When you look at your team, what do you see? Are they naturally curious, eager to learn, and driven to excel? Or do you think they need constant supervision, incentives, and consequences just to get the job done?

This simple but powerful question gets to the heart of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and has profound implications for how you lead, inspire, and support your people. Your view—whether intrinsic or extrinsic—can shape your leadership style and the culture you create.

Intrinsic vs. Extrinsic: Two Ways of Seeing People

Self-Determination Theory explains that people can be understood through two lenses:

1.     The Intrinsic View:

You believe that people are naturally motivated to grow ,learn, and thrive. According to this view:

• Individuals crave autonomy, seeking control over their work and decisions.
• They strive for competence, wanting to improve their skills and master challenges.
• They value connection, desiring to feel part of something meaningful and supported by others.

Given the right environment, people with intrinsic motivation take ownership of their tasks, think creatively, and aim for excellence without needing constant prodding.

2.     The Extrinsic View:

You see people as passive or needing external motivation to perform. This view assumes:

• Employees require constant monitoring and external rewards (or punishments) to stay on track.
• Without incentives, they might lose focus, disengage, or underperform.
• Tasks are more transactional, with effort tied to outcomes like bonuses or penalties.

While this approach can drive short-term results, it often undermines long-term engagement and creativity.

How Your View Shapes Your Leadership

Your perspective doesn’t just influence how you see your team—it also determines how you lead. Here’s what these two approaches look like in practice:

The Intrinsic Leader

If you adopt an intrinsic perspective, your leadership style focuses on creating conditions where people thrive. This might include:

• Fostering Autonomy: Trusting your team to take ownership of their work and empowering them to make decisions.
• Building Competence: Providing opportunities for growth, meaningful challenges, and constructive feedback.
• Creating Connection: Building a culture of psychological safety and belonging where employees feel valued and part of something bigger than themselves.

Intrinsic leadership unlocks sustainable motivation, creativity, and resilience, helping teams perform at their best over the long term.

The Extrinsic Leader

If you lean toward an extrinsic view, you might focus on:

• Excessive Control: Micromanaging tasks and imposing rigid rules to ensure productivity.
• Transactional Rewards: Relying on external incentives like bonuses, perks, or punishments to drive behavior.
• Neglecting Well-Being: Prioritizing output over employees' emotional and psychological needs.

While this approach might achieve short-term gains, it often leads to burnout, disengagement, and higher turnover over time.

Why Your View Matters

Research rooted in SDT shows that intrinsic motivation leads to greater engagement, creativity, and well-being. When employees feel autonomous, competent, and connected, they bring their best selves to work. On the other hand, relying on extrinsic motivators may yield compliance but often fails to inspire long-term commitment or innovation.

If you’ve ever wondered why some team members seem disengaged or resistant, it might not be a “people problem”—it could be a leadership opportunity. Shifting your mindset from “How can I get them to work harder?” to “How can I create an environment where they want to work harder?” can transform your team's performance.

How to Shift Toward an Intrinsic Approach

Moving from an extrinsic mindset to an intrinsic one doesn’t happen overnight, but small changes can make a big impact. Here are some steps to get started:

1. Empower Your Team: Involve your team in decision-making and give them ownership over their work.
2. Connect to Purpose: Help employees see the bigger picture. Show them how their  asks contribute to the organization’s mission and impact.
3. Encourage Growth: Offer opportunities for learning, skill-building, and personal development.
4. Provide Support: Deliver feedback focused on growth and improvement rather than criticism. Show that you value their efforts and ideas.
5. Foster Belonging: Create a culture of trust and psychological safety where  everyone feels valued and included.

The Bottom Line

Your perspective as a leader influences everything: how you manage, how your team feels, and the culture you build. When you view people as dynamic, self-driven individuals, you create an environment where motivation, innovation, and fulfillment thrive.

So, take a moment to reflect: Do you have an intrinsic or extrinsic view of people?

The answer could be the key to unlocking your team’s true potential—and transforming your leadership style in the process.

What’s your view?

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