Need Motivation…?

Every now and then, in a meeting, someone suggests the need for incentives. Incentives for staff to participate in joint programmes, and to evaluate more and better. Incentives to apply the Human Rights Approach to Programming. Incentives to learn from successes and failures, and to report on what worked and what didn’t. Incentives for staff to exchange engrained practices for new styles of cooperation. And every time I hear about incentives, I shudder.

Do we really need to be motivated by incentives? Shouldn’t we be driven instead by our personal and professional values, to do all that needs to be done to save and better the lives of children born to the most marginalized families?

To work for the most wonderful organization in the world should be incentive enough to keep us going. And to embrace change, when needed. So that it remains the most wonderful organization in the world.

(24 December 2004)

previous         next