Just what is motivation? Is it the carrots you dangle? The things you can offer? Or is it the environment you create? Let's see if this story from Jack Canfield will help you decide.
Over 200 years ago in a temple in Thailand, there was a beautiful Buddha made of two tons of solid gold. The monks in this village knew they were in the path of the Burmese soldiers who were warring at the time. The monks wanted to save their village, their temple, and of course, their beautiful Buddha. The Burmese soldiers were known to rape, kill, and destroy everything in their path.
The monks knew they couldn't hide their village, their temple, or even their Buddha, because every temple has one, and it's not exactly easy to hide two tons of solid gold under the couch. So, after a great deal of consternation and discussion, they decided if they can't hide the Buddha, at least they could hide its value. They worked around the clock and covered the Buddha in clay. When they were finally done, the Buddha still resembled a Buddha, but no longer a gold Buddha.
Very shortly thereafter, the village was hit. Everyone in the village was killed, leaving n survivors to tell the history of the gold Buddha. The village lay in ruins, the temple was demolished, but the Buddha sat in the middle of all this devastation completely untouched.
In 1957, a new order of monks was sent to rebuild the village and the temple. No one had any idea of the value of the Buddha. They were almost done, and as they moved the Buddha to its place of honor, it fell from the cart and crashed on the floor. Everyone was sick! No one wanted to face the consequence of what they had done, so they threw a tarp over it and went about their day.
Later that night, in the privacy of his own pain, the head monk approached the Buddha with a flashlight. As he shined the light, he removed the tarp, and the Buddha seemed to be shining from within. He didn't understand what was happening, so he grabbed the nearest tools that he could find: a butter knife and a rock. As he chipped away at one of the cracks, he was astonished to discover that not only had they not destroyed their beautiful Buddha, but he had uncovered two tons of gold without a scratch on it!
This is a true story as it is written on the walls of this beautiful temple today in Thailand. So just how does this great story tell us anything about motivation? Every one of us has a core of solid gold. Whether they are your best friend or your worst enemy, your boss or your spouse, everyone has a core of gold. Our job is to provide an environment where that person feels comfortable opening up and being the best that they can be.
The best motivational climate is one where everyone feels that they can grow (life-long learning opportunities), the opportunity to take risks without fear (growth through experience), and a mutual feeling of trust, respect, and commitment that is expressed through individual attention and acknowledgement, resulting in high self-esteem.
Are you motivating or dangling carrots?