Motivation Quote by James Waldroop
““Renowned psychologist David McClelland of Harvard wrote about three basic motivators in people’s work: need for achievement, need for affiliation, and need for power. Most successful business professionals’ scores on these three motivations form something of a checkmark. They tend to be moderately highly motivated by a need for achievement, not much motivated by need for affiliation, and highly motivated by a need for power. The meritocrat, by contrast, is very highly oriented toward achievement, moderately highly motivated by need for affiliation, and almost negatively motivated by need for power. That””
About This Quote
Source Article: Harvard Business Review, “Motivation in the Workplace”, 1990
People are driven by three core motives—achievement, affiliation, power—shaping career success and leadership style.
In simple terms: Three basic work motives affect success.
Key Takeaway
Identify which motive dominates you.
Themes
motivation
leadership
career
psychology
Mood
analytical
insightful
Type
explanatory
informative
When to use this quote
- career planning
- team building
- leadership development
- performance reviews
Key Concepts
achievement
affiliation
power
need theory
Questions to Reflect On
- Which motive most influences your decisions?
- How can you balance these drives?
A Different Perspective
Motivation can shift over time; context matters.
