Self-Regulation: The Means to a Satisfying End

People want to thrive. People thrive when they experience autonomy, relatedness, and competence needs. So what's the problem?

Psychological needs are fragile. Their power is in the combined potency of ARC—but if one is out of balance, the others are diminished. Workplace and life experiences can easily distract us from experiencing ARC. Organizations undermine our autonomy by tempting us with junk-food motivation. Individuals push emotional buttons that can destroy relatedness. The pace of change threatens our competence. How do we protect our psychological needs from all these distractions? The answer lies on the vertical axis of the Spectrum of Motivation model labeled self-regulation.

Self-regulation is mindfully managing feelings, thoughts, values, and purpose for immediate and sustained positive effort. You must understand the role self-regulation plays in helping you satisfy your own psychological needs. You must also appreciate your role in creating a workplace that fosters the high-quality self-regulation needed for your people to satisfy their psychological needs.

Figure 3.1 Spectrum of Motivation model—Self-regulation