting better at things, raising your level of competence. In terms of Software Engineering, Mastery relates to an Engineer’s technical skills as well as non-technical skills such as interpersonal awareness, leadership, commercial awareness, organisational skills, communication skills, coaching, mentoring, and influencing.
Mastery is an attitude, a striving for the highest standards through diligent practice, continuous improvement, and a willingness to learn from failure.
1. Learning:
“Don’t be a know-it-all. Be a learn-it-all.” - Satya Nadella, CEO at Microsoft
Remember that we all like to learn in different ways, through reading books, listening to experts, hands-on experimentation, or teaching others. Learning is reinforced by mixing these approaches.
“The value of our learnings multiplies when we share what we learn with others.” - Simon Sinek
Momentum:
How can you apply a Growth Mindset and Deep Work practices with the Confidence to Study and learn new things?
How can you open yourself to a ‘Shoshin’ (Beginner’s Mind) or a Childlike Curiosity to learning? Would it be wise to Unlearn something first to remove unhelpful presumptions?
How far are you in reaching your Potential? Can you Extend yourself further?
What is the Spark, the Impulse to bring more momentum to your learning?
How can you develop a learning Habit?
How can you multiply the value of your learnings by Sharing them with others?
How can you learn to develop an Aesthetic feeling to your work to deliver well-designed code which others will want to work with?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What are your internal mental blockers or self-limiting perceptions which stop you from learning new things?
What external factors are preventing you from applying yourself to your learning?
2. Applied Knowledge:
“Tapping with hammer is easy, But knowing where to tap is most difficult.” - from the parable of the old Engineer charging $1,000 just to tap his hammer, when asked for an itemised bill it shows $999 for knowing where to tap.
Applying our knowledge every day in the sphere of our Engineering roles is our ultimate classroom. Try to see everyday working life as an opportunity to apply skills, to solidify your learning in a dynamic setting.
Momentum:
To what extend are you bringing your full potential to work? How can you apply your Knowledge and Skills in a Practical way?
What creative ways can you think of to apply a Craftmanship attitude to your everyday work?
How could you apply more Integrity to bring your work to Completion with the highest quality?
To what extent are you Practicing your skills with an attitude towards improvement, how can you Integrate your leanings?
How can you develop the Courage to Experiment with the application of new skills with greater Frequency?
How can you write abstract logic with the sensitivity of an Artist?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What internal mindset blockers are holding you back from applying your full potential?
Which external factors a preventing you to bring your full range of skills and knowledge to work?
3. Feedback:
“The master has failed more times than the novice has even tried.” - Stephen McCranie
Give feedback generously and honestly, and receive it gracefully. Feedback helps us to learn. If we’re learning to skateboard the feedback we receive when we crash into the ground is our ultimate teacher.
Momentum:
Could you develop more Courage to ask for and Graciously Accept feedback?
How frequently do you Reflect and Adapt your approach, tweaking and adjusting? How could you increase the frequency?
Are you happy when proven wrong? How could you be more Open to alternative ideas?
How can you create Feedback Loops without judgement and criticism?
Momentum Inhibitors:
Does your status or your attitude prevent people from giving you useful feedback?
Are you surrounded by a diversity of thinking to free you from your echo chamber?
Do you think you are always right?
What opportunities for feedback can be built into your workflow?
Do you feel you are in a sufficiently Psychological Safe environment to give and receive honest feedback?
Autonomy Flywheel:
Autonomy is when the manager gets out of the way and the Engineer takes full ownership of their resourcefulness to do what needs to be done.
1. Responsibility:
Clinical Psychologist Jordan Peterson has revived interest in the value of taking responsibility for our actions. Responsibility is central to his philosophy, it brings order and structure to our lives where we hold ourselves accountable for what we do. Sometimes this may feel like a burden and Peterson draws an analogy with the story of Jesus having to carry his cross on the way to his crucifixion urging us to 'carry your own cross’ because that sense of responsibility is what brings meaning to life8. Everything you do in life matters, there are impacts and consequences from all actions. Get your act together, stop playing victim, take responsibility, even in the face of suffering.
Momentum:
Do you believe in the Commitments you make while taking Responsibility for them? How could you take full responsibility?
How can you create a sense of mutual Trust with your co-workers, where you are trusted and trust others?
How aware are you of your Authority, the Influence you have with others with whom you have mutual Respect? Could you make more use of your influence?
How could you take more Ownership over your contributions?
How can be more Accountable for the feedack loops you create with others in your ecosystem and escape victim consciousness? E.g. escaping the Persecutor, Victim, Hero dynamic?
How can you be the Author of your own Story?
Momentum Inhibitors:
In what ways are you not currently taking responsibility?
What external factors are preventing you from taking ownership of things?
Are you trapped in Victim Consciousness?
2. Sensemaking:
Sensemaking in an increasingly VUCA world is a central concern. With exponential increases in information coupled with the fact that our decision making has far-reaching (global) impacts, we want to be sure that we are making decisions on sound information. But the information ecosystem has become polluted with disinformation, and we have lost trust in government, media and other institutions in their sincerity to promote truth. See Daniel Schmachtenberger’s wonderful stream of consciousness on the subject in The War on Sensemaking9. This society level Sensemaking problem is also happening in our organisations as the complexity ramps up and the impact of our decisions spreads wider. To have Autonomy we need to be able to make sense of information.
Momentum:
Do you have access to the right Information Flows at the right time or are you kept in the dark? How could you improve the information flows?
Are you confident in asking good Questions and checking your understanding? Could you question more?
Are you open to a range of possibilities and options when doing Sensemaking in Complexity? How could you improve your sensemaking judgements?
Are you confident about when you should make a Decision and when you need more information to make a decision? How could you make better decisions?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What stops you from questioning things?
What stops you from taking the lead on a decision?
What prevents you from getting access to the right information at the right time?
3. Empowerment:
We know the feeling of being micromanaged, controlled, told what to do, decisions being made for us. We become disillusioned and unengaged. Empowerment allows us to take the reins, being trusted to make the right decisions in a supportive ecosystem. We feel empowered when we have control over our general circumstances.
Momentum:
How could you create opportunities for full Authenticity, being the author of your actions, acting in accord to your true inner self?
How could you ensure you get the right Support from your organisation, Processes, Structures and Ecosystem?
In what ways could you act with Sovereignty, Voluntarily Self-Directed in accord with your true sense of self and your values.
How could you seek Permission to work with a sense of Freedom over your actions?
How could you have more of a Voice over your work?
How could you develop the courage to take the Lead when appropriate?
How could you better identify the things you have Control over, and improve the way you navigate the things outside of your control?
How could you ensure you have access to the right Tools for the job?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What internal blockers prevent you from taking control and working in a Self-Directed way?
Do you feel trusted enough to work autonomously?
Meaning Flywheel:
The following inspiration is credited to Jamie Wheal, a contributor to the Flow Genome10 project I’ve been following for a few years and who introduced his Meaning 3.0 Flywheel in his book ‘Recapture the Rapture11’ as a response to the modern meaning crisis in society. Meaning 3.0 follows the decline in faith in organised religion (Meaning 1.0) and the failure of liberal democracies to deliver on their promise of prosperity and freedom (Meaning 2.0). The Meaning Crisis has lead to identity politics and the pervasive polarisation shaping the narrative of our current public discourse - we have lost trust in our institutions and are collectively dissociated from common meaning, lost in a nihilistic groundless void and descending to tribalism12.
Meaning is fundamental to our self-actualisation, but for many its elusiveness leads to lifelong seeking. Sometimes in a moment of transcendence, we might intuit the meaning of the universe, only to forget moments after as the intuition fades. Meaning is ephemeral.
Mostly we humans are condemned to doubt. On the one hand, we don’t matter, we are material creatures, ultimately alone, decoupled from one another, simply striving to survive, nothing we do in life really matters in the long run as we know that one day we’ll exhale our last breath. But on the other hand, we can have an intuition of being in perfect union with the chaos of the entire cosmos, everything is interdependent, we are tightly coupled to one another within a universal consciousness, life is an infinite cosmic dance where we are inextricably entangled with every quantum event in the universe where each and every action matters. Or perhaps we inhabit a computer simulation as postulated by Nick Bostrom13. As every poet will attest, we are cursed with yearnings for the spiritual while bonded to our animalistic physicality and all its beastly functions.
Some humans have fixed ideas about the ineffable, either through faith in religion or faith in science. Personally, I find myself oscillating between different Bayesian probabilities around ultimate meaning, the more I know the more I realise I don’t know. But meaning does feel very important to most of us as we all strive to find expression in the world.
“We are here on Earth to fart around, and don't let anybody tell you any different.” - From an interview with Kurt Vonnegut, 18th November 2017
Meaning is probably the most difficult area to explore in a PDP and requires an attitude of genuine openness, curiosity and compassion by all parties. Any exploration of meaning will always be an insufficient grasping in the dark, so here are some sensible categories, as inspired by the aforementioned Jamie Wheal.
1. Inspiration (Ecstasis)
Inspiration is an emergent phenomenon, the intersection of diverse thoughts, needs and feelings coming together in an energising burst of urgent meaning. We feel a sense of transcendent ecstasy when true inspiration takes hold.
Momentum:
How could you create a sense of Purpose or Meaning in the things you do, in work or in your personal life? How could you truly make a worthwhile Contribution?
How can you see your progress as a meaningful Journey, an adventurous story with its ups and downs towards a happy ending?
What could you do to create more Energy and Vibrancy around the things you do? How do you find Excitement and feel Fire in Your Belly?
How could you create more opportunities for Inspiration to emerge?
Do you feel a sense of natural Rhythm in your life? Peaks and troughs, urgency and relaxation? How could you tune into your natural Rhythm?
Could you create a compelling Vision for your future or sense that you are on a worthwhile Mission?
What is your Intuition telling you?
Is there anything, in your work or personal life, that gives you a sense of Awe? How could you feel more of a sense of Transcendence, beyond the boundaries and limits of your ego, or develop your Spiritual side?
Do you have a sense of your Higher Self? Your Highest Potential? How can you Evolve as a human being?
What makes you feel in a state of FLOW in work or life? How can you create more FLOW?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What is stopping you from feeling a sense of Purpose?
What is stopping you from being comfortable about seeking meaning?
What inner barriers are preventing you from feeling inspired?
2. Connection (Communitas)
Connection is our natural state, we humans are relational, without other people we have no context. Johann Hari14 introduced the idea of Lost Connections, we have lost our fundamental connections to each other, to our work, to communities, to a sense of meaning, to nature. How do we return to a natural state of connection?
Momentum:
To what extent do you feel a sense of Belonging, a feeling of Community and Connection with your team or department at work? How can you nurture that, how can you build Relationships?
How could you create a greater sense of Relatedness to your work, the product you are building, the Values of the organisation?
Do you have a strong awareness of our own Values and Moral tastebuds, do they align with the Ethics of the organisation? How can you reach greater alignment?
Do you feel a sense of Acceptance and Inclusion, part of the whole Ecosystem at work, Engineering and beyond? Does anything need to change?
How can you support other people on their personal Journeys?
Do you feel of Service to others? How could Listen to what your colleagues Need from you? How can you Ensure the next person succeeds?15
Momentum Inhibitors:
What internal resistance do you have in creating more of a connection to your work and colleagues?
What external factors are limiting your capacity to connect and belong at work?
3. Healing (Catharsis)
”Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.” - A.A. Milne
Sadhguru16 stresses the importance of gaining Balance, a stable platform, as a fundamental responsibility if we want to bring something important to the world. He refers to the lives of Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley which may not have suffered such a tragic demise if they had found balance.
Momentum:
How could you find more Balance in life and work?
What is your Self-Care or Self-Nurturing protocol? Could you find better ways to Rest and Repair?
How do you take care of your Physical, and Emotional wellbeing? Is it sufficient?
Do you feel you have sufficient levels of Safety and Security in life and work? What do you need for greater Stability?
How could you plan for Downtime, or time for Thinking, Reflection and Integration of your learnings?
How could you draw a line under situations and move on, a sense of Purging, Starting Again, Rebirth, Reset, turning yourself off and on again?
Momentum Inhibitors:
What are your inner blockers to resting and recharging?
What external factors are preventing you from finding balance?
A PDP Template:
Suggestions on how to record a PDP and how to make it a process so that it becomes a living document of inspiration.
There is no single right way to do this, everyone is unique, approach it with an experimental mindset.
A PDP is most likely to be developed between an Engineer and their Line Manager. Both parties should go into the process with the attitude of wanting to build the most fulfilling life possible for the Engineer. The Line Manager plays a facilitation role during the initial creation and a coaching role for the ongoing process of implementation and revision.
Before diving straight into creating the PDP, take some moments to write down your past peak experiences in life. Think about work and personal events. Why do they stick in the memory, what made them a peak experience, how did you create those experiences? Are you peak experiences in your current workplace behind you, or ahead of you?
Create a PDP table with the following headings:
Development Aim
Self-Determination Flywheel Category
Engineer Commitment (What actions or systems will the Engineer create?)
Resources, time & support required (including commitments from the Line Manager and Organisation)
Costs (any financial implications or approval needed)
Progress evaluation / Obstacles (requires frequent review)
Use the flywheel subsections to inspire commitments to self-determination.
To go really deep, it may be a good idea to break the initial PDP creation into 3 stages, covering the Mastery, Autonomy and Meaning sections separately.
Try to understand the unmet needs associated with each commitment avoiding committing to things out of fear, shame, guilt, duty, obligation and instead act from a desire to commit to life17. Your commitments should feel like an inspiration rather than a burden.
Create the commitments as actions you will do, or practices to adopt (Systems), rather than lofty end-Goals.
Use tags to denote whether the commitment relates to #work or #life.
Engineers are likely to focus on the development of their technical competencies so it would be good to also remind ourselves of opportunities to develop socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
If your organisation has a structured career progression matrix, such as the Open Source Monzo Matrix18 then you may wish to set some commitments inspired by some of the progression criteria.
Denote shareable and non-sharable sections as you Engineers may wish to share their PDPs with their peers. Remember it is a process and you make be inspired and encouraged to succeed if you share.
Treat the PDP as a Process rather than a Plan. Create a regular Cadence and Rhythm around it, come back to it regularly and be prepared to change it. You will be a completely different person in three months time, physically and mentally. You are an organic system, ever-changing, ever-learning. Be prepared to wipe clean your PDP and start again if you wish.
Use Geepaw Hill’s concept of a Motivational Signature by using 0 - 10 sliders on each self-determination sub-category to give an overall perspective of current motivational status and your motivational preferences.
See the person (Engineer) as a whole, not to pry into matters people wish to keep private, but to acknowledge the Worker for the many life contexts in which they find themselves and the conflicting drives, constraints, desires and obligations they have to manage.
Whatever the content of the final PDP, ensure that the Engineer is fully committed to each item. One single item with full commitment is better than a page full of ‘half-arsed’ commitments.
Incorporating the themes your Engineering Department is optimising for Operational Excellence; Psychological Safety; Innovation; Learning; Code Simplicity; Functional Delivery; Agility; Engineer Engagement / FLOW.
As a manager, your role is to encourage organic growth and self-development within the Engineer. Don’t force it. Remember the African proverb, “You can't make grass grow faster by pulling on it”.
Be careful to avoid egotism, using the PDP to inflate and aggrandise one’s sense of self or one’s persona. This leads to comparisons, judgements, fakeness and a kind of separateness that takes one further away from the interdependent flow of life. Strive for balance, harmony, and unity. This won’t be easy, we will fail because it is so contrary to modern thinking and experience. Keep it real.
One might even wish to ponder on what it is that we wish to grow. What is this thing we call the Self? Is the Self real or is it just a collection of stories we’ve built up through experiences to form our API with which we interoperate with the world? Perhaps we’ve become too attached to this idea of ourself and the true path to growth is to simply let go?
Finding FLOW:
The process outlined here focuses on creating systems to make the most of marginal gains in our self-development and self-motivation. The combination of those gains helps us to gear up the momentum of our Self-Determination Flywheels.
If all flywheels are spinning fast then you are likely to have everything set up to optimise the experience of FLOW in our working and personal lives.
And finally, remember to enjoy the steps on the journey - “In the midst of where you're going, don't forget to enjoy where you are.”
Systems not Goals - James Clear
Self-Determination Theory, evaluating the ingredients for intrinsic motivation. Edward Deci, at the time of writing, has over 375,000 citations to his credit, and Richard Ryan has more than 436,000 citations.
For deeper background on the Meaning Crisis see professor John Vervaeke’s lectures Awakening from the Meaning Crisis
See Geepaw Hill’s insightful enhancement of Self-Determination Theory and his RAMPS model
Google’s Project Aristotle concluded that Psychological Safety is the Number one factor in team effectiveness
Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Neuroplasticity, neural pathways in our brains adapt, grow and reorganise as we learn
Jordan Peterson - Carry Your Cross
Daniel Schmachtenberger - War on Sensemaking
The Flow Genome Project is researching Peak Performance in humans
Recapture The Rapture by Jamie Wheal
For greater depth on tribalist identity politics see Peter Limberg’s analysis of The Mimetic Tribes of Culture War 2.0
Nick Bostrom’s Simulation Argument
Johann Hari’s Lost Connections
‘Ensure the next person succeeds’ - Stolen (with permission) from Tim Mason, the CEO I worked with at Eagle Eye Solutions. Tim had a wealth of anecdotes and sayings and this is one which resonated extremely well with our Engineering Department.
Sadhguru stressing the need for Balance, referring to the tragic demise of talented people such as Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
Inspired by Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication. See this Needs Inventory for inspiration.