VC/Unpacked #7
Motivation | January 2021
This series curates great content that folks interested in entrepreneurism and venture capital should explore. Some are from my own must list; others have been suggested by our community.
Have a recommendation? Tell us about it.
Hi AVG Community,
Insight into human motivation is a superpower that great leaders either inherently possess or have developed through hard work. In VC, it’s particularly important in not only running our firm, but evaluating investments. COVID-19 has accelerated some trends that address the very nature of work—important topics all of us are facing. Below, I share a few of my favorite current discussions on motivation.
Venture on,
– Mike Collins
READ
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
By Daniel Pink
—–
Daniel Pink is a master of overturning conventional thinking on business and human behavior. This best-selling assessment of motivation is no exception. Pink demonstrates that the carrot-and-stick approach has very limited application. Instead, he argues that autonomy, mastery, and purpose are key to having a motivated teammate. Pink’s lessons not only apply to work, but to any personal endeavor. For an engaging TED Talk on the topic, click here.
LISTEN
Dear HBR: Motivating Employees
Hosted by Dan McGinn & Alison Beard
—–
Dear HBR can catch folks off guard who are expecting a strictly professorial, academic approach. This podcast blends expert interview with a bit of Dear Abby. In this episode, Dan McGinn and Alison Beard take questions from their listeners on employee motivation and speak to Case Western Reserve University management professor Richard Boyatzis to help employers understand how to make employees feel more invested. Chatty, opinionated, and a bit free-wheeling, the conversation also surfaces some genuinely helpful insights.
READ
Post-Covid Environments: The Office Will Never Be The Same
—–
Post-Covid is impacting team unity and motivations, while disrupting some of our usual go-to solutions for keeping employees energized and in sync. What is the role of the office? How flexible should employers be? How can we communicate culture virtually? These and myriad other questions are being explored by executives and employees in real time. Here are a few resources giving insights into challenges and opportunities:
- Reimagining the office and work life after COVID-19 (McKinsey & Company)
- The Office Will Never Be The Same (The New York Times)
- A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Permanently Flipped Workplace (Noteworthy: The Journal Blog)
Want to learn more?
View all our available funds and secure data rooms, or schedule an intro call.
New to AV?
Sign up and access exclusive venture content.
Contact [email protected] for additional information. To see additional risk factors and investment considerations, visit av-funds.com/disclosures.