University of Minnesota - UMN Executive Leadership Insights
Motivation
Book

Motivation

Spark Initiative. Inspire Action. Achieve Your Goal

Tom Gorman
Adams Media, 2007
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Editorial Rating

6

Qualities

  • For Beginners

Recommendation

“Nothing is more important than motivation,” says business author Tom Gorman. “Without it you can’t do anything, build anything or be anything.” Gorman provides a handy tour of the basic models of human motivation. He explains how to manage your ability to get up and go with joy and satisfaction. He also describes some ways to motivate others. Gorman’s discussions about discovering your core purposes and the motivation that flows from implementing those goals are the book’s most valuable aspects. His basic manual, written in a clear if somewhat choppy style, is a very serviceable summary of popular work about motivation placed in context by his reflections, rather than by original research. Nonetheless, getAbstract finds it useful, particularly for those who are new to the discussion.

Summary

Why Motivation Matters

The only way to accomplish a worthwhile objective is to muster the drive to achieve it. Wanting and needing something are not enough. Only action makes desire more than a fruitless wish. Motivation is the emotional force that impels you to act. It is evident in the faces of competing athletes, in the work ethic of entrepreneurs and in the intensity of serious students. Yet everyone faces some common enemies that can undermine motivation, such as:

  • “Feeling undeserving” – Many people feel they don’t deserve to succeed.
  • “Fear” – Others worry about failure, rejection, humiliation or drudgery.
  • “Comparisons” – Evaluating your progress against others will hinder you.
  • “Blame” – Accusing others of a lack of drive gives you an excuse to quit trying.

Other burdens that blunt motivation include “substance abuse,” “magical thinking,” a sense of being overwhelmed by too many options and other underlying problems. Yet, if you work only when everything is aligned and you are in the right mood, you won’t get anything done. If you wait for inspiration to...

About the Author

Tom Gorman has written or collaborated on more than 15 business books, as well as numerous articles in Business Marketing and The New York Times. Gorman, a former banker, marketing consultant and executive recruiter, served as a middle manager in two Fortune 500 companies.

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