RICE - Reward, Ideology, Coercion, Ego - Drivers of Motivation

RICE is an acronym about 4 things that drive motivation:

Reward.

Ideology.

Coercion.

Ego.

Reward is fairly self-explanatory. Anything that a person determines to be fulfilling can be considered a reward, be it actual money, time to themselves, satisfaction, and so on.

Ideology is what a person values, believes in, and, often, informs their sense of purpose and direction. For example, if a person places a high value on honesty, then they would want to tell the truth or, at least, not lie.

Coercion is the use of pressure, even force, to get someone to do something. Most people resist and abhor this when it’s done to them. They may comply, but only to relieve that pressure.

Ego is a person’s image or perception of themselves that they wish to upkeep, not only for themselves, but in front of others as well.

Of the four, Ideology is the most powerful drive, followed by Ego, then Reward, and, finally, Coercion.

Coercion, once used, will break trust and increase suspicion and wariness. It frequently causes irreparable damage to a relationship and should not be used lightly.

I find RICE to be a useful acronym to keep in the back of my mind for a variety of things. Since I believe that we perform actions for specific reasons, it helps me to decipher a person’s reasons for doing or saying certain things.

While I may not agree with their actions, I can at least have an insight on why they may be doing something.

This gives me some leverage when negotiating with them or convincing them of something.

I’ve found this useful as an educator, when I’m doing business - buying and selling, as well as in various relationships that I have.

Saying the right thing, at the right time, in the right way is a very powerful thing.

It certainly opens up the possibility of manipulation, but, hopefully, you won’t have to resort to that.

Creative Businesses Are Still Businesses. Some Things Will Never Be Ideal.

I've learned a couple of things about creative businesses:

1) Never fall too much in love with what you create.

Though your clients may like what you do, they don't see, hear, feel like you.

At the end of the day, if they're paying, they'll want certain things their way.

2) Your work is worth what you think it's worth.

But if potential clients cannot or will not pay that, you have a problem. And you may be tempted to lower your prices.

This depends on you. If you're okay with it, and won't begrudge the lowered amount, then don't let anyone tell you that it's wrong to do so.

3) It will take time for you to be "discovered".

And it will help tremendously if you put yourself out there.

Some creatives may think that they will be sellouts if they go into the "debased" world of marketing, wheeling and dealing instead of coming up with new ideas and art.

But the only person who can truly represent what you do is you. And nobody will know what you're doing, no matter how good it is, if nobody ever sees or hears about it.

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If you're not willing to do the non-creative work or change the way you deal with potential clients, it will be better to keep your creative activities a personal interest or hobby.

That way, you continue to enjoy it for what it is, and never have to worry about "making money" out of it.

And that's fine, too.

A Meeting With Interesting Minds and Intriguing Methods

A couple of days ago, I had a face-to-face meeting with someone I met at a face-to-face networking event.

We discussed an initiative that he first mentioned in passing during that networking event - to bring business education to a number of Asian countries.

That in itself may not sound novel, but the method model with which he wants to do it is.

And I got to briefly meet a couple of his business partners, who have very interesting backgrounds and ways of thinking about things.

So does the person with whom I arranged the meeting.

I'll be doing some hard ideation and connecting in the coming days, to come up with something to contribute to this initiative.

Thinking back, this incident was a stark reminder to me that this is all different, with new ways of thinking, and of doing things.

Just look at my first sentence. 2 years ago, I wouldn't have had to add "face-to-face" to that sentence. Twice.

It's a new world out there. And I'm gearing up to meet it.

Collaborate? You Keep Using That Word. I Don't Think It Means What You Think It Means.

"Let's collaborate!"

Every time I hear someone say this to me now, I feel a certain aversion towards that person.

That person may have been genuinely looking for a win-win situation, but the word 'collaborate' has now taken on A LOT of negative connotations.

And I don't think it's mainly the fault of the entrepreneurs (esp. solopreneurs) and small business owners that this is now an iffy word.

I'd put the blame on the large organisations and companies, a number of which clearly take the word to mean "unpaid now, likely forever".

I can't speak for everyone, and perhaps I'm just cynical, but I really hope that this word disappears from the language of business sooner rather than later.