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“Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”

Today and yesterday, I met with the people who supervise classified staff at Lincoln City Libraries. They came from all of our locations, including the Bookmobile. There’s something about these mixed-up groups that creates good energy.

Among our discussion points: motivation. I asked group members to review the Gallup Q12 information available via our very own library books and the Internet, or to learn about “Drive” by Daniel H. Pink via reading the book, or taking a look at his website and other information.

I find both of these sources optimistic. From time to time, I’ve heard library people bemoan our lack of money to use for motivational rewards–and I’ve probably bemoaned that, too. What I found positive in the information in both of these sources is that money isn’t that much of a motivator, when it comes right down to it.

But having a purpose IS motivating, it’s intrinsically rewarding. That’s apparent both from what we’ve learned from Gallup, and what Pink describes. Especially in tight budget times, connecting strongly to our purpose is key. The library is a place where staff hold some pretty disparate points of view about the best ways to serve our community. But where there’s usually fundamental agreement is that the Library Is a Good Thing. We’re united about serving our customers well, and being part of an institution that springs from one of the very best ideas–the importance of educated citizens in a democracy.

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