motivational style, and is "staying
positive" right for you?
Some people think of their jobs as
opportunities for achievement and
accomplishment—they have what
psychologists call a promotion focus.
In the language of economics,
promotion focus is all about
maximizing gains and avoiding
missed opportunities. For others,
doing a job well is about security,
about not losing the positions they've
worked so hard for. This prevention
focus places the emphasis on avoiding
danger, fulfilling responsibilities, and
doing what feel you ought to do. In
economic terms, it's about minimizing
losses, trying to hang on to what
you've got.
Understanding promotion and
prevention motivation helps us
understand why people can work so
differently to reach the same goal.
Promotion motivation feels like
eagerness—the desire to really go for
it—and this eagerness is sustained and
enhanced by optimism. Believing that
everything is going to work out great
is essential for promotion-focused
performance. Prevention motivation,
on the other hand, feels like
vigilance—the need to keep danger at
bay—and it is sustained not by
optimism, but by a kind of defensive
pessimism. In other words, the
prevention-minded actually work best
when they think about what might go
wrong, and what they can do to keep
that from happening.
So, do you spend your life pursuing
accomplishments and accolades,
reaching for the stars? Or are you
busy fulfilling your duties and
responsibilities—being the person
everyone can count on? Start by
identifying your focus, and
then embrace either the sunny
outlook or the hearty skepticism
that will reduce your stress and
keep you performing at your best.