{"id":408,"date":"2013-01-05T07:49:59","date_gmt":"2013-01-05T07:49:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scqa.hult.edu\/en\/news\/hult-labs\/2013\/january\/got-motivation\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T10:26:25","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T10:26:25","slug":"got-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hult.edu\/blog\/got-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"Got Motivation?"},"content":{"rendered":"

At school, or on the job, smarts will undoubtedly help you. But there is one element that will help you more, and it doesn\u2019t involve the ability to create esoteric financial models. It\u2019s called motivation. And if you are just starting your career and don\u2019t have a robust track record of professional accomplishments, motivation can be your best friend.<\/p>\n

Possessing a high level of horsepower may give you a lengthy winning streak at chess games with friends, but all the cerebral firepower in the world can’t help you if you fail to produce on the job. In the workplace, what matters most are results (and where quality is often favored over quantity). Achieving (great) results is not always easy. Sometimes you\u2019ve got to drum up your inner cheerleader (or whatever motivating force you choose) to learn new things, overcome obstacles, form solutions, and ultimately keep your eye on the prize.\u00a0 Sometimes this also means boosting the spirits of flagging teammates or direct reports.\u00a0 IQ may impress, but it doesn\u2019t inspire.<\/p>\n

In the real world, some employers weigh the only track record you may have: grades. Some weigh them heavily – either as a proxy for intelligence, or as evidence of a strong work ethic – and some don\u2019t consider them at all. In general (and depending on your career path and ambitions), after a few years on the job you may never discuss your grades again.\u00a0 But if you change jobs, or are vying for a promotion, you can be certain that you will be asked about your professional track record: your on-the-job successes.\u00a0 At some point in your career, and earlier rather than later, your list of professional accomplishments will trump GPA and test scores.<\/p>\n

In an interview<\/a> with former Lockheed Martin Chairman and CEO, Norman Augustine<\/a>, Jonathan Wai<\/a>, elicited this insight from Augustine: \u201cEarlier in my career we used college grades as the best indicator of future performance among new graduates. Unfortunately, the extraordinary inflation that has taken place in grades in recent decades has made grades all but meaningless to potential employers. Some of the companies with which I have been associated (as a member of their board) have thus placed emphasis on IQ tests and many of those companies have been extremely successful in identifying talent in this manner. My own experience, however, has been that motivation will beat raw intelligence almost every time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Augustine doesn\u2019t stop there. He goes on to explain that an employee\u2019s motivation can help predict \u201cfuture contributions.\u201d This is an especially helpful piece of advice for those making the transition from student to professional. Because by the time you reach the interview round with a job prospect your \u201chard\u201d skill set has already been mostly assessed.\u00a0 This is the step where the recruiter, or interview panel, is attempting to determine a number of things about you that may not be on your resume:\u00a0 cultural fit, attitude, communication skills, and energy level.\u00a0 It also represents a window of opportunity for you to reference the times your skyscraper-high level of motivation propelled you through thorny issues, team dysfunctions, and helped you to ultimately prevail. The real world has ever-persistent thorny issues and team dysfunctions, and an employer wants to know that you won\u2019t be daunted. Think of motivation as full-body protective armor for the real world. But, if you choose the shield of IQ instead, it could be your Achilles\u2019 heel.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ll leave you with one last point.\u00a0 A newly released study<\/a> by researchers at the Universities of Munich and Bielefeld looked at the math abilities of over 3,000 primary and high school students. They found that \u201cintelligence was strongly linked to students\u2019 math achievement, but only in the initial development of competence in the subject. Motivation and study skills turned out to be more important factors in terms of students\u2019 growth,\u201d as they progressed in their course of study, according to Kou Murayama, Ph.D., one of the researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018Our study suggests that students\u2019 competencies to learn in math involve factors that can be nurtured by education,\u2019 said Murayama. \u2018Educational programs focusing on students\u2019 motivation and study skills could be an important way to advance their competency in math as well as in other subjects.\u201d<\/p>\n

To read more on the study, click here.
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Flickr’s Flotographic Arts<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Hult offers a range of highly skills-focused and employability-driven business school programs<\/a> including a range of MBA options and a comprehensive one year Masters in International Business<\/a>. To find out more, take a look at our blog Skills & networks: How my MBA made me an entrepreneur<\/a>. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to learn about the business world, the future, and yourself.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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