determination in business essay

Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

1. what is determination and why is it important for entrepreneurs, 2. how determination can also be stressful, exhausting, and risky for entrepreneurs, 3. how to find and cultivate your inner motivation, passion, and purpose as an entrepreneur, 4. how to plan, prioritize, and execute your tasks and projects as an entrepreneur, 5. how to manage your time, energy, and health as an entrepreneur, 6. how to review your progress, celebrate your achievements, and keep learning and improving as an entrepreneur.

Determination is a key trait that every entrepreneur needs to succeed in the competitive and uncertain world of business. It is the ability to persist in the face of challenges, setbacks, and failures, and to pursue one's goals with passion and perseverance. Determination can help entrepreneurs overcome self-doubt, fear, and criticism, and to learn from their mistakes and improve their skills. Determination can also motivate entrepreneurs to take calculated risks , innovate, and create value for their customers and society.

But why is determination so important for entrepreneurs? Here are some reasons:

1. Determination helps entrepreneurs to start and launch their ventures. starting a business is not easy . It requires a lot of research, planning, funding, and execution. Many aspiring entrepreneurs give up before they even begin, or quit when they encounter the first obstacle. Determination can help entrepreneurs to overcome the initial inertia and resistance, and to take action on their ideas. Determination can also help entrepreneurs to cope with the uncertainty and ambiguity that come with launching a new venture, and to adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs.

2. Determination helps entrepreneurs to grow and scale their ventures. Growing a business is also challenging. It involves finding and retaining customers, hiring and managing employees, developing and delivering products or services , and competing with other players in the industry. Many entrepreneurs struggle to keep up with the increasing demands and expectations, or lose sight of their vision and mission. Determination can help entrepreneurs to stay focused and committed to their goals, and to seek new opportunities and partnerships. Determination can also help entrepreneurs to deal with the stress and pressure that come with running a business, and to balance their personal and professional lives .

3. Determination helps entrepreneurs to make a positive impact . Making a difference is one of the main reasons why many people choose to become entrepreneurs. They want to solve a problem, fill a gap, or create something new and valuable for the world. However, making an impact is not easy. It requires a lot of creativity, innovation, and collaboration. Many entrepreneurs face resistance, opposition, or indifference from their stakeholders, or fail to achieve their desired outcomes . Determination can help entrepreneurs to keep their passion and purpose alive, and to overcome the challenges and barriers that stand in their way. Determination can also help entrepreneurs to measure and communicate their impact , and to inspire others to join their cause.

These are some of the reasons why determination is important for entrepreneurs. Determination can help entrepreneurs to start, grow, and make a positive impact with their ventures. However, determination is not something that entrepreneurs are born with. It is something that they can develop and cultivate over time. In the next section, we will discuss some of the ways that entrepreneurs can become more determined and driven. Stay tuned!

I'm glad I didn't know how much patience entrepreneurship required. It took some time to turn that into a strength of mine, so that would've presented an obstacle when I was younger. Reshma Saujani

Determination is often seen as a positive and essential trait for entrepreneurs who want to succeed in their ventures. However, being determined can also come with some challenges that can affect the well-being, performance, and happiness of entrepreneurs. In this section, we will explore some of the difficulties that entrepreneurs may face when they are too determined and how they can overcome them. We will also look at some of the benefits of having a balanced and healthy level of determination.

Some of the challenges of being determined are:

1. Stress : Entrepreneurs who are determined to achieve their goals may experience high levels of stress, especially when they encounter obstacles, setbacks, or failures. Stress can have negative impacts on the physical and mental health of entrepreneurs, such as causing headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, or burnout. To cope with stress, entrepreneurs should practice self-care, such as taking breaks, exercising, meditating, or seeking social support . They should also learn to accept their limitations, set realistic expectations , and celebrate their achievements.

2. Exhaustion : Entrepreneurs who are determined to work hard may neglect their personal needs, such as sleep, nutrition, or leisure. This can lead to exhaustion, which can impair their cognitive abilities, creativity, and productivity. Exhaustion can also make entrepreneurs more prone to mistakes, errors, or accidents. To prevent exhaustion, entrepreneurs should prioritize their health and well-being, such as getting enough sleep, eating well, or having fun. They should also delegate tasks, outsource work, or hire help when needed.

3. Risk : Entrepreneurs who are determined to pursue their vision may take excessive or unnecessary risks, such as investing too much money, time, or energy into their projects, or ignoring the market demand, customer feedback, or legal regulations. Risk can result in losses, failures, or lawsuits, which can damage the reputation, finances, or credibility of entrepreneurs. To manage risk, entrepreneurs should conduct thorough research, analysis, and planning before making decisions. They should also test their assumptions, validate their ideas, or seek expert advice when unsure.

How determination can also be stressful, exhausting, and risky for entrepreneurs - Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

One of the most important factors that can make or break an entrepreneur's success is determination. Determination is the ability to persevere in the face of challenges , setbacks, and failures. It is the willingness to keep going when things get tough, to learn from mistakes, and to overcome obstacles. Determination is what fuels an entrepreneur's vision, passion, and purpose. But where does determination come from? How can an entrepreneur find and cultivate their inner motivation, passion, and purpose? In this section, we will explore some of the sources of determination and how to tap into them.

Some of the sources of determination are:

1. Self-awareness : Self-awareness is the ability to understand oneself, one's strengths, weaknesses, values, goals, and motivations. Self-awareness helps an entrepreneur to identify their true passion and purpose, to align their actions with their vision, and to recognize their areas of improvement. Self-awareness also helps an entrepreneur to cope with stress, emotions, and feedback. To develop self-awareness, an entrepreneur can use tools such as journaling, meditation, personality tests, feedback, and coaching.

2. Self-efficacy : Self-efficacy is the belief in one's ability to achieve a desired outcome . Self-efficacy boosts an entrepreneur's confidence, resilience, and optimism. Self-efficacy also helps an entrepreneur to take calculated risks, to learn new skills, and to overcome challenges. To increase self-efficacy, an entrepreneur can set realistic and specific goals, celebrate small wins, seek positive role models, and embrace failure as a learning opportunity.

3. Intrinsic motivation : intrinsic motivation is the drive to do something for its own sake, for the enjoyment, satisfaction, or challenge it provides. intrinsic motivation is more powerful and sustainable than extrinsic motivation, which is the drive to do something for external rewards, such as money, fame, or recognition. Intrinsic motivation helps an entrepreneur to stay focused, creative, and passionate about their work. To foster intrinsic motivation, an entrepreneur can choose a problem or a market that they care about, pursue their curiosity, and seek autonomy, mastery, and purpose in their work.

4. social support : Social support is the network of people who provide emotional, informational, and practical assistance to an entrepreneur. Social support can come from family, friends, mentors, peers, customers, or investors. Social support helps an entrepreneur to cope with stress, loneliness, and uncertainty. Social support also helps an entrepreneur to gain feedback, advice, resources, and opportunities. To build social support, an entrepreneur can join or create communities of like-minded people, seek mentors and coaches, share their story and vision, and express gratitude and appreciation to their supporters.

How to find and cultivate your inner motivation, passion, and purpose as an entrepreneur - Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

Determination plays a crucial role in the success of entrepreneurs. It involves planning, prioritizing, and executing tasks and projects effectively . In this section, we will explore various strategies that can help entrepreneurs enhance their determination and drive.

1. set Clear goals : Start by defining clear and specific goals for your tasks and projects. This provides a sense of direction and purpose, allowing you to stay focused and motivated .

2. Break Tasks into Smaller Steps: Large tasks can be overwhelming, so it's important to break them down into smaller, manageable steps. This not only makes the process more achievable but also provides a sense of progress as you complete each step.

3. Prioritize Tasks: prioritization is key to effective task management. Identify the most important and urgent tasks and tackle them first. This ensures that you are making progress on critical aspects of your projects.

4. Create a Schedule: Develop a schedule or a timeline for your tasks and projects. This helps in organizing your work and ensures that you allocate sufficient time to each task. Stick to the schedule as much as possible to maintain consistency and discipline .

5. Stay Focused: Avoid distractions and stay focused on the task at hand. This may involve minimizing interruptions, turning off notifications, or finding a quiet workspace. Concentrated effort leads to better productivity and results.

6. Seek Support and Accountability: Surround yourself with a supportive network of individuals who can provide guidance, motivation, and accountability. This can be mentors, peers, or even online communities. Sharing your progress and challenges with others can help you stay motivated and committed.

7. Learn from Setbacks: Setbacks are inevitable in any entrepreneurial journey. Instead of getting discouraged, view them as learning opportunities. Analyze what went wrong, make necessary adjustments, and use the experience to grow stronger and more determined.

8. Celebrate Milestones: Acknowledge and celebrate your achievements along the way. This boosts morale and reinforces your determination. It can be as simple as treating yourself to something you enjoy or sharing your progress with others.

Remember, determination is a mindset that can be cultivated and strengthened over time. By implementing these strategies and staying committed to your goals, you can enhance your determination and drive as an entrepreneur.

How to plan, prioritize, and execute your tasks and projects as an entrepreneur - Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

That being said, I can provide you with a general overview of managing time, energy, and health as an entrepreneur. Determination plays a crucial role in the life of an entrepreneur, and effectively managing these aspects is essential for long-term success.

1. Prioritize and Plan: Start by identifying your most important tasks and goals. Create a schedule or to-do list to help you stay organized and focused. Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps.

2. Time Management: Efficiently allocate your time to different activities. Set specific time blocks for different tasks, and avoid multitasking, as it can lead to decreased productivity. Learn to delegate tasks when necessary to free up your time for more important responsibilities.

3. Energy Management: Recognize your peak energy levels and plan your most challenging tasks during those times. Take regular breaks to recharge and avoid burnout. Incorporate healthy habits like exercise, proper nutrition, and sufficient sleep to maintain high energy levels .

4. Stress Management: Entrepreneurship can be stressful, so it's important to develop effective stress management techniques . Find activities that help you relax and unwind, such as meditation, deep breathing exercises , or engaging in hobbies you enjoy.

5. Seek Support: Surround yourself with a supportive network of mentors, peers, or fellow entrepreneurs who can provide guidance and encouragement. Don't hesitate to ask for help when needed.

6. Continuous Learning: Stay updated with industry trends and developments. Attend workshops, conferences, or online courses to enhance your skills and knowledge. Embrace a growth mindset and be open to new ideas and perspectives.

Remember, determination is not just about pushing yourself relentlessly but also about finding a balance that allows you to sustain your motivation and well-being. By effectively managing your time, energy, and health, you can optimize your entrepreneurial journey .

Please note that the above information is based on general knowledge and insights. For more specific and detailed information, I recommend referring to reputable sources or seeking advice from experts in the field.

How to manage your time, energy, and health as an entrepreneur - Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

1. Reflect on your milestones: Take time to review the milestones you have achieved along your entrepreneurial journey. Celebrate each accomplishment, whether big or small, as they contribute to your overall progress. Reflecting on your milestones provides a sense of fulfillment and motivates you to keep pushing forward.

2. Seek feedback: Feedback is invaluable for personal and professional growth . Reach out to mentors, peers, or customers to gather their insights and perspectives on your entrepreneurial endeavors. Embrace constructive criticism and use it as an opportunity to refine your strategies and improve your performance .

3. Continuously learn: As an entrepreneur, the learning journey never ends . Stay curious and seek opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills . Attend industry conferences, workshops, or webinars to stay updated with the latest trends and best practices. Additionally, consider joining entrepreneurial communities or networking groups to connect with like-minded individuals and learn from their experiences.

4. Set new goals: Once you have achieved a milestone, it's essential to set new goals to maintain your momentum. These goals should be challenging yet attainable, pushing you to reach new heights. Break them down into smaller, actionable steps, and track your progress regularly.

5. Embrace failure as a learning opportunity: Failure is an inevitable part of the entrepreneurial journey. Instead of viewing it as a setback, embrace it as a valuable learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong, identify areas for improvement , and use these insights to pivot and grow stronger.

Remember, success as an entrepreneur is not solely defined by financial achievements but also by personal growth and fulfillment. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small, and use them as fuel to keep striving for greatness. Stay determined, driven, and committed to continuous improvement.

How to review your progress, celebrate your achievements, and keep learning and improving as an entrepreneur - Determination: How to Be Determined and Driven as an Entrepreneur

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Determination is Key to Successful Leaders

September 12, 2019 by Francesca Ysabel Bernasconi

The key to successful leadership is determination. Without determination, nothing will come to fruition. The plans, ideas and goals will be stagnant without the perseverance to make them come to life. Often times, traits such as determination is what separates effective leaders from those that are ineffective (Northoue, 2016, p.21). To be an effective leader with unbounded determination, characteristics of determination such as drive, persistence, initiative, and dominance must evidently be seen and applied (Northouse, 2016, p.24).

The drive and persistence to get things done especially when others give up displays a person’s determination (Northouse, 2016, p.24). An example of determination that is close to my heart is shown by my uncle. From a small food stall to setting up one-hundred twenty food stalls today. This of course did not happen overnight. It took several years of trial and error, hardly any profit, and a growing family to support. It was not easy. When they were finally on the verge to give-up and close it down to focus their efforts on building something else, he resolved that his current business is all he knew and from there, he pushed boundaries to not only make ends meet but he found a solution to make it grow. From only working with his wife, to then employing his family members, and now he employs over 1,000 workers who look up to him as their leader. He made quality food that was affordable and strategically put stalls in target market areas. His idea and strategy was good, but what made him an effective leader and a successful business owner, was his determination. He showed that effective leaders push boundaries when they are faced with obstacles and they have the capacity to persevere through them (Northouse, 2016, p.24).  After the big leap of one food stall to one-hundred and twenty small food stalls, he did not stop there, rather persevered today and added twenty more high-end restaurants. The success of his goals was because of his vigor and persistence in pursuit of them (Northouse, 2016, p. 21).

People with determination show initiative by being proactive (Northouse, 2016, p. 24). They are willing to do what is necessary and beyond even without being told to do so. It is this characteristic of determination that set the standard for my uncles’ employees. He would often go around his restaurants to check the standard and quality of the food, the place and whether the employees are doing a good job. During one of his visits to his restaurant, he found a napkin lying on the floor. Instead of asking one of his employees to pick it up and clean it for him, he took a dustpan and broom and did it himself. For a man who employs thousands of people, his employees were shocked and commented on how much he cared and was willing to do things himself even if it wasn’t part of his job description. I believe that having initiative simply shows that you care enough to do something and be proactive about it.

Determination includes displaying dominance especially when followers need to be directed (Northouse, 2016, p. 21). As a leader, it is important to mobilize the people you lead to achieve your shared goals. There may be instances where  followers may not completely agree with the decision or direction that you are taking them towards. In this case, it is important that a leader asserts himself and demonstrates the determination to maintain the momentum towards the goal. Many times followers only know a piece of the puzzle, whereas leaders envision how the picture in the entire puzzle will look like and therefore must be determined to create that picture even when the people around them don’t necessarily agree. For example, when many of my uncle’s relatives were telling him to close the small food stall down and discontinue it, he asserted himself and maintained the momentum toward the goal.

It is the leaders who are determined that will be effective. Becoming a successful leader is like running a race. A lot of people can start the race, but not all will last. When it comes to determination, it is not a matter of who is running next to you, rather, it is based upon whether you are able to keep running despite the obstacles that come your way.

Determination is a key trait to becoming a successful leader. If you give up, so will everyone around you. To be a successful leader, you must be willing to keep going when others are tempted to throw in the towel. To become a successful leader, the characteristics of a person must include initiative, persistence, dominance and drive (Northouse, 2016, p.24). These characteristics help shape and mold an effective leader.

Northouse, P. (2016). Leadership Theory and Practice (7th ed). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.

September 14, 2019 at 11:58 am

I would agree with you the fact that determination is a key to great leadership success. As you touch on with the vigor and persistence listed by Stogdill, I think he exhibits more of these traits as well. The example you described here, “During one of his visits to his restaurant, he found a napkin lying on the floor. Instead of asking one of his employees to pick it up and clean it for him, he took a dustpan and broom and did it himself.”, shows his ability to influence others behavior. He seems to understand that by leading with action is more effective than just talking to his employees. He understand the importance of knowing his employees personalities. He takes the initiative to do the tasks no matter how small, an important characteristic of determination (Northouse, 2016, p.24). He also showed high levels of extraversion throughout his business journey, being assertive in his plans when people told him it was time to quit. I thought this story was interesting in how he never gave up and I found this leadership experience to be inspiring. It is true that many people will start the race, but fail to finish. That is why determination is a key trait to leadership and you backed your reasons why.

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Sources of Insight

Become the Greatest Version of Yourself

How Determination and Drive are Important for Success in Work and Life

“Fate is for those too weak to determine their own destiny.” — Kamran Hamid

How important is determination and drive for success?

Some might says it’s everything.

Drive is a common characteristic among successful people.

The good news is that just like luck and success , drive is a continuum.  There’s examples where people with minimal drive, but they enjoy what they do, experience great success.

On the other end of the spectrum, you find ruthless obsession.

What if you aren’t naturally driven?  Here again, there’s good news.  You can adopt successful strategies.

What you lack in personality, you can make up for in approach.

In Tactics: The Art and Science of Success , Edward de Bono writes about the role of drive and determination in success.

Key Takeaways

Here are my key takeaways:

• Drive is the one common characteristic among successful people .  The one thing all successful people share is drive and determination.
• Drive ranges from enjoyment to ruthless obsession .  Drive can range from simply enjoying the path to what folks would consider “a little mad,” meaning a ruthless obsession for results.
• A desire for personal power .  One cause of drive is a pursuit of personal power, or an extension of their personality.
• Enslaved by an idea .  Some people become consumed by an idea.  Their drive is fueled by the passion of bringing an idea to life.
• Determination to finish the job .   Some people are fueled by a passion for finishing what they started.  They can’t stand the idea of a leaving something half-finished.
• You don’t have to change your personality .  If you’re not naturally driven, you don’t have to try to change your personality.  Instead, adopt proven success strategies that characterize successful people.
• Adopt success strategies of successful people .  You can adopt proven strategies such as becoming more single minded and focused, a strong sense of direction, don’t take no for an answer, and become better at saying what you don’t like.

What I’ve learned through experience is that while drive is important, you need to know what you’re trading.

For example, try to find balance between your conviction and your connection, so you don’t burn bridges or leave a trail of dead bodies in your pursuit of results.

Try to invest in your body, your relationships, and fun during the pursuit of your goals, so that you enjoy the process.

Goals are a vehicle.

They are a means to an end, but not the end themselves.  Be careful not to compromise your values along your journey.

Drive is The One Common Characteristic of Successful People

Determination is the one common trait among successful people:

de Bono writes:

“As the reader will discover in this book, successful people are often very single-minded and determined. 

Indeed, it would be possible to pick this out as the one characteristic common to almost all successful people. 

It can take the form of drive: if you want something hard enough, you will get it.  it can take the form of ruthlessness: let nothing stand between you and your goal. 

It can take the form of a strong sense of purpose.  It can take the form of determination and persistence:  accept failure only as a step on the path to success.”

One Single Goal

Some people make big trade-offs in the pursuit of a single goal:

“This type of determination comes close to fanaticism and what might be called ‘a little madness’. 

It implies a rather unnatural view of life, because one single goal becomes more important than any others. 

A person may be willing to sacrifice his wife, his children, his friends, his health, and even his life for this goal. 

At times the goal may seem very much like an obsession.  At its extreme, obsession is a form of madness.”

A Sense of Direction Urges Action

Having a direction helps somebody take action and gauge whether they are on track:

“There are many advantages to powerful determination and a strong sense of direction. 

The sense of direction urges action. 

The sense of direction shapes the action. 

The sense of direction allows the value of the action to be assessed: has it got me nearer to my goal? 

T he sense of direction allows all judgments and decisions to be made more easily: does this help me toward my goal or does this hinder me? 

Most people in their ordinary lives lack such a strong sense of value when taking a decision. 

Most people may have to take into account a soup of different factors such as family, health, enjoyment, career, etc., when making a decision. 

The strongly-success oriented person only takes into account one thing: the path to success.”

Determination Ranges from Enjoyment to Obsession

Drive is a continuum:

“As with luck there is, of course, a spectrum.  At one end is the ruthless obsessed tyrant who could properly be called mad. 

At the other end of the spectrum is the person who enjoys what he or she is doing, enjoys his life and friends, and just seems to stumble into success (as with Nolan Bushnell, Norman Lear, or Sir Clive Sinclair). 

Readers may be surprised to find that most of the people in this book seem to fall into this second grouping.”

Determination for Personal Power or Enslaved By an Idea

Some people are fueled by making an idea happen:

“Determination and ruthlessness always seem to suggest a person who wants success and power for their own sake and as an extension of his or her personality. 

There is, however, another sort of obsession.  This is when a person is enslaved by an idea.  The person wants to see the idea work, wants to make it happen. 

Power, riches, and fame have virtually nothing to do with it. 

Determination can spring from this sort of obsession.”

Determination to Finish the Job

Some people are compelled to finish what they started:

“There is even a further sort of determination.  This is where someone sets out to do something and takes the first few steps. 

There is then a determination to see things through, to finish that job.  Once one block has been place on top of another, there is a compulsion to finish the building. 

This characteristic also becomes clear in some of the people mentioned in this book.”

You Don’t Have to be Driven

de Bono writes that some people that aren’t naturally driven take a passive view on determination:

“From a practical point of view it does matter whether we attribute success to a particular type of personality.  Some people may feel that since their own personality is not ‘driven’ in this way, then there is little they can learn by reading about people who are so driven.  Like the ‘luck’ explanation of success, this is defeatist and passive.”

You Don’t Have to Change Your Personality

You don’t have to worry about changing your personality:

“I would not want to get into an argument as to whether people can or cannot change their personalities (through awareness training, counseling, or environmental change). 

It is not easy for someone to become ruthless by just willing himself or herself to be ruthless … A reader can, however, try to become more single minded and more focused. 

Once a reader perceives that a strong sense of direction may be an ingredient for success, it is possible to do something about it (for instance, by dropping other projects).”

Adopt Strategies to Improve Effectiveness

You can adopt strategies of people with determination and drive to improve your success:

“A person who will not take ‘no’ for an answer and writes ten letters runs the danger of being a nuisance and a pest but may be more successful than the person who is turned off by first refusal. 

Such things may arise naturally from a personality or they may be adopted as strategy. 

You cannot will yourself to have a foul temper (even if this often seems to be most useful for success), but you can become much better at saying what you do not like. 

It may well be that having success-oriented characteristics by virtue of your personality is much more effective — nevertheless adopting some of them as deliberate strategies can also be valuable.”

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The Anatomy of Determination

Determination, according to Paul Graham’s essay , is the best predictor of startup success. Determined people, he says, have three qualities: discipline, ambition, and willfulness.

The Anatomy of Determination in Startups

Successful startups are extremely rare compared to the number of startups ever started. It means that at least one of these three qualities is rare in people. Which one? Let’s look at them one by one.

Discipline is simply doing what you’ve planned to do. It requires a plan, any plan, and your execution of it. Discipline is straightforward. So why would it ever be a problem? It is not difficult to make a plan. Most people get that far. But the doing part is more difficult—it requires something less than what we normally do—doing without reconsidering. You need to follow the plan without doubting the plan, at least for some time.

There are many reasons you could doubt your plan. It might be laziness in disguise, or you may genuinely doubt your ability to carry out the plan.

Another reason may be psychological – whatever you plan is not what your body actually does. This last one is easy to see when you set several alarms to wake you up in the morning, still somehow your arms reach across the room to silence all the alarms so you can keep sleeping. Your body seems to have a mind of its own. Your feet don’t carry you to the gym when your head wants to go there.

The good news is that all of these are fixable.

If the problem is doubt, dig deeper and find exactly what kind of doubt this is. Do you doubt that you can get anything at all? If so, doing and finishing a quick-and-dirty prototype of anything takes care of that doubt.

Do you doubt that you can do anything well ? Then start by doing something small but exceptionally well.

Laziness is unwillingness to work or use energy. Unwillingness is just a lack of desire. So if you have no desire to work and you don’t work, you can’t survive. Most likely this is not your case because you are still alive. You are working on something. Your laziness does not stop you.

Whatever the mental barriers to discipline may be, if you just want to be disciplined, you can simply be, like a robot executing instructions. You can write instructions for yourself and follow them each day. You can be disciplined on autopilot. In fact, it is easier to be disciplined when you turn off the analysis running in the background of your mind. Analyzing triggers doubts, but for discipline we want pure and unhindered execution.

Ambition is the grandness of what you want to achieve. Generation Y is famously ambitious. Being ambitious is relatively easy – just imagine the most you could achieve in a lifetime. Becoming the POTUS? Think bigger. It’s easy to become delusional about your potential grandeur. But you never get more than you ask for in life. Ambition is the ask. Asking is easier than doing. So for most us ambition is easier than discipline.

Too Realistic

For people who are disciplined already, the opposite may happen. They may be in a habit of assessing themselves all too realistically. The remedy for that is getting to know people who are above and beyond your current ambition level. Once you get to know them personally, you will see that they are no smarter than you. You will start thinking that you can achieve as much, or even more.

Willfulness

Willfulness is the desire to do something regardless of consequences. An unstoppable desire. There are two parts to willfulness: one is an extreme desire, and the other is fearlessness about facing the consequences. If you lack willfulness, you either don’t have an extreme desire or you fear the consequences of your desire so much that the fear stops you.

How can you make someone desire something? Marketers do this. They make things look better than they really are. Best of all, as a car dealer would do, they let you test drive your dream. Pretend it’s already yours.

In the case of startups, this is a problem. Who has the incentive to make startups sound better than they really are? Maybe some investors or incubators? No, they wouldn’t because they don’t want weak startups.

And who would let you test drive being the founder of a successful startup? You could work for one but it’s not the same as being the founder. No one would let you bear the load of responsibility a founder carries. Still, you could be a co-founder of one, and if you are, it will take years of your life to see it through. Dustin Moskovitz co-founded Facebook, but after 4 years he founded his own startup. He saw what it’s like to be a startup founder before he ventured out on his own. Still, that is a time consuming way to learn.

How can you get that extreme desire now? If a startup were a Mercedes then some people would desire to buy one after simply seeing one drive by, others would be talked into buying one by a car dealer, yet others would buy one because their father drives one. In other words, desires come from experiences of different lengths and intensity. Are you the person who intensifies your own experience in life? Then probably just seeing a Mercedes drive by is enough for you.

But startups are not like a Mercedes because no startup is the same. A very successful one is unlike any that existed before. So your desire to build one would be similar to seeing a Mercedes drive by and visualizing how you will one day create a McLaren F1.

Last, you have to have fearlessness about the consequences of your desires. It is rational to fear the consequences of startup life. It is painful. But so is the alternative. Is it more painful to run a startup than to have a boss? Do you fear working 16-hour days more than feeling useless at your job? Fear is relative. The lesser of the fears wins.

Out of discipline, ambition, and willfulness the latter is probably the most difficult to acquire. It takes intensity of experience to want something to an extreme. People might call you “intense.” It takes courage to think even for a second that you can create what you want. It may take time to realize that whatever you fear about startups is more frightening if you don’t start one.

Inspired by  Paul Graham’s essay “The Anatomy of Determination.”

About the Author

Anna Vital is a startup evangelist and infographic author at Funders and Founders . Currently writing the infographic book Becoming an Entrepreneur. Anna also helps companies design infographics.

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Why Determination Is The Key To Success + 7 Secrets To Master It

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The road to success is bumpy and filled with unexpected plot twists. Staying on it requires a high tolerance to discomfort and some immunity to failure. What is the quality that arms you with these characteristics? Determination, of course!

A lot of people would argue that determination is the key to success. Let’s put that to the test. Remind yourself of one time you managed to achieve an important personal goal. What carried you along the way? What persuaded you to persist through difficulties even when the odds weren’t in your favor? I bet determination is your answer.

In this article, we will explore the meaning of determination and its importance for success and reveal ways to cultivate more determination in your life. Are you ready to inch closer to your goals? Let’s go!

What Is Determination and Why Is it Important?

Before moving on, let’s define determination: Determination is the decidedness to persist towards a goal , tackling challenges and not allowing them to derail you. 

Without determination, you are more likely to get distracted from your goal, disheartened by the difficulty, doubt your competence, and give up. In other words, determination is knowing what you want and doing everything in your power to get it.

According to psychologist Angela Duckworth, determination is a key ingredient of perseverance, which, blended with passion, creates grit , the one-ticket way to success .

What Is Self-Determination Theory?

The self-determination theory has been researched and elaborated throughout decades by psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan. It is a theory about human motivation and personality, studying how our environment and our interactions with it can shape them.

They argue that people are naturally inclined towards growth and development, which can be promoted or undermined by social context. They have also concluded that humans have three basic psychological needs:

• Autonomy : The need to feel in control of one’s own actions and choices.
• Competence : The need to feel capable and effective in one’s interactions with the environment.
• Relatedness : The need to feel connected to others, to care for and be cared for by them.

If these three needs are met, the individual has higher motivation and greater engagement. On the contrary, when they are not satisfied, the individual’s well-being can be compromised.

Finally, they have pinpointed the different types of motivation, which include:

• Intrinsic Motivation : Engaging in an activity for the sheer enjoyment or satisfaction it brings.
• External Regulation : Motivation driven by external rewards or pressures.
• Introjected Regulation : Motivation driven by internal pressures, such as guilt or ego enhancement.
• Identified Regulation : Motivation driven by personal goals or values.
• Integrated Regulation : Motivation driven by fully assimilating the activity into one’s sense of self.

The more integrated or internalized the extrinsic motivation, the more autonomous the person will be. This highlights the importance of using intrinsic motivation to drive our efforts, as it is less likely to run dry.

So, the self-determination theory doesn’t really talk much about determination itself but the conditions that facilitate motivation. Even so, I think it is important to keep in mind the fundamental needs of autonomy, competence, and relatedness . Feeling supported by your environment can indeed make a big difference in achieving your goals.

Pairing determination with internally driven motivation can be a powerhouse combination for propelling us toward success!

Why Is Determination Key to Success?

Goals are never achieved by chance. Even the luckiest people in the world (if you believe in luck, that is) cannot be simply handed what they desire without striving for it. There needs to be intentional effort fueled by determination and powered by self-discipline .

Let’s examine why determination is the key to success:

Determination Can Help You Stay Committed

Unmet expectations, impatience, distracting situations, and luring alternatives can derail you from your path. Determination can help you overlook the immediate gratification and reserve your faith in your original purpose. It can help you stay committed to your plans!

Determination Can Help You Overcome Challenges

The most common misunderstanding about success is that it can be achieved in a predictable way. However, life has shown that not all times A and B lead to C. Even when doing your best, unexpected obstacles may arise, forcing you to recalculate and adjust your efforts.

In those vulnerable moments of being beaten down, admitting defeat seems like a sweet relief. This is where determination will be your most valuable ally. Paired with resilience, it will allow you to remain hopeful and persistent in the face of challenges.

Determination Can Help You Improve

Bypassing obstacles requires knowledge and skills. Sometimes, you need to become better in order to make progress. In this indirect way, determination towards your goal will help you grow and evolve as a human being.

Determination Will Allow You To Overlook Unhelpful Criticism

If we stopped trying each time we heard a negative comment or were told we were not good enough, we would have never achieved anything in our lives. Determination gives you confidence in your powers and faith in your purpose, even if no one is rooting for you. You will not need external validation and support if you provide these things for yourself. 

How to Build Stronger Determination

Now that we have established that determination is the key to success; let’s explore how we can cultivate more of it in our lives.

1. Set Your Eyes on the Prize but also Enjoy the Process

The road to success is long, so keeping in frequent touch with your goals can refresh your sense of determination. I like to make mood boards out of pictures that remind me what success looks like to me. Another way is to do visualizations, trying to put yourself in the mentality and emotional state of a future version of yourself who has achieved what you are striving for now.

However, it is equally important to make the process enjoyable. There is no reason to be miserable trying to achieve your goals because no one can guarantee success will make up for it. If you are having fun and genuinely like what you’re doing, you are more likely to have high determination.

2. Define Your Purpose

Our purpose is like the fire that fuels our actions. When you lose your determination, recall your “why.” What made you jump into this sea in the first place? What significance does this achievement hold for yourself and your future? Your purpose will be your moral support along the way. 

3. Set SMART Goals

What is better to climb, a steep slope or a friendly staircase? I bet the second. When goals seem unachievable, our resolve will dissolve. However, there is a science-back technique for setting goals that are meant to be smashed, and it can be summarized with the SMART acronym.

Before setting a goal, you should ensure it is Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. More on that in this article .

4. Practice Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is the power that will keep you committed to your goals even when you feel no motivation at all. Practicing self-discipline is a powerful tool that will ensure you make even the tiniest of progress every single day.

5. Keep Yourself Accountable

Have you ever noticed it is easier to keep commitments to others than to yourself? That is because we are subconsciously aware there is no one to keep us accountable for not coming through with our promises.

To avoid this, make sure to keep yourself accountable by sharing your progress with others. You can do any activity with a friend to keep each other in check, make group chats where each friend shares one daily step they take towards their goals, or share your journey on social media – if that’s your kind of thing.

However, I advise you to share your progress with supportive and non-judgmental people who can make the process enjoyable.

6. Reframe Your Mindset Around Failure

The truth is we take failure too seriously. Why? Because we link the outcomes of our actions with our personal worth. Instead of just being a bit sad about not making things work, we feel like a failure – we take things personally.

Former NASA engineer turned Youtuber Mark Rober did a 2018 TED Talk on a phenomenon he called the “Super Mario effect.” He has previously conducted an experiment with his followers, showing that when we have something to lose – and therefore fail harder – we are less likely to try.

He proposes that the key to success is to “gamify” the process and to mimic the famous Super Mario game. This means focusing on the long-term outcome, not the pitfalls, viewing each failure as a learning opportunity , and making it fun and enjoyable.    

7. Have a Supportive Network

No matter how determined we are, there come times when we have lost faith in our power to go on. This is when you need a net of supportive people to fall on. Share your progress and pitfalls with the cheerleaders in your life and let them provide a fresh perspective, boost your confidence, or simply tell you you’re doing incredible.

If you want to find more strategies to bulk your determination muscle, check out this encouraging article with tips on success and self-determination, written by students with disabilities at the University of Washington.

Determination is the Key to Success: a Conclusion

Determination is about consistently doing your best, having faith in your ability to succeed, and staying committed to your purpose. Determined people are not persevering only when things go well. They are goal-oriented, and their actions are detached from the short-term outcome.

Partnered with other important characteristics, like resilience, determination is the key to success and happiness. So, what say you? In your opinion, is determination the key to success?

Whatever your goals may be, start acting on them today! I am rooting for you!

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My name is Ariadne, but you can call me Annie. I am a medical student with a deep curiosity for life and personal growth. During my earlier student years, I struggled with my mental health and body image. However, that experience was life’s greatest gift - It helped me realize our unlimited potential for evolving and designing the life of our dreams. I enjoy doing yoga and Meditation and I am passionately seeking the intersection between modern and traditional medicine. I try to approach health and wellness through a no-BS filter and provide science-backed information.

Having (and making use of) determination is a great skill to harness, and this post really does a great job at explaining how useful it is. I know this is something I personally need to fortify a bit more; I’m generally a determined person but it’s taken a few hits over the last number of years, so I have some work to do with this. Great post!

A good read and a reminder that we have the power inside us. To achieve. To be better. And determination will get us to our goals. I look back at my life and I can recognize my successes have a direct correlation to my determination drive every time.

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Motivating workers: how leaders apply self-determination theory in organizations

Organization Management Journal

ISSN : 2753-8567

Article publication date: 14 December 2020

Issue publication date: 14 December 2020

Self-determination theory (SDT), offers a theoretical framework for enhancing employee motivation and stimulating positive outcomes such as commitment, well-being and engagement, in organizations. This paper aims to investigate the application of SDT among leaders and delineate practical managerial approaches for supporting basic psychological needs in the workplace.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants were 51 leaders who had personally applied SDT with their own followers. Data were collected via free-listing method and analysed to extrapolate examples of SDT-application that are both practically salient and aligned to theoretic tenets of SDT.

The findings reveal how SDT is operationalized by leaders to support basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in the workplace. The SDT-informed management strategies are discussed in relation to the literature and alongside case scenarios to illustrate approaches for integrating elements of SDT into day-to-day management activities.

Originality/value

Despite extensive literature support for SDT, very little empirical attention has been paid to examining how the theory is applied, interpreted and/or used by practitioners in real world settings. This research is the first to draw on the lived-experience of practitioners who have applied SDT, contributes previously unexplored strategies for supporting workers’ basic psychological needs and responds to calls for SDT research to identify a broader range of managerial behaviours that support employee motivation.

• Self-determination theory
• Basic psychological needs
• Organization
• Workplace motivation
• Employee motivation

Forner, V.W. , Jones, M. , Berry, Y. and Eidenfalk, J. (2020), "Motivating workers: how leaders apply self-determination theory in organizations", Organization Management Journal , Vol. 18 No. 2, pp. 76-94. https://doi.org/10.1108/OMJ-03-2020-0891

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Vivien Weisz Forner, Michael Jones, Yoke Berry and Joakim Eidenfalk.

Published in Organization Management Journal . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence maybe seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

Introduction

Understanding how to motivate organizational members is a critical component of effective management. The quality of workers’ motivation is predictive not only of their commitment and work effort but also their overall engagement, well-being and performance in their job ( Gagné et al. , 2014 ; Kuvaas et al. , 2017 ; Sisley, 2010 ; Springer, 2011 ). Leaders and managers play a pivotal role in shaping motivation in the workplace and facilitating these beneficial outcomes ( Graves and Luciano, 2010 ; Miniotaitė and Bučiūnienė, 2013 ; Oostlander et al. , 2014 ). However, despite their critical role in initiating and sustaining motivational processes, many leaders and managers are often unsure of what to say or do to effectively engage and motivate organizational members. Traditional management approaches ( Taylor, 1911 ) have tended to rely on leveraging authority and/or organizational reward systems to influence worker behaviour. Companies in the USA and Europe continue to increase their use ( Bryson et al. , 2012 ) and spend ( WorldatWork, 2018 ) on financial-based incentives to motivate employees. For example, employee equity ownership, just on the type of performance-pay incentive program, is estimated to be worth around $1,061bn in the USA alone (Day and Fitton, 2008 ). Developments in the field of motivation have questioned the effectiveness of extrinsic rewards as motivators and research has revealed leaders can achieve superior and sustained motivational outcomes by adopting supportive interpersonal approaches and creating a positive climate for their team members ( Deci et al. , 2017 ). The important question then becomes, what theoretically informed strategies can leaders and managers use to effectively motivate people in organizations?

Self-determination theory (SDT) (Ryan and Deci, 2019) is a prominent theory of motivation that offers leaders an evidence-based framework for how to effectively motivate workers. SDT delineates the social-contextual factors, including leaders’ interpersonal style, that predict high quality motivation in the workplace ( Deci et al. , 2017 ). The theory posits human beings have three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence and relatedness) which are essential ingredients for motivation, well-being and optimal functioning ( Deci and Ryan, 2014 ). When workers’ basic psychological needs are met they are more likely to be autonomously motivated, that is they are personally invested in their work tasks and engage in their work activities willingly ( Deci and Ryan, 2014 ; Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). The satisfaction of worker’s basic psychological needs also stimulates a wide range of other beneficial work-related outcomes such as well-being, job satisfaction, commitment and performance ( Arshadia, 2010 ; Baard et al. , 2004 ; Deci and Ryan, 2014 ; Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). SDT provides a valuable theoretic model for understanding the social-psychological impact of management in an organization. The theory also has substantial utility for leaders seeking guidance on how to motivate their followers because the three basic psychological needs delineate dimensions of the environment and provide trigger points, that facilitate positive motivational outcomes ( Baard et al. , 2004 ).

Despite a large body of research support for SDT in the workplace, there is currently very little empirical guidance for leaders seeking to translate the theory into practice. To date, only a small number of articles have published practical strategies or managerial behaviours that satisfy basic psychological needs in organizations ( Baard and Baard, 2009 ; Stone et al. , 2009 ). Furthermore, recommendations offered by academics tend to be theoretical in nature and, while helpful, may not be fully relevant or applicable given the complexities of organizations and barriers faced by managers in the field. Addressing the future direction for SDT research, Deci and Ryan (2014) called for more exploration of how managers can carry out their specific functions in ways that are need supportive rather than thwarting. The current paper contributes to addressing this gap in the literature by examining the operationalization of SDT in organizations and investigating how leaders support workers’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness in-practice.

Self-determination theory and basic psychological needs

SDT ( Deci and Ryan, 1985 ) is an influential theory of motivation in the twenty-first century that is concerned with understanding how to facilitate and sustain high quality motivation. According to SDT, all human beings have three basic psychological needs: autonomy, competence and relatedness. Workers are optimally motivated and experience well-being to the extent that these three needs are satisfied in their work climate ( Ryan and Deci, 2002 ). Autonomy refers to workers’ need to experience choice in their role, have the freedom to make decisions, express their ideas and have input in deciding how their tasks get done. The primary focus of autonomy is on people’s need to be volitional and self-initiate their own actions, rather than be controlled and directed by others ( Deci and Ryan, 1987 ). Competence represents workers’ need to feel effective, successful and that they are good at their job ( Van den Broeck et al. , 2010 ). The need for competence is satisfied when workers have opportunities to use their skills and develop mastery of their tasks. Finally, humans are social creatures and relatedness reflects the need to experience a sense of belonging and feeling accepted and cared for by others ( Ryan and Deci, 2017 ). A worker’s need for relatedness is satisfied when they feel part of the group and have supportive relationships and friends at work. SDT considers autonomy, competence and relatedness to be essential ingredients for sustained motivation and nutrients for individual growth, well-being and thriving ( Ryan and Deci, 2002 ). Leaders who enable satisfaction of these three needs promote high quality motivation where workers personally endorse and willingly participate in their work activities.

Basic psychological needs: ingredients for autonomous motivation.

The satisfaction of a worker’s basic psychological needs affects the type of motivation the individual has towards their job activities. When managers support autonomy, competence and relatedness, employees are more likely to be autonomously motivated ( Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). Autonomously motivated employees engage in their work with a full sense of willingness, understand the worth and purpose of their job and are self-determined in carrying out work tasks ( Ryan and Deci, 2017 ). Autonomously motivated workers reliably perform better, learn better and are happier at work ( Deci et al. , 2017 ). In contrast, when a person’s basic psychological needs are not met their motivation deteriorates and becomes controlled. Controlled motivation is characterized by an employee doing an activity because they feel they “have to” and/or to obtain a separable outcome ( Ryan and Deci, 2017 ). Controlled behaviours are contingent on reward, power dynamics or driven by internal pressure such as guilt or to maintain self-esteem. Compared to controlled motivation, autonomous motivation yields better behavioural outcomes (e.g. sustained willing participation) positive subjective experiences, less job stress and higher satisfaction in the workplace ( Fernet and Austin, 2014; Gagné et al. , 2010 ).

Basic psychological needs and positive outcomes in the workplace.

SDT research in organizations has shown basic psychological need satisfaction to be associated with a wide range of positive employee outcomes, beyond autonomous motivation. The satisfaction of basic psychological needs has been associated with lower turnover, improved well-being, higher job satisfaction and positive job attitudes ( Gillet et al. , 2012 ; Vansteenkiste et al. , 2007 ). A recent meta-analysis of 99 studies reported that each of the three needs predicted lower turnover intention and were associated with higher job satisfaction, engagement and affective commitment ( Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). Beneficial outcomes of need satisfaction have also been found in studies conducted within the volunteer context ( Haivas et al. , 2012 ). For example, Boezeman and Ellemers (2009) examined the way in which volunteers derive their job satisfaction and intent to remain. The results showed that when volunteers experience the satisfaction of autonomy and relatedness needs during their volunteer work, they are more satisfied with their volunteer job and that this, in turn, enhances their intent to remain a volunteer with the volunteer organization.

Overall, SDT’s basic psychological needs have substantial application value because they offer leaders a simple framework outlining the conditions that promote high quality motivation and beneficial outcomes among their workers. The interpersonal approach of leaders, the way they communicate and relate to their followers, is considered paramount in creating a need-supportive climate and shaping motivation in an organization ( Deci et al. , 1989 ). The critical issue for leaders, therefore, becomes understanding how they can apply SDT and support basic psychological needs in their own organizations.

A gap between self-determination theory and practice in organizations.

A disconnect between theory and practice ( Van De Ven and Johnson, 2006 ; Zaccaro and Horn, 2003 ) within SDT research is currently limiting leaders from diffusing this valuable knowledge into managerial practice. SDT literature in the work domain has focused primarily on theoretical testing, measurement of SDT-related constructs and investigating the model’s nomological network ( Deci et al. , 2017 ; Gagné and Deci, 2005 ; Ryan and Deci, 2019 ; Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). In contrast, very little empirical attention has been paid to examining how the theory is applied, interpreted and/or used by practitioners in real world settings. Only a few SDT-based field experiments or quasi-experiments have been undertaken in the work domain ( Deci et al. , 1989 ; Forner, 2019 ; Hardré and Reeve, 2009 ; Jungert et al. , 2018 ), revealing that researchers have, thus far, done very little to integrate the theory into practically useful organizational interventions or actions. Tangible managerial behaviours or practical strategies that support workers basic psychological needs in the workplace are rarely published ( Baard and Baard, 2009; Stone et al. , 2009 ) and SDT researchers have called for studies to “examine concrete workplace tasks, characteristics and managerial behaviours” ( Deci et al. , 2017 , p. 37). The immense popularity of practitioner-oriented books on motivation ( Pink, 2009 ) highlights both the significance of this topic for business professionals and the opportunity for SDT scholars to have a greater impact on informing and shaping employee motivation practices in organizations. The current disconnect presents a problem for managers, HR professionals and fellow academics seeking to use SDT to solve real business problems because there is limited empirical guidance to help them operationalize the theory clearly, within the complexities of strategic organizations and to take appropriate and effective action. The present research contributes towards addressing this issue.

Present research.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the application of SDT among leaders and delineate practical managerial approaches for supporting basic psychological needs in the workplace. To investigate the phenomenon of SDT-based leadership the research asks: how do leaders apply SDT, when carrying out their day-to-day managerial functions, to support workers’ needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness? This study is the first draw upon the lived experience of practitioners, specifically organizational leaders, who have operationalized the theory into actions and have personally applied SDT in their organization. Consistent with engaged scholarship ( Van de Ven, 2007 ), the study aims to leverage theoretic knowledge of SDT scholars alongside the insights and applied experience of practitioners to delineate examples of basic psychological need support that are practically salient and aligned to the theoretic tenets of SDT. In doing so, this paper contributes to bridging the theory-practice gap and further expands our understanding of what leaders do to motivate organizational members.

Participants

Examples of SDT application were proposed by 51 leaders, who had learned and personally applied SDT with their own followers in the workplace. The participants were paid ( n = 22) and volunteer ( n = 29) leaders of emergency service organizations. They occupied leadership roles across various levels of the organization including, for example, group leaders, deputy local controllers, regional managers and managers of departments. The leaders had an average of six years (SD = 8) managerial experience in the volunteer/non-profit sector. A total of 76% had also gained managerial experience in corporate and public sector organizations, with an average of 8.4 years (SD = 10.2) managerial experience. They were aged between 25 and 62 years (M = 44, SD = 10) and had been members of the organization for an average of nine years (SD = 8). In total, 58% of the leaders were male and 42% were female.

Learning and application of Self-determination theory by leaders.

Prior to contributing to this study, the leaders spent nine weeks learning about and personally applying SDT in their organization. This process was facilitated through a structured SDT-based leadership intervention, comprising of three phases. The aim of the first phase was for leaders to learn the theory and consider how they would apply the model in their own organizational context. Leaders were introduced to SDT via a face-to-face training day where they received information, took part in workshop discussions, role plays and reflection exercises and created individual action plans for how they would support their followers’ basic psychological needs. The learning content and the conceptual definitions of key constructs were drawn from published research ( Deci et al. , 1989 ; Deci and Ryan, 2008 ; Stone et al. , 2009 ). Next, the leaders completed a nine-week on-the-job learning program. The purpose of this second phase was to prompt leaders to practice their new skills and knowledge in the workplace and for them to identify and try various strategies and approaches for supporting followers’ basic psychological needs during their day to day management activities and reflect on their outcomes. Leaders were facilitated through three cycles of experiential learning ( Kolb, 2014 ) where they implemented their action plan for supporting basic psychological needs, completed post-implementation reflection activities, received mentoring, revised their action plan and completed further theoretical readings. Practice-based learning and multiple delivery methods have been found to be critical for effective leadership learning ( Lacerenza et al. , 2017 ). The final phase comprising a community of practice ( Li et al. , 2009 ) where the leaders came together to share their experiences with each other, identify successful SDT application actions and discuss barriers and challenges they encountered. Further details and information on how the intervention was designed and delivered, including research evaluating its impact on leaders and followers, can be found in Forner (2019) . The quasi-experimental research, which included the sample of leaders in the present study, showed the nine-week intervention significantly changed leaders’ interpersonal orientation towards supporting basic psychological needs and improvement in the leaders was still evident one year after the training.

Data collection.

Data for this present study were collected from leaders at the end of the nine-week intervention using the free-listing methodology ( Quinlan, 2019 ). Free-listing is a well-established ethnographic method that, when coupled with an appropriate analytical technique, enables researchers to elicit and synthesize a coherent view of collective understanding of a domain and indicate which of those things are most important or salient within the group ( Quinlan, 2019 ; Thomson et al. , 2012 ; Weller and Romney, 1988 ). A free list is a mental inventory of items individuals think of within a given domain. In the generalized free-listing protocol ( Bousfield and Barclay, 1950; Thomson et al. , 2012 ) participants are directed to list as many items that “come to mind” within a constrained time-period. The elicited list items are then analysed together and “salience” of each item is calculated. The free-listing activity for the present study followed the generalized protocol and was facilitated as a face-to-face group session. The participating leaders were provided with information about the purpose of the activity and instructed to list strategies and actions detailing “what leaders […] can do to apply SDT and create an optimally motivating climate for their follower”. The exercise was constrained to 20 min and leaders were asked to draw upon their own experience of applying SDT to list as many SDT-informed actions that come to mind. The leaders developed their free lists in small groups of up to five people per group. Next, leaders were given 40 min to write short (one paragraph) case scenarios describing the implementation of two of the actions on their list. The free lists and case scenarios were written by the leaders on a paper-based template. Each group submitted a list of SDT-informed leader actions and two case scenarios. They were advised that the examples would be shared with other practising leaders to help illuminate how SDT is applied in organizations.

A total of 42 SDT-informed leadership examples were submitted across the free lists. The submissions were analysed to identify those SDT-informed leadership examples that were both practically salient to the leaders themselves and aligned to the theoretic tenets of SDT. Firstly, a practical salience score was derived for each submission. Free-listing practical salience score analysis exposes commonalities in the collective understanding of a domain and items that are most important or salient within the culture/group ( Quinlan, 2019 ; Thomson et al. , 2012 ). It is based on the premise that earlier listed items tend to be most familiar to the lister and also more likely to occur across multiple lists ( Bousfield and Barclay, 1950 ), signalling their cultural salience. Following Smith (1993) and Quinlan (2019) , the salience statistic was calculated by rating each submission according to its frequency , the number of times similar items occur across multiple lists and its rank , the order in which participants list their items. The frequency and rank values were combined to produce a practical salience score – an indicator of the submitted example’s practical significance to the leaders. The practical salience scores ranged between 2 and 70 with higher numbers indicating greater practical salience.

A theoretical fit score was also derived for each submission. Three experts, who had academic expertise in both SDT and leadership theory, independently evaluated the 42 free-list item submissions. Firstly, the expert categorized each submission by indicating which basic psychological needs they judged to best fit the example (i.e. autonomy, competence or relatedness). Next, they rated, on a scale from 1 (very weak fit) to 5 (strongly aligned to theory), the strength of that fit to the theory. For example, the expert rater may categorize an item to be most representative of support for autonomy, relative to competence or relatedness and might indicate that the item’s alignment to SDT’s conceptualization of autonomy is somewhat weak by, rating it a 2. Various methods have been proposed to combine experts’ ratings ( Uebersax, 1993 ). In the present study, there was 100% consensus amongst raters on the basic psychologist need category attached to each example. The theoretical fit rating across the three experts were therefore aggregated to produce a mean theoretical fit score.

Finally, the “practical salience” and “theoretical fit values” were standardized and combined to indicate a joint theoretical and practical appraisal of each submission. This was done by first converting raw scores into z -scores ( z = ( x – μ )/ σ ) and then summing the practical salience with theoretical fit z -score derived for each example. Sample means and standard deviations for standardizing practical salience were μ = 18.84, σ = 17.76 and theoretical fit were μ = 2.66, σ = 1.65, respectively. The z -score enables the comparison and in this instance combination, of two scores that are from different distributions and/or scales. By using standard scores, practical salience and theoretical fit had equal weighting when summed to produce the combined score. For example, a submission with low theoretical alignment ( x = 2, z = –0.4) but high practical salience ( x = 70, z = 2.9) had a combined score of 2.5. Higher combined scores indicate that the submission has strong practical significance and theoretical fit.

Results and discussion of findings

In this section, we present and discuss practical examples for how leaders support autonomy, relatedness and competence in the workplace. The examples and illustrative scenarios were provided by practising leaders and draws upon their lived experience of applying SDT and supporting the basic psychological needs of their team members. This section comprises two parts. The first part, Part A – How managers support basic psychological needs , presents the highest scoring examples for each of the basic psychological needs, autonomy, competence and relatedness. High scoring examples are those with both strong practical significance for leaders and good alignment to the theory. To provide easily digestible information for practitioners we focus on five examples for each of the basic psychological needs. Next, in Part B – exemplar case scenarios we present and discuss short scenarios illustrating how need-supportive actions are implemented by leaders in day-to-day managerial practice. Three cases, composed by leader participants, describe how they applied SDT in their organizational context and implemented actions to support the basic psychological needs of their followers. Each case scenario is accompanied by a theoretical interpretation, highlighting the basic psychological needs being supported. While, Part A focuses on examples of “what” leaders do to support basic psychological needs, Part B scenarios offer a description of “how” they do it. The examples are discussed in relation to SDT, the literature and practice.

Part A. How leaders apply the principals of basic psychological needs in the workplace

Autonomy represents workers’ basic need to experience a sense of freedom and choice when carrying out an activity and to have some level of control in how they go about their own work ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ; Van den Broeck et al. , 2010 ). The hallmark of autonomy is an internal locus of causality ( De Charms, 1968 ) whereby people experience ownership of their behaviours and perceive them as being self-initiated. Five practical examples, proposed by organizational leaders and managers, for how to support workers’ basic psychological need for autonomy are presented in Table 1 .

The findings reveal leaders support workers’ need for autonomy by providing a platform for team members to express their ideas and suggestions. Two examples submitted by leaders included encourage innovation and provide workers with opportunities to express their ideas . Innovation is where team members generate and implement novel ideas, new processes or better ways of doing things which are useful to the team. Leadership styles that are constructive, empowering and transformational are positively associated with both creativity and innovation ( Hughes et al. , 2018 ). When leaders are open to their workers’ ideas and suggestions and provide a safe environment for people to express their opinions, they send a clear signal that innovation and creativity are encouraged ( Ye et al. , 2019 ). Leaders sustain and enhance motivation, creativity and innovation by listening to workers’ suggestions and empowering then to action their ideas or at least explore them further ( Liu et al. , 2011 ; Sun et al. , 2012 ).

Providing full freedom for workers to pursue their own ideas and interests is not always realistic or desirable in the workplace. Strategies were also provided for how leaders support followers’ need for autonomy when workplace tasks and decisions are handed down by the organization or manager. These examples were: consult with those who are affected by your decisions , be less prescriptive in assigning tasks and provide a rationale for decisions where possible . Leaders in the present study support autonomy by inviting others into the decision-making process and consulting with those who will implement or be affected by others’ decisions. Greater worker participation in decision-making has been linked to beneficial outcomes such as job satisfaction and improved performance in the workplace ( Grissom, 2012 ; Scott-Ladd et al. , 2006 ). Participative or consultative decision-making satisfies people’s need for autonomy by providing a platform for them to express their ideas and feelings, as well as having input and some control in their work activities. The language leaders use in communicating their decisions and assigning tasks is also critical for supporting autonomy ( Deci and Ryan, 1987 ). Providing a rationale or explanation for why a decision was made is one way that leaders support their followers to recognize the importance and value of a certain course of action. Previous laboratory research suggests that providing people with a meaningful rational helps them internalize the decision, come to accept it and even autonomously endorse it ( Deci et al. , 1994 ). When assigning tasks to members of the team, leaders can support autonomy and intrinsic motivation by avoiding controlling or enforcing language, such as “must” or “should” ( Ryan, 1982 ) and instead invite workers to decide how they go about achieving the task assigned to them.

Autonomy examples represented the smallest portion (19%) of the 42 SDT-informed actions submitted by leaders. This may reflect the contextual challenges of supporting autonomy in an organizational setting. Rather than being free to do as they wish, organizational members must operate within existing structures/processes and their tasks and responsibilities are set for them by the organization. The participants in this study, for example, led organizations where workers must adhere to strict safety procedures specifying how they must carry out their tasks. The small portion of submissions focusing on autonomy may suggest it is more challenging for leaders to implement this element of the theory as they must find a way to balance autonomy with organizational requirements. While providing full autonomy is not always possible, the examples above offer ways in which leaders can provide opportunities for autonomy as often as possible in the day-to-day running of the unit. Finally, it may be that the conception of autonomy need support, as it is described within the academic literature, is less clear and practitioners find this aspect of the theory more challenging to understand and operationalize. Indeed, it can be observed that the term autonomy is included within many theoretically distinct SDT constructs including, for example, autonomy: a basic psychological need ( Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ), autonomy orientation: an individual difference in causality orientation ( Hagger and Chatzisarantis, 2011 ) and, autonomy-support: an interpersonal style ( Slemp et al. , 2018 ). To support the application of SDT, it may be necessary for scholars to recognize the potential for conceptual confusion or uncertainty and seek to emphasize the points of divergence across these constructs and accentuate these in their conceptualizations and definitions.

Competence.

The basic psychological need for competence represents workers’ desire to feel effective and successful in their role. According to SDT, leaders support competence by creating a positive learning environment and providing opportunities for others to use their skills and further develop them through optimally challenging tasks ( Deci and Ryan, 2014 ). Competence represented the largest portion of examples (48%) submitted by leaders in this study. This may indicate that leaders are more experienced in this area or that this element of SDT was more readily understood. Table 2 presents the five practical examples, proposed by organizational leaders and managers, for how to support workers’ basic psychological need for competence.

Leaders who participated in this study support competence by creating opportunities for followers to build their skills, capabilities and self confidence in a safe and supportive environment. Two examples provided by leaders included provide development and learning opportunities and let team members learn at their own pace . There are many ways leaders can offer workers opportunities for education and personal development and these have positive motivational effects ( Stone et al. , 2009 ). For example, leaders can facilitate on-the-job learning opportunities by providing optimally challenging workplace assignments, offering team members opportunities to take on new tasks, letting someone lead a project or providing an opportunity to take on increased responsibilities ( Berings et al. , 2005 ). Being considerate to also maintain autonomy, leaders should avoid imposing development activities without consultation or involvement from the follower. Rather, leaders might take time to understand the individual development interests and needs of their team members and involve them in devising ideas and suggestions for their own learning and development activities. By understanding each followers’ development aspirations, skill level and capabilities, leaders can support their followers to learn autonomously and at their own pace, further building motivational resources.

Leaders further support competence by helping build self-esteem and confidence , which represents another example provided by leaders in this study. Self-esteem refers to workers’ overall self-evaluation of their own competencies and capabilities. Self-esteem and confidence at work are known to be affected, in part, by an individual’s organizational experiences of success and communication and messages of their manager and peers ( Pierce and Gardner, 2004 ). Successful task/work experiences, such as completing a project or achieving a milestone, will bolster self-esteem, whereas failure has the opposite effect. Messages of value and respect for the worker from the manager also contributes towards workers coming to hold a positive image of themselves. To this end, it can help build people’s self-confidence in their own skills by providing optimally challenging yet achievable work goals, acknowledging progress, using people’s strengths and offering authentic non-judgemental support.

Another key strategy to support competence and promote motivation is through offering regular positive and constructive feedback . Positive feedback signals to the follower that they have performed well, are skilled and can succeed. Positive feedback or praise, relative to no feedback or negative feedback, is especially motivating and has been linked to higher levels of well-being, task interest and ongoing participation in the activity ( Deci et al. , 1999 ; Mouratidis, 2008 ). The language leaders use to communicate with their follower is critical and determines whether the feedback is received positively and builds self-confidence or perceived to be controlling and diminishes motivation ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ). Communicating feedback in a supportive way involves being empathetic, acknowledging the follower’s feelings and difficulties and inviting them to provide their own views ( Carpentier and Mageau, 2013 ; Ryan and Deci, 2000 ). In contrast, feedback that conveys external pressure focuses on enforcing rules and uses language such as “should” or “must” is controlling and undermines motivation ( Ryan, 1981 ). Overall, both the type of feedback (positive vs negative) and the way in which it is delivered impacts upon people’s competence and motivation ( Mabbe et al. , 2018 ).

Leaders further recommend supporting competence by introducing mentoring opportunities . Mentoring involves a supportive relationship between two members of an organization where, traditionally, a senior worker provides a more junior worker with personal and professional development ( Kram, 1985 ). Mentoring may be formal, such as a structured program that pairs organizational members together or informally occurring across team members and networks of workers spontaneously ( Higgins and Kram, 2001 ). The fact that both members of the relationship benefit from this form of professional development is especially valuable ( Kram and Isabella, 1985 ). For example, the more senior worker is provided with an opportunity to demonstrate and be valued for their skills and experience while the junior member benefits by developing new skills and building their knowledge and capabilities. As such, it is expected that both parties are experiencing the satisfaction of their need for competence during mentoring activities.

Relatedness.

Humans are social beings and relatedness represents the need to experience a sense of belonging and to feel accepted and cared for by others. The need for relatedness is satisfied when workers develop close relationships in the workplace and see themselves as part of the group ( Van den Broeck et al. , 2016 ). Table 3 presents the five practical examples, proposed by organizational leaders and managers, for how leaders support workers basic psychological need for relatedness.

Positive social interactions and interpersonal relationships between leaders and their followers are responsible for shaping motivation and well-being at work ( Deci et al. , 2017 ; Weinstein and De Haan, 2014 ). The importance of high-quality and authentic relationships between leaders and their followers has been emphasized in various theories of leadership ( Gerstner and Day, 1997 ; Uhl-Bien, 2006 ). The examples provided by leaders in this study offer some simple interpersonal techniques for building relationships where the aim is to better understand and get to know the followers. Learning about the interests and circumstances of others provides opportunities to find common ground. These commonalities create opportunities for authentic conversations and create the basis for building a genuine relationship. Further to supporting basic psychological needs for relatedness, relationship building practices by leaders have other positive outcomes such as improved team effectiveness, job performance and engagement ( Dunst et al. , 2018 )

Leaders help facilitate high quality relationships among colleagues and team members by implementing team bonding activities, inducting new members into the team. A worker’s need for relatedness is satisfied when they feel such as they belong to the group, have people who care about them and are able to care for others ( Ryan and Deci, 2017 ). Having close friends at work has a positive impact on people’s experience and satisfaction in their job and colleagues provide an important source of basic psychological needs satisfaction and motivation in the workplace ( Jungert et al. , 2018 ; Moreau and Mageau, 2012 ). Leaders create opportunities for team socialization to facilitate the development of genuine and supportive relationships between team members. For example, social activities, such as team lunches or events, provide opportunities for new team members to interact in a relaxed and informal environment. The importance of inducting or onboarding new members into the team is also emphasized. Onboarding helps introduce and socialize newcomers and includes practices such as communication, making resources available, welcome activities, training and a guide or “buddy” assigned to help the new coming navigate their new workplace ( Klein et al. , 2015 ).

Leaders also take action to promote diversity and inclusion within their team, focusing on respecting others’ background and experience. Leaders are important role models of group expectations and may support diversity by respecting and valuing the unique strengths that members bring to the group and discussing the value and opportunities that can be realized through increased diversity. Researchers examining the interplay between leadership and team diversity stress the critical importance of matching leadership behaviours to the specific needs arising from diversity-related team processes and have proposed specific competencies, such as social perceptiveness, that allow leaders to shape the influence of diversity within the team ( Homan et al. , 2020 ). Leaders also play an active role in supporting HR diversity practices, such as ensuring that opportunities for promotion and training are equitably distributed, which is conducive for employees’ felt inclusion ( Buengeler et al. , 2018 ).

Part B. Exemplar case scenarios

Building on the examples presented in Part A, the following presents and discusses illustrative case scenarios detailing how the SDT-informed actions are implemented in organizations. Each scenario, submitted by the leaders, describes how a leader supports their followers’ basic psychological needs while carrying out day to day managerial activities. A theoretic interpretation is presented alongside each scenario to highlight where support for autonomy, competence and relatedness feature within the case. The case scenarios extend on the Part A results by offering richer more detailed depictions of need-supportive managerial behaviours and provide insights into how SDT is practised by leaders in organizations.

Scenario 1: Get to know your workers outside the work context

[Leader] Bill, embeds regular social events into the unit’s calendar. At the next team meeting, he invites suggestions for social event ideas and suitable dates from the members. The calendar is distributed to all team members and displayed at the unit. Bill personally attends all the events and supports his management team to also attend.

Scenario 1 focuses on building support for relatedness by intentionally creating opportunities for social interactions among team members. The need for relatedness is satisfied when people experience a sense of belonging and develop intimate relationships with others ( Ryan and Deci, 2000 ). Informal social interactions at work can provide a platform for developing such relationships, for people to feel connected to each other and for leaders to connect with and learn more about their followers. This scenario also demonstrates a strategy for supporting autonomy. Rather than the leader prescribing social activities and dates, he involves the members in the process, seeking their input and supporting them to participate in the process.

Scenario 2: Ownership of projects

[Leader] Susan invites an experienced team member to take on the lead role in developing a training course on a topic of their interest. She provides information on the context and desired outcome and seeks suggestions for suitable milestones from the volunteer. The outcome will be a training package developed by volunteers themselves which could be shared with neighbouring units.

The focus of Scenario 2 is autonomy. The need for autonomy is satisfied when people experience volition and freedom to pursue their interests and exercise choice (Deci and Ryan, 2000). Offering ownership of a task empowers the follower and enables them to unleash their ideas, provide input and drive the direction of the organization. The scenario also demonstrates how a leader may balance followers’ autonomy with organizational requirements. In this case, the leader provides information about organizational boundaries within which the follower will operate by outlining the context and desired outcome. The follower is then invited to contribute to developing the milestones for the project. In this manner, the leader outlines the organizational objective, together they agree on smaller goals and then the follower is empowered to lead the initiative. Support for competence is also evident in this scenario. Drawing on the volunteers’ expertise in an area of their interest enables them to exercise their existing skills and develop further in a domain of work they enjoy.

Scenario 3: Mentoring new and less experienced members

Josh has never been near a flood boat and now wants to be a flood boat operator. The leader pairs him with a mentor who is also a member of their team and an experienced flood boat operator. The mentor engages by sharing knowledge and assisting to develop the theoretical foundations prior to Josh attending a boat training course. After the course the mentor does some practical exercises with him and supports him on the job

Mentoring exercises provide an ideal opportunity to support a more experienced member’s competence through the sharing of knowledge and an acknowledgement of their skills and capabilities. It also serves to strengthen a sense of relatedness between members of the group over time, by providing opportunities for two members (who may not know each other well) to build a supportive and collaborative relationship.

Conclusions

SDT provides an evidence-based framework for how to effectively motivate workers in organizations ( Deci et al. , 2017 ). Organizational leaders establish an optimally motivating workplace climate through satisfying their workers’ basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness ( Slemp et al. , 2018 ). The findings of this research delineate examples of SDT application from practising leaders to illustrate how SDT is applied and integrated into organizational leadership.

Extending on previous predominantly theoretic SDT research, this study is the first to draw upon the lived experience of leaders and managers who have implemented SDT in their workplace. In doing so, these findings provide new insights into how leaders interpret SDT and how the theory and its concepts are translated by practitioners in organizations. The present research departs from prior academic attempts to translate theoretically derived knowledge into recommendations and practical implication – which are increasingly criticized for being impractical, difficult to understand and underestimating the tensions and complexities that are basic conditions for managers in organizational settings ( Bartunek and Rynes, 2010 ; Schultz and Hatch, 2005 ). Responding to calls ( Bansal et al. , 2012 ; Gregory and Anderson, 2006 ; Van de Ven, 2007 ) for research studies to “shift from a logic of building practice from theory to one of building theory from practice” ( Schultz and Hatch, 2005 , p. 337), this study taps into the valuable knowledge and experiences of practitioners to extend and develop SDT to have enhanced validity and relevance in an applied setting. The findings of this study contribute previously unexplored strategies for supporting workers’ basic psychological needs and responds to calls for SDT research to identify a broader range of managerial behaviours that support employee motivation ( Deci and Ryan, 2014 ).

The widening disconnect between theory and practice is recognized as a persistent and difficult problem in management and applied psychology research ( Bansal et al. , 2012 ; Van De Ven and Johnson, 2006 ; Zaccaro and Horn, 2003 ). The present study contributes to bridging the gap from science to practice by expanding knowledge of how SDT is applied to management and leadership in the work domain. Using a collaborative form of research enquiry where researchers and practitioners co-produced knowledge (engaged scholarship; Van de Ven and Johnson, 2006 ), this study contributes to achieving the dual objective of both advancing a scientific discipline and enlightening professional practice ( Pettigrew, 2001 ). The findings leverage differences in the kinds of knowledge that SDT scholars and SDT practitioners from diverse background bring to identify examples of basic psychological need support that are practical salient, usable and aligned with the theoretic tenet of SDT. The study responds to ongoing calls for research to improve the exchange of knowledge between academics and practitioners and for scholars to shift research attention towards empirical studies of knowledge from practice ( Bansal et al. , 2012 ; Schultz and Hatch, 2005 ; Van De Ven and Johnson, 2006 ; Zaccaro and Horn, 2003 ). We propose that building knowledge and conceptual clarification about SDT application by leaders is a desirable outcome for both academics and practitioners and, therefore, much can be gained by coupling both parties in a task of mutual knowledge building. Research should continue to leverage practitioner perspectives due to their wide impact and insights they provide into the application and validity of academic constructs in highly complex and ever-changing organizations that we have today.

There are limitations of this study that must be acknowledged. Firstly, the data reflects the personal experiences of a distinct case of organizational leaders. Investigation of the phenomenon of SDT application in the present research is, therefore, constrained within the boundaries of the participants and their context. The sample of leaders who contributed the applied examples were from a very narrow sector/organizational context that may not be representative of leaders or managers in other organizations. Greater diversity of leader participants from different contexts and organizations may have provided different perspectives. The validity of the SDT application examples provided in this study is also noted as a limitation. The effect that these managerial strategies have on workers’ basic psychological need satisfaction require further empirical examination and future research should measure the motivational effects of the suggested strategies on followers.

Providing a practitioner perspective on SDT application to management, this paper bridges the gap from science to practise and from practise to science. Drawing on the lived experience of leaders who have applied SDT in the workplace, the findings illustrate how SDT is operationalized by organizational leaders and delineates practical managerial approaches for supporting employees’ basic psychological needs in the workplace. The strategies discussed in this paper offer guidance for those seeking to implement the theory in their organization. Leaders can adopt and further develop these approaches to motivate workers and improve the quality of people’s experience at work.

How leaders support followers’ basic psychological need for autonomy in the workplace

How leaders support followers’ basic psychological need for competence in the workplace

How leaders support followers’ basic psychological need for relatedness in the workplace

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported in part by the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC via a Project Grant titled “Improving the retention and engagement of volunteers in Emergency Service agencies” (2014–2017).

Corresponding author

About the authors.

Vivien W. Forner (PhD, BPsych) is an Organizational Psychologist and Researcher in the Faculty of Business at the University of Wollongong. Her research focuses on leadership, motivation and workplace contexts that promote human well-being and thriving. Vivien has over 10 years’ experience designing, implementing and evaluating leadership and applied psychology interventions within mental health, emergency management, insurance, aged care, education and not-for-profit organizations. She has held a state committee role within Australian Psychological Society’s (APS) College of Organizational Psychology and is a member of the International Positive Psychology Association and International Leadership Association.

Michael Jones [BComm (hons), PhD] is an Associated Professor and has been teaching and researching in areas of organization, business and management for 18 years. Michael has developed research interests in organizational behaviour, group dynamics, doctoral studies, organizational culture and motivation and commitment. Michael also has research strengths in areas of qualitative analysis and has written several papers on various qualitative methodologies and methods. He is a member of the Australia and New Zealand Academy of Management, the Australian Human Resources Institute and the Industrial Relations Society of Australia.

Yoke Berry (PhD) was Project Manager for a Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre grant in the Faculty of Business, University of Wollongong. In this function, she contributed to research into retention and engagement of volunteers in emergency service agencies. She has a PhD in Chemistry and has extensive experience in natural products, organic and protein chemistry. She is a qualified secondary school educator in science.

Joakim Eidenfalk (PhD) teaches and researches in the Faculty of Law Humanities and the Arts at the University of Wollongong. Joakim has been teaching and researching international relations, politics, history and security studies for 10 years. Joakim has an interest in foreign policy, security policy, political leadership, decision-making and international relations theory. He has a PhD in Politics, a master’s degree in International Relations and a master’s degree in Politics. Joakim is also interested in teaching improvement and innovation.

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Essay on Determination

Students are often asked to write an essay on Determination in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Determination

Understanding determination.

Determination is a powerful trait that helps us overcome challenges. It’s the inner strength that pushes us to keep trying, even when things are tough.

The Power of Determination

With determination, we can achieve our goals. It helps us stay focused and not give up, no matter how hard the journey may be.

Determination in Everyday Life

We can see examples of determination in everyday life. From studying for a difficult test to practicing a sport, determination is key to success.

In conclusion, determination is a vital trait that can help us achieve our dreams. It’s the fuel that drives us forward.

250 Words Essay on Determination

The essence of determination.

Determination, a virtue often associated with resilience, is a cornerstone of success. It is the relentless pursuit of a goal, the unwavering commitment to a cause, and the unyielding resolve in the face of adversity.

Role of Determination in Personal Growth

Determination fuels personal growth. It is the driving force that propels us forward, despite the odds. When faced with challenges, it is determination that keeps us from faltering. It fosters a growth mindset, encouraging us to view setbacks not as failures, but as opportunities for learning and improvement.

Determination and Achievement

In the realm of achievement, determination is indispensable. It is the grit that allows us to persevere, even when progress seems elusive. Whether it’s the pursuit of academic excellence, the attainment of professional goals, or the realization of personal dreams, determination is the catalyst that transforms vision into reality.

Manifestation of Determination

Determination manifests itself in various ways. It can be seen in the tireless efforts of a student preparing for an exam, the relentless training of an athlete aiming for the gold, or the ceaseless drive of an entrepreneur building a startup. It is the quiet resolve that underlies every endeavor, every aspiration, every triumph.

In conclusion, determination is the bedrock of success. It is the unwavering commitment to a goal, the resilience in the face of adversity, and the relentless pursuit of excellence. It is the embodiment of the human spirit, the testament to our capacity for greatness.

500 Words Essay on Determination

Introduction.

Determination is not merely about having a goal; it’s about having the willpower, the discipline, and the perseverance to reach that goal, no matter how challenging the journey. It’s the psychological strength that enables us to face adversity head-on, to remain focused, and to persist no matter the odds. Determination is what makes the difference between those who dream and those who achieve.

Determination and Success

Determination is often the key differentiator between success and failure. It’s the fuel that keeps our engines running when we’re tempted to give up. It’s the stubborn refusal to accept defeat. When we’re determined, we’re not easily swayed by temporary setbacks. We see them as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks. This unwavering resolve is what propels us towards our goals, helping us to overcome the hurdles that come our way.

The Role of Determination in Personal Development

In conclusion, determination is a powerful trait that can significantly shape our lives. It is the backbone of success and a critical ingredient in the recipe for achievement. Without determination, our goals remain dreams, but with it, we can turn those dreams into reality. Determination is not just about being stubborn or hard-headed; it’s about having the courage, the resilience, and the willpower to keep going, even when the odds are against us. It’s about never giving up, no matter how tough the journey. It’s about believing in ourselves and our ability to succeed.

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Why is Determination Important: A Key to Achieve Your Goals

Determination is important because it helps people overcome challenges and achieve their goals. Determination is the ability to persist in the face of difficulties and setbacks and to keep working towards a desired outcome. Determination can help people develop skills, learn from mistakes, and overcome obstacles. Determination is also a key factor in success, as it motivates people to pursue their dreams and aspirations.

Sanju Pradeepa

People will stop without consistent dedication to achieve goals and finish their work. They will stop pushing themselves and almost forget the reasons they started working in the first place.

The road is difficult, and lots of people can easily get discouraged and quit because they find the task too challenging. Manage your determination, as it plays a significant role in how hard or easy your goals or projects are to accomplish.

How can you be successful if you aren’t willing to work hard and persevere?

Table of Contents

Determination is not about being stubborn or refusing to admit defeat. It’s a state of mind that allows you to keep moving forward, no matter how tough things get or how hard it gets to get through them.

What does it mean to be determined? It’s easy to think of determination as a trait that only applies to people who are trying their best and failing. But in fact, determination is something everyone can have, even when working on difficult goals or projects.

The difference between a person who has determination and someone who doesn’t lies in how they handle failure: those with the capacity for grit will keep going even when things get tough because they know there will be another opportunity down the road; those without grit don’t necessarily stop after one setback but may instead give up altogether because they feel like there’s no point in continuing if nothing ever changes or improves.

The Importance of Determination in Achieving Goals

Determination is an important skill because it helps you stay focused on your goals, even when things get tough. When you determined you can make better decisions and work towards your goals with more enthusiasm.

You need to know why you want your goal and what makes it special and unique. This will help you plan for success and put the necessary steps in place.

Why is determination important?

It also comes with perseverance and dedication toward achieving your goal . You mustn’t give up easily on any task or project that has been assigned by yourself or anyone else. Success is the result of hard work, dedication, determination, and persistence.

1. Determination leads to success.

Determination and the ability to focus are two of the most important qualities for success. To achieve your goals, you must first have the determination to succeed and then follow through with it. If you don’t have this, you will never reach your goals.

A person who is determined will be able to ignore distractions, get past challenges, and keep their attention on their goals. They will always be going after what they want rather than settling for less than their best selves.

You must be determined to succeed in life. It will help you keep going when things get tough, even when it seems like there is no hope for you.

2. Determination motivates you to strive for your goals.

It gives you a reason to strive for your goals. If you don’t have a clear vision of what you want to accomplish in life, you’re unlikely to succeed. You’ll get frustrated and discouraged because there’s nothing to motivate you or give you hope that things will work out in the end. But if you know what it is that you want, then motivation becomes easier to come by because there’s always some sort of goal or reward in sight.

3. Determination Improves Your Decision-Making Skill

The ability to make decisions is the most important life skill. Decisions are usually made based on emotion rather than logic and reason, which makes decision-making difficult. But with determination, you can overcome your emotional state and make an educated decision.

To make the best decisions, you must be able to stand on your own two feet and handle whatever comes at you. It’s not always going to be easy, but if you can do it, then you will be able to take control of your life and get what you want out of it.

Confidence is key when making any type of decision because if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will either. You need to believe in yourself before anyone else can believe in you. This is how having determination is so important, because it gives us a reason to strive for our goals and dreams instead of just giving up when things get tough or when we don’t know how to move forward with something new that we have been trying for years without success.

4. Determination helps us stay focused on our goals.

You need determination when you are trying to reach a goal, especially something that has been elusive for a long time. and also because there are many obstacles along the way that can prevent you from reaching your goal.

When things don’t go as planned, it keeps us motivated and helps us stay focused. We frequently lose sight of our goals when we are preoccupied with something or encounter challenges that make them difficult to complete. When these challenges arise, our perseverance helps us get past them so that we can keep working toward our objectives without losing sight of what’s most important: success.

5. Determination Helps You Overcome Failure

Failure is a part of life. It is inevitable. And it is not something to be avoided; rather, it can occur at any stage of your journey. But if you are determined, you will always find a way around it. You will always find a way to overcome failure and succeed in whatever you set your mind on.

The only difference between people who fail and those who succeed is that the latter are willing to admit that they failed, take ownership of their mistakes, and learn from them instead of blaming others for their failures.

You Couldn’t Live with Your Own Failure, So Learn from It

6. determination gives you hope.

A lot of people say that they have no hope for the future. They believe that their life is hopeless, and they have given up on it. Some people have made such a decision because of the circumstances in their lives. Others have made such a decision because of their experiences and events.

However, there are still some things we can do to make our lives better and happier. We should not stop believing in ourselves and our abilities because this will only make us feel worse about ourselves, which will lead to depression and anxiety.

Determination gives you hope because it shows you that you can overcome any obstacle in your way and achieve your goals. It has always been an important factor for success in every field of life, from sports to business to even politics.

 It is true that when people think about achieving something great for themselves, they tend to become more determined about it than others because they want others to see how great they are.

7. Persistence drives negativity away.

It’s common to believe that things will never get better after a bad day. It’s hard to keep going when you feel like you’re hitting a wall. But if you want to make progress, you need to keep going.

You can’t give up. You have to make the effort , even when it’s not fun or easy. You have to push through the negativity and come out on the other side of your struggles stronger than ever before.

If you truly want to become more successful, determination is key to keeping negativity at bay and moving forward in your life.

Determining Your Why

When you are deciding what to do, the most important question is: Why? Why are you doing this? What will you get out of it? Why should you do this?

If you can’t answer these questions, then don’t do it. You need a reason for doing something that is more compelling than “I want to” or “I should.”

Once you’ve identified your why, you’ll know what to do next. You can’t just sit back and wait for the money to roll in every time, but you can make sure that your work is helping people and making a difference.

You may have heard the saying “what you do is who you are,” and it’s true. Your actions are a direct reflection of your character, integrity, and values.

If you want to be the type of person who makes good decisions, then you need to determine your why before setting out to do something. The why should be a clear and concise statement of what you want from life. It will likely be different from person to person, but at its core, it should answer the question, “Why am I doing this?” “What does it mean for me?”

You may not know exactly what your why is now, but over time, as you learn more about yourself and the world around you, it will slowly reveal itself. It might take years or even decades before you finally figure out why you want to be an entrepreneur, a writer, a teacher, or whatever it is that drives your passion. But once you find out, keep that in mind when making decisions throughout the rest of your life, because knowing your why can make all the difference regarding how much happiness and joy you can bring into your life every day.

20 Importance of Knowing Yourself: A Guide to Self-Discovery

The correlation between determination and success.

Determination and success are two sides of the same coin. You can’t be successful without being determined, and you can’t be determined without having a goal.

As the saying goes, “You cannot have a dream and do nothing about it.”

This is especially true for people who want to achieve their goals. To them, determination is more than just a word; it is something tangible that they can use to help them achieve their dreams.

A key to success is determination. It comes from within, not from the world around you. It comes from your heart as well as your soul.

The only thing that can stop you is yourself.

The world will always put obstacles in your way, but it’s up to you to keep moving forward. If you don’t try, then no one else will ever be able to help you. You must take control of your life and make decisions for yourself instead of letting others do it for you.

When people tell me that they don’t have enough time or money, I ask them if they’re willing to hustle.  Whatever it takes to get what they want out of life. That’s all there is to it. You just have to decide daily whether you want something more in life than what others are offering, and then go after it with everything that you’ve got.

How Determination Leads to Success

The desire to achieve success is one of the most powerful emotions that drive us and shape our lives. It’s also one of the hardest things to achieve because it requires the ability to overcome obstacles and challenges along the way. But if you’re determined enough, you’ll find ways around these challenges, even when they seem insurmountable.

When you’re trying to achieve something, it’s important to have a clear vision of what you want. The more determined you are, the more likely you are to reach your goal.

People who don’t believe they can do something are not going to try very hard to do it. You have to believe in yourself, and if you don’t believe that you can succeed, then no one else will either.

A lot of the time, when people say, “I want to be successful,” what they really mean is, “I want power.” They want to be able to control other people. I don’t think that’s what success is about. Success means being happy with who you are and what you do, enjoying the process and the journey more than the destination.

The most successful people in history have been those who have made their lives about something deeper than money, status, or power. It is about having character, a strong personality , integrity, and principles; it is about being willing to sacrifice for others and for causes larger than themselves.

1. Determination can help you overcome challenges.

If you’re determined to achieve your goals, then you can overcome any challenge that comes your way. You may even find yourself in situations where you have to deal with challenges and difficult people daily, but if these same people don’t see themselves as being able to do anything about the situation at hand, then they will probably give up too easily before trying their best at all times.

2. Determination will help you progress in your career.

• It helps you overcome challenges that come up along the way, such as when you’re feeling doubtful or discouraged about your progress.
• It keeps your focus on what’s important and not letting other things get in the way of achieving success.
• It helps develop skills that will help make sure that you can reach those goals later on down the line, like learning how to write well enough so that is published someday.

3. Determination helps you develop as a person.

It is a powerful force. It’s what leads you to do what you want, even when it’s not easy. Determinism means that your actions are caused by external forces rather than being free from them. In other words, your environment and genetics completely determine everything you do. 

Determinism contrasts with free will: the idea that we have complete control over our lives and decisions. People who believe in free will see themselves as autonomous beings who make their own decisions based on their own preferences; they may not be able to explain why they act in a certain way at any given time. But they hold onto this belief because they see no reason anyone else would choose differently.

4. Determination develops within you and forms part of your identity.

It is a quality that can be developed, learned, and harnessed. It helps you find the strength to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. It develops within you and becomes part of your identity. You are determined if you can persevere through difficulties or setbacks to accomplish something important for yourself or those around you.  

5. It helps us persevere in the face of adversity.

Success relies heavily on determination because it enables us to keep going in the face of difficulty. If you’re determined enough (and have enough willpower), even the most difficult tasks will seem manageable in comparison to other challenges, and if they aren’t? Then there’s always another challenge waiting somewhere down the road.

If you want to reach your desired goals and achieve success, determination is an essential attribute to cultivate.

Determination and Overcoming Obstacles

Determination and overcoming obstacles are key factors for success, but many people overlook them. Determination is the backbone of this trait, and overcoming obstacles is what allows us to gain it. 

What might go against you? It could be external or internal, and it doesn’t matter which one it is. The most important thing is to understand that overcoming any obstacle that comes your way has nothing to do with strength but with determination and desire.

Direction and Determination: Fueling Your Drive to Succeed

Determination and personal development.

 As a child, you have a very strong desire to be good and do the right thing. You want to be liked and respected by others, but at the same time, you also want to set your own rules and make your own decisions.

As you grow up, you start to gain more self-confidence and learn how to take control of your life. You begin to realize that there are many things that you can accomplish if you believe in yourself and work hard enough at them.

You may not realize it at first, but determination is a great way for adults as well as children to achieve their goals. It is how we choose what we want our lives to look like when we grow up. We can choose whether we want to be successful in whatever career path we choose or whether we want just enough money for ourselves so that we don’t have to work too hard for it.

Determination doesn’t mean being stubborn or refusing to change if necessary. It means believing in yourself enough so that you can overcome any obstacles that come along the way and continue forward with your goals without giving up.

  If you’re determined to do something, you will find a way. You may have to work harder than everyone else to make it happen, but if you really want it, you’ll make it happen.

People who are determined will always strive to reach their goals and dreams. They will never give up, and they always keep working hard on their projects until they succeed. It is also about having strong beliefs in yourself and your abilities. If you have a strong belief in yourself, then it will be easier for you to reach your goals and dreams because you will not need to doubt yourself or your abilities.

Courage and Determination: What Takes to Achieve Your Goals

Determination and resilience.

Determination and resilience are two essential qualities that all successful people possess. They play important roles in your ability to persevere through tough times, but they can also be learned.

They both play a role in the willingness to put in effort in the face of setbacks.

Determination and resilience are both important, but they’re not the same thing. When you’re talking about determination, it’s important to understand that there are two types: hard determination and soft determination. Hard determination is when you have a strong will; this can be used in any situation where willpower is necessary whether it’s school or work or just your day-to-day life. Soft determination is when your will has been broken down by events beyond your control (like losing an object).

Resilience refers to how well someone reacts when things don’t go their way. Resilience also plays into how resilient people can be at times when conditions change rapidly; for example, someone who had been struggling might suddenly gain confidence after being given a new opportunity based on their past accomplishments

Taking an active role in problem-solving is key to both determination and resilience.

Determination requires a sense of control over your actions and outcomes, which you can learn how to cultivate.

Determinism is the belief that all events are determined by prior events and have no random element. In other words, you cannot do anything to change your fate or condition, no matter how hard you try.

Resilience requires a positive outlook, which you can influence by changing your daily habits, such as exercising and spending time with friends.

To be more resilient, you must work on your mindset . Positive thinking involves changing your outlook and behavior so that you approach life with a sense of optimism and positivity .

You can learn to be more determined and resilient from your experiences and environment.

• Determining your own goals and sticking to them. Everyone has different goals for themselves, but many people don’t know how to set theirs or what they mean when they say, “I want this.” You must figure out what you want in life because having a clear path will help keep you on track when life gets tough or stressful.
• Building a personal support network of friends who will support each other through the good times as well as the bad ones (even if there isn’t much bad). Having someone else there for support means being able to lean on each other without feeling like they’re taking advantage of you in any way; it also helps make sure that no matter how many setbacks happen along the way, nothing gets too overwhelming!
• Learning from mistakes made before them so that their future decisions aren’t made based solely on past experience or using those experiences as learning tools instead. For example: If I’ve failed twice at something related beforehand then maybe next time around won’t go wrong because I’ll know better methods/strategies etc…

Perseverance vs Resilience: Which One is The Most Important

Setting and achieving goals with determination.

The most important thing to remember when setting and achieving goals is that you have to be determined and focused on them. You have to believe in yourself, write down your goals, and set short-term ones that lead up to your long-term ones. You also need to develop a plan of action along with realistic, achievable goals within which you can succeed; this way, you’ll feel successful even if there are bumps along the way.

Let’s talk about the steps we need to put on to set and achieve our goals with determination.

1. Believe in yourself.

Believe in yourself. This is the first step to achieving your goals. If you don’t believe it, then how can you expect anyone else to? Belief is the key to success, and it’s also the foundation for all other successes. Let me say that again: belief is the key to success.

Importance of Believing in Yourself: Be Your Own Biggest Fan

2. be specific and write your goals down..

Write down your goals. Be specific and write them down in a way that you can truly see them.

For example, if you want to get exercise each day for five days next week, write it down as follows.

3. Set short-term goals that lead to long-term goals.

Short-term goals can be a great way to get your mind off the long-term, but if you set them too early in your goal-setting process, they’re likely to feel like a distraction. Instead of setting short-term goals that lead directly into long-term ones, it’s better to start with long-term goals and break them down into shorter subgoals along the way.

For example:

• If I want to lose weight by July 1st, I should exercise every day for 30 minutes per session with no breaks between exercises.
• If I want my credit score to be above 700 by December 31st, then I should make sure all my bills are paid on time each month and maintain good credit habits throughout the year (e.g., always paying bills on time).

4. Develop a plan of action.

Planning is the key to achieving your goals. It keeps you on track, prevents wasted energy, and helps you stay flexible when things don’t go as planned.

The best way to plan is to write down everything that you want to accomplish in one day or one week. Then break it down into smaller goals based on what’s possible during that period.

For example: “I want to become more confident,” “I want my reading speed to increase,” etc. Once all these smaller goals have been identified, write down how long each one will take before moving onto another part of the big picture (e.g., if I’m going from level 1 to level 2 of my reading skillset, then I’ll need 3 months).

You can also use this same method for other areas where improvement may be needed, such as weight loss or learning new skills like cooking.

5. Set realistic, achievable goals.

It’s important to set goals that are realistic and achievable. Don’t set goals that are too difficult or too easy. If you’re trying to lose weight, don’t aim for a 500-pound goal; instead, choose something like “I want my clothes to fit better.”

Don’t set goals that are too vague or general: “I want more time with my daughter” isn’t much of a goal! You could write down what kind of time it is an hour once a week. Two hours every other weekend? Once per month, when does she have soccer practice? But it would be better if you found some concrete ways in which the additional time will help both of you (e.g., having dinner together).

Don’t make unrealistic promises about how long it will take or even expect to accomplish these things; instead focus on making small incremental steps forward each day so as not get discouraged easily by setbacks along the way toward your ultimate goal(s)

14 Importance of Goal Setting: Unlocking Your Full Potential

6. leave room for error..

One of the most important things you can do is leave room for error. You will learn from your mistakes, and you can’t be perfect if you’re trying to achieve something. So don’t try to be perfect; leave room for people to fail, because they will fail at times. If you have a goal or objective that isn’t working out for whatever reason (maybe it’s too challenging), don’t let it discourage or frustrate you.

Instead, use this opportunity as an opportunity to improve yourself and become better at what matters most: ng your goals, and realizing what’s really important in life.

How Do You Let Go of the Spirit of Perfectionism? Wanna Try?

7. learn from your mistakes; don’t wallow in them..

Don’t let mistakes stop you from achieving your goals.

Try new things, don’t be afraid to ask for help, and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

The most important thing is that you’re able to learn from them and move on with confidence in yourself as a person capable of achieving anything they set their mind on doing.

8. Think of how you’ll feel when you complete a goal.

When you think about how you’ll feel when a goal is completed, there are a few things to keep in mind.

The feeling of accomplishment. This is probably the most obvious one: if your goal is something that doesn’t come easily and/or often, it’s going to be harder for you to achieve it than if it were something simple or even easy. But don’t let this discourage you. The feeling of accomplishment can be just as rewarding as the actual act itself, and sometimes even more so.

Pride in what we’ve done and where we’ve gotten ourselves today: We all like being proud of ourselves; being able to look back on our lives with pride will give us more motivation than ever before (even if only slightly).

If you want to make this feeling stronger, use something realistic to motivate yourself to accomplish your goal.

For example, you can use Custom Pins to express your commitment to each goal. You can choose different shapes, colors, and textures to represent different goals, and when you wear it, it can constantly inspire and remind you.

They can be clipped to backpacks, clothing, hats, and more. You can also give them as gifts to friends, colleagues, and others to share your joy.

You can achieve any goal you set if you are determined and focused on it.

If you want to achieve your goals, it’s important that you believe in yourself and be specific about what you want. Write down the steps that are necessary for achieving your goal, then set short-term goals leading up to achieving the long-term goal.

For example, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds by spring break” can become “I will exercise at least three times per week for 30 minutes per session,” which in turn leads to setting up a schedule with specific workouts (e.g., “Monday is my strength training day”).

Once you have made good progress on reaching one goal (say, weight loss), set another one. Don’t become discouraged if some days aren’t perfect; you’ll get there eventually.

How to Cultivate Determination

First, you need to understand what it is. Determination is the will to continue on, despite the challenges and obstacles that stand in your way. It’s the fuel that keeps you going, even when you don’t feel like it.

So how do you develop it?

1. Set your intention – You need to decide that you want to be more determined, and then put in the work to make it happen.

2. Find your why – Why do you want to be more determined? What’s motivating you? And finally, you need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

3. Push yourself outside of your comfort zone and see what you’re really capable of.

It’s an easy guide. Let’s see what ways we can use to cultivate our determination.

1. Set small goals and work towards them one step at a time.

You don’t have to do everything at once but rather focus on one thing at a time and move on to the next step when you feel ready for it. This will help keep your mind from getting overwhelmed with all of the things that need to be done at once.

2. Be patient with yourself

Because sometimes it takes longer than expected for things to happen or change for the better in your life. Don’t give up if something doesn’t happen immediately after you’ve started working on it, so set realistic expectations and don’t expect things to happen overnight.

3. Make sure that you have a strong sense of purpose.

What are your values? Why do they matter so much? How can they affect other people in your life? This will give you a sense of direction and help you focus on what matters most in life.

4. Develop a sense of self-worth by setting high standards for yourself and others

The more confident and secure you feel about yourself, the less likely you are to give in to peer pressure or other people’s opinions about how much effort or effortlessness should be involved in achieving your goals.

How Do You Manifest Self-Worth: 11 Easy but Effective Ways

5. developing a strong will..

A strong will is when you don’t let other people tell you what to do or how to do it. You have your own ideas, and you stick with them no matter what other people say or do.

6. Staying positive even when things are going wrong around you.

When things are going wrong around you, it’s easy to get discouraged and give up on your goals completely. But if you stay positive , then even if things don’t always work out as planned, at least you have pushed yourself forward in life and learned something new along the way.

It’s not going to be easy, but with dedication and perseverance, you can develop a determination that will help you achieve anything you set your mind to.

Determination is one of the most important traits that you can develop. It will help you to achieve your goals, and it will make sure that you are able to overcome any obstacles that may stand in your way. It is a strong force that can overcome anything, but it also has its limitations.

It has a lot of positive effects on people because they tend to focus more on their goals than other people do; they also tend to be more motivated and ambitious than others who don’t have such strong motives behind their actions.

However, determination has its limits as well: if someone is determined to become rich or powerful but fails at achieving his goal because he lacks the skills or knowledge needed for success (which happens very often), then this person might lose hope and give up on his dreams altogether.

• The Benefits of Determination
• The Importance of Self-Determination to the Quality of Life of People
• What is Self Determination Theory? – YouTube video

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23 Determination Examples

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Examples of determination include: having a fighting spirit, persisting through difficulty, and being certain in your beliefs.

A real-life example is Terry Fox’s motivational run across Canada-Fox didn’t let Cancer and other setbacks stop him from running toward his goal. He was determined.

Determination is highly desirable by employers and academic institutions, because it suggests that you will work hard and achieve success.

10 Real-Life Examples of Determination

• Terry Fox – Terry Fox ran across Canada in an attempt to raise money and awareness for Cancer research. He succumbed to his cancer, but his amazing effort goes down in Canadian history as a symbol of the fighting Canadian spirit.
• Oprah Winfrey – Born black, female, and poor, Winfrey refused to admit the odds were stacked against her. She rose to prominence in the media industry and became one of the most influential women in the world.
• Thomas Edison – Thomas Edison, the inventor of the lightbulb, is said to have tried 1,000 different ways to invent the lightbulb before finally succeeding. His problem was finding the right filament for the bulb.
• J.K. Rowling – The author had her famous novel, Harry Potter , rejected by 14 different publishers before finally having it accepted. Imagine if she gave up on the 13th time!
• Helen Keller – Despite being deaf and blind (and a woman in a highly patriarchal world), Keller was highly determined to make an impact on the world. She wrote books and travelled the world, becoming one of the most famous women in history.
• Elon Musk – When investors and pundits gave up on electric car company, Tesla, Musk lived in his office and worked relentless hours to keep the company running. Today, it’s one of the biggest car making companies in the world.
• Joe Biden – Suspend your political beliefs and look at this example of determination: Biden ran for president three separate times and didn’t give up on his goal. He started in 1988 until finally breaking through and getting the win in 2020.
• Matthew Webb – The first man to swim across the English channel, Matthew Webb failed in his first attempt. However, despite this massive setback, Webb returned two years later to swim from Dover to Calais in a mammoth 21 hour swim.
• Volodymir Zelensky – The president of Ukraine was encouraged by the president of the USA to flee his country when Russia invaded. But Zelensky refused, determined to stand firm and defend his nation.
• Tommy Caldwell – The famous rock climber lost his index finger in a backyard accident. Written off as never being able to be a high-performing climber again, Caldwell had to re-learn how to use his hands to climb and is today one of the legends of the sport.

13 Examples of How to Show Determination

Determination is important for every career. Without drive and determination, nothing would ever get done!

Below are some examples of determination that you can use for inspiration. Try to find some examples from your own life that you can fit into your resume skills section , application, or interview.

1. Being Single Minded

Single-mindedness refers to your ability to focus on just one thing. Most people who are determined don’t lose their focus on that one thing they want.

This shows determination because, too often, people change their mind or lose focus. But a truly determined person has one goal that they don’t lose track of.

For example, when applying for a job, you can show that you’ve had a single-minded focus on this one career move for years. Talk about all the preparation and training you’ve done to get the job – showing you’ve been determined to get it for a long, long time.

2. Having Work Ethic

If you’re determined to get a job or promotion, you need to demonstrate that you work hard and don’t slack off. We often call this ‘ work ethic ‘.

For example, turn up to work early, work as hard as you can while at work, and always go above and beyond. Let your boss know by your actions that you’re determined to get that promotion!

Similarly, when you’re applying for a job, show that you’re hard working by putting in the most preparation out of any candidate, and turn up so prepared and organized that it’s clear that you’re the candidate with amazing work ethic.

Exhibiting Delayed Gratification

Discipline requires delayed gratification . It means being able to push yourself to do things that you don’t want to do in order to achieve your goals.

The ability to put off instant gratification until later is strongly correlated with academic success, mental wellbeing, and overall health.

For example, you may decide not to eat that pizza you want until you’ve done your daily workout, so you can eat it without feeling guilty.

2. Putting In The Hours

Almost everyone has tried and failed to achieve some goal at some point in their lives. For example, many people have tried to learn a language, meet a fitness goal, or learn a new skill.

There are lots of new people in the gym on January 1st. There are far fewer on a cold December morning 11 months later.

If you have a skill or achievement that you’ve been working on for years, definitely include it in your resume.

It shows that you have the commitment and determination to practise, even when you don’t feel like it in the moment.

3. Showing Resilience

Resilience is the ability to stay on course even when things around you are falling apart.   

Resilience is closely linked to determination, since no matter how determined you are, there will always be setbacks and pitfalls that could distract you or impede your progress.

Some examples of resilience include retraining after losing your job, adapting to life in a new city, and balancing your work, home, and studies.

4. Doing Whatever It Takes

When someone says “It’s not possible”, usually, they mean it’s not practical. Sometimes you have to be that person who goes above and beyond everyone else.

If you want something bad enough, you’ll do whatever it takes to get it.

A good example of this from a few years ago is the story of James Robertson , who walked around 16 miles every day to get to and from his work in Detroit.

If you’re applying for a job, you can do this by not only putting in your application, but sending a personal email to all the people on the hiring committee or coming to the interview with a stellar pitch.

5. Finding an Alternative Route to Success

Determination means you don’t give up when things don’t go to plan. This is one of the best ways to show off your determination, since almost everyone has gone through this at one point.

A common example of this is mature age students at university. Not everyone has the resources, opportunity, or the grades to attend university straight out of school.

Mature age students (usually defined as over 25 years of age) have extra hoops to jump through to get to success. For example, they might be working a full-time job and raising children while studying.

Therefore, their determination has to be high.

6. Self-Advocacy

Self-advocacy is about accepting responsibility for your own life. Think about the greatest achievers in history – they forged their own paths, sometimes at great personal cost.

Self-advocacy doesn’t mean being selfish or ignoring the needs of others, but it does mean placing a high level of importance on achieving your own goals and not becoming distracted by things that don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

People who advocate for themselves believe that they can achieve their goals and they go out and make sure it can be done.

7. Demonstrating Academic Achievements

Academic achievements are a good proof of your determination because they are difficult to fake. Having a good university degree on your resume is a sign that you’re a person with determination.

Good grades don’t fall into your lap without consistent effort, so be proud of them and show them off.

If you’re using academic grades as an example of your determination in an interview, let the interviewer know what personal sacrifices you had to make to fit in your studies.

8. Demonstrating How you Overcame Adversity

Seemingly small achievements can take extreme dedication and determination depending on an individual’s life circumstances.

One thing that’s important to keep in mind when thinking about your achievements is that not everyone is on a level playing field.

If you’ve scrimped and saved every penny to send your kids to college, or you’ve got your life back on track after rough circumstances, these are absolutely things you can mention in an interview.

These types of achievements resonate with us on a human level and show a level of determination and a depth of character that will be valuable for any employer or academic institution.

9. Being Proficient in Music, Language, or Sport

There are many things in life that can not be learned quickly. Skills like proficiency with a musical instrument, sporting achievements, or language learning can not be “crammed” for.

If you have put the time into becoming good at a skill or hobby, it shows commitment and determination.

Key indicators that you’ve sustained the determination to achieve this proficiency include awards you’ve won, grades you’ve achieved, or certificates of merit.

10. Evidence of Ongoing Pursuit of Goals

If you want to demonstrate your determination, show what you’re currently determined to achieve, and what you’re doing to get there.

For example, you could provide evidence of your weight loss goals and how much progress you’ve been making. You could show how far you’ve come, and how far you’ve still got to go.

By showing that you’ve made hard-earned progress but also remain determined to reach your goal shows that you’ve not only been determined in the past, but are maintaining it in the present.

11. Trying Again after you Fail

Some of the most inspiring stories of determination involve people who succeeded after a long string of failures.

This is because it shows that your determination wasn’t swayed or pushed aside by setbacks. You were resilient, an that is what made all the difference for your success.

For example, on a college application, you can talk about how you had previously been rejected by a college, so you went away and worked hard on gaining the skills an experience to prove that you truly can succeed at college. This shows the college that you’re truly determined to get into college – and they’re more likely to let you in!

Determination FAQs:

What is the difference between motivation and determination.

Motivation describes your desire to work on any given task at any given time. Determination is your desire, discipline, and willingness to work towards your goals, whether you feel motivated or not.

Motivation can be fleeting, so it’s not a great method to use for getting things done.

Determination is established when you have intrinsic motivation rather than fleeting or extrinsic motivation .

How to improve self-determination?

You can improve your self-determination by finding something you’re passionate about.

thinking about what you really want, and why you want it. Fix your mind on it and don’t let external things distract you. If you truly want something, determination will follow. But if you are doing something that you’re not really passionate about, determination will wane.

Read Next: Self-Determination Theory

Determined employees and students are much more likely to succeed, so it’s understandable that businesses and schools seek out determined and dedicated applicants.

The best way to demonstrate your determination is to show off your hard-earned achievements and share the progress you have made towards your goals.

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 10 Reasons you’re Perpetually Single
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 20 Montessori Toddler Bedrooms (Design Inspiration)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 21 Montessori Homeschool Setups
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd-2/ 101 Hidden Talents Examples

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Entrepreneurs Should be Determined and Persistent By Galit Zamler

Lee Iacocca: "You've got to say, 'I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough, I can have it. It's called perseverance.'"

One of the most common reasons for entrepreneur failure and business closure is a lack of determination and persistence. Those who are not determined to persevere until they succeed tend to jump from one idea to another when encountering difficulties. If you don't try to overcome the obstacles, none of your ideas will have a chance to develop into something successful. In contrast, successful entrepreneurs talk about the hardships ways of dealing with them. Sometimes with great creativity .

Mental Preparedness for Dealing with Difficulties

The Entrepreneur: An entrepreneur starts with a good idea, continues to the design stage, and then arrives at the performance stage. Though the entrepreneurial process, people will almost always have to overcome challenges. To handle these challenges, an entrepreneur must show determination and persistence. Persistence is also required to continue advancing projects and achieve the desired goals. Otherwise, every little problem will vanquish the entrepreneur. Implementing the Entrepreneurship for Kids Program and talking to students about these issues helps them to understand the process of entrepreneurship, and enables them to be ready to tackle obstacles. The program also helps students understand that these difficulties are challenges that they have to go through to achieve success.

An Example of an Entrepreneur: In an interview, the founder of Israeli manufacture Arack Mabrouka described the experience of an entrepreneur who started from scratch: "The entrepreneurs have endless disappointments, failures, and frustrations. Entrepreneurs have to insist that people will listen to their ideas and convince the right people to invest and help them develop the project. The entrepreneurs must be willing to take risks and know that there is a possibility that they will not succeed. Take the following into consideration: Raising ideas for projects can be misleading at first, since until the actual venture is established, an entrepreneur may not think of all the details required for its implementation. So, if you have decided to be an entrepreneur, prepare yourself mentally for surprises and problems that you may have to handle throughout the entrepreneurial process." Such mental preparation helps entrepreneurs to handle hard times and to persevere in the realization of the project all the way to success. The video "How bad do you want it?" illustrates this message clearly.

• Self-discipline

Determination and persistence are a part of self-discipline. In order for an entrepreneur to be persistent despite the difficulties and not give up, he has to be equipped with self-discipline. In his book "21 Secrets of Million-Dollar Sellers", Stephen J. Harvill interviewed particularly successful salespeople in order to understand what is their cause to success. He describes all of those causes in the book in detail, but there's one that is common to all of them and that is self-discipline. He wrote: "I must say that there's nothing, not personal charm, not talent or innate wisdom, that can substitute persistence and following through. Each and every one of the interviewees in this research demonstrated a strong ability to concentrate and self-control. These superstars don't dawdle on, don't postpone tasks, and don't make excuses. They're working with determination."

• Energy and Excitement

The Entrepreneur: Determination and persistence are accompanied by energy, which pushes entrepreneurs to keep going, even when they encounter the inevitable challenges. An entrepreneur's energy and passion, from the start of the project, equip him or her with an advantage over others, some of whom may copy his/her ideas. When an idea is original, energy and excitement continue to drive the project forward and lead it to success. The entrepreneur has the motivation to dedicate himself/herself entirely to the venture even when it comes to irregular hours or finding creative ways to solve issues.

Successful entrepreneurs can visualize the picture of the success in their minds, develop their ideas, and put their full efforts into it. However, sometimes, other people do not understand the entrepreneurial enthusiasm spirit. They do not see what is so special about the project the entrepreneur is working on, or why he/she is developing it. This is where entrepreneurs' faith in their ideas and in their ability to realize them, distinguishes them from others. That's exactly what makes entrepreneurs pioneers. They don't act the way the environment expects . Kevin Systrom , one of the founders of Instagram, says that this is how he felt toward Twitter in the beginning. He thought the entrepreneurs behind Twitter were crazy. He believed that no one would use their product and wondered who needed such a social network. The entrepreneurs behind Twitter went on with their dream, and the site became a popular social network with hundreds of millions of users.

• Perseverance until Success

Every project requires investing energy and resources. When a project fails, entrepreneurs must understand and accept failure , but at the same time, know that it does not necessarily mean that they themselves are a failure. Projects can fail, and statistics even show that the rate of success is not as high as it sometimes seems to be. Entrepreneurs who can identify what caused the failure, figure how to fix it as well as improve and make changes, will likely overcome problems and proceed. This ability to overcome, change, sometimes make a pivot and/or move on to the next project is what leads the entrepreneur to success. Sometimes it seems like everyone around us is successful while only our project fails, but this is not true. It is just that people prefer sharing their successes while minimizing failure. However, before successful results, most entrepreneurs experience failure. Accomplishment comes from a lot of persistence and determination. Michael Jordan, former NBA star, once said, "I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Watch the clip here:

Max Levchin, the co-founder of PayPal, a successful online payment company, also once explained how determination and persistence help him to succeed:

• The Ability to Start Over

Entrepreneurship is the process of starting over. Starting over is the essence of entrepreneurship. Our natural tendency is to be somewhere safe and familiar, as well as to stay in our comfort zone. However, when we talk about entrepreneurship, it's different. The entrepreneurs strive to obtain a comfort zone, but until they get there, they will find themselves dealing with new things that are not familiar to them. The Entrepreneur When an initiator has a concept, he/she begins to formulate the idea, to prepare a work plan, and to promote it. Every project is a kind of a new beginning. To promote your venture, you have to do new things, think outside of the box, develop new skills, get to know new people, etc. All of these tasks are necessary if you want to reach success. The difficulty begins when the project fails, and then an entrepreneur has to start again from scratch. Starting from the very beginning can be compared to hitting the restart button on a computer so that it will begin smoothly again. Just like this, an initiator must recognize and accept the failure of a project. Maybe doing a pivot can help, and perhaps the entrepreneur has to close it and start a new venture. This ability to admit failure and start over again is not obvious. It requires positive thinking , determination, persistence, and an entrepreneur's faith in his/her ability to succeed. At the Entrepreneurship for Kids Program, we talk about failures, how we feel about them, and how people we know respond to failure. We attempt to understand how we will be able to find the energy to start over once again.

It is possible to develop this ability to start over, and it seems that it is never too late to learn. You can train yourself to try new things and to challenge yourself on an issue that you find particularly demanding. Of course, it is better to try this with something that interests you. The more we habituate ourselves to get out of our comfort zone and have new experiences, the more we practice starting over without the anxiety of obstacles and new challenges. These are essential qualities for being entrepreneurial.

• Determination Despite Background Noise

When an entrepreneur does something different and unconventional, it may be difficult for society to accept, especially at the beginning. In such cases, we often hear the surroundings trying to convince us to stop trying and investing energy in something that has no chance. But entrepreneurs know when to listen to their surroundings and when not to. When entrepreneurs are determined to succeed, they will try over and over again and not give up. When entrepreneurs succeed, those who tried to dissuade them at the beginning suddenly say, "We knew you would succeed in the end." This happens to many entrepreneurs, and it also happened to James Stephen "Jimmy" Donaldson, owner of the popular YouTube channel Mr. Beast.

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Determination and perseverance

• Dealing with difficulties

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Definition Paper on Determination

• Categories: Determinism Teamwork

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Published: Jun 6, 2024

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100 Words Essay on Determination in English

Determination is a positive emotional feeling that involves persevering towards a difficult goal in spite of obstacles. This is a feeling so important in all life lessons. Being determined or having determination is a courageous task, no doubt. This is now taught amongst kids through practical means to teach them the importance of determination in one�s life. There are some people who come from poor and broken family structure or background; it is usually those who lack determination. So, when one comes across these kinds of people, one must try to build and help them build determination in themselves. The root starts from believing in oneself. In all life�s aspect, in all workings of life, it is important to have determination in one�s spirit as it can increase your chances of being successful in achieving a particular goal. It is best that determination is taught to kids when they are young. Adults have to teach their kids that quitting is not an option as this will allow your child to keep their emotions in check. Determination can have different definition for everyone, but in general, determination means the courage to take initiative, work hard, get up each time you fall and keep marching towards the goal.

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