Since the time I have been working in Afghanistan, I have come across ONLY a handful of people who were actually interested in doing work. I always wondered what the reason was.  Most of them I knew were given some of the best incentives for the work they were asked to do, but still that enthusiasm was missing.

It was only yesterday when I came across an article by Bill Gross, Founder and CEO of Idealab, in which he has talked about incentive not being the same as motivation.

He defines a TRUE motivation as something that gets people to do something because they WANT to do it.

He sums up his advice on the subject of motivation as follows:

“To act through authenticity, example and transparency.”

By that he means the only way you can get someone to follow you is if you are truly authentic yourself about believing in and working toward a shared goal. You have to show your passion and your eagerness in order for others to join you in that mission.

Secondly, you have to set an example for others either by working hard or by executing the tasks in a way that sets example for others.

Last but not the least, act with complete transparency! It is crucial for those working for you to know what is going on-how you are doing-both the good and the bad, so they fell that they are “in the know” and thus part of the same team acting toward the same goal.

From what I observe, authenticity, example and transparency are clearly missing in most Afghan offices, hence the absence of motivation to do the work.