Primed to Perform Book Summary - Primed to Perform Book explained in key points
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Primed to Perform summary

Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor

How to Build the Highest Performing Cultures Through the Science of Total Motivation

4.2 (28 ratings)
16 mins
Table of Contents

    Primed to Perform
    summarized in 7 key ideas

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    Understanding what motivates people can help you form a high-performance corporate culture.

    What gets you out of bed every morning, ready for another productive day at the office?

    When you’re working to build a high-performance culture at your company, this should be the first question on your mind.

    In fact, motivation can be broken down into three categories: play, purpose and potential.

    Play motivates you to take an action simply because it is fun to do so. You might be curious and enjoy experimenting, or simply eager to learn or adapt.

    This is why people spend time enjoying a hobby, solving crossword puzzles or listening to music. But in turn, if you’re trying to do something difficult like losing weight, play motivation can help; you might enjoy trying new recipes or researching vegetarian restaurants to reach your goal.

    Purpose motivates you to do something because you value the outcome and impact of your actions, even though the process itself may not be enjoyable. The long shifts and stressful days of being a nurse may be tough, for example, but deep down you value caring for people.

    Potential motivates you when you value the indirect outcomes of a certain activity. In essence, you think that your actions will lead to something important, such as fulfilling a long-term goal.

    If you were a paralegal, for example, you might not enjoy the day-to-day work, but you see the job as a necessary step toward applying to law school.

    So now you know the three types of motivation. The more closely these three are connected to the work you do, the more strongly they’ll influence your overall performance.

    Of the three, play is the most powerful motivator as it’s closest to the work itself. This means the more you see your work as play, the better you’ll perform!

    But don’t ignore purpose and potential – they’re still strong motivators!

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    Key ideas in Primed to Perform

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    What is Primed to Perform about?

    Primed to Perform (2015) is a guide to motivation. These blinks will show you how to light a fire under your employees and colleagues – that is, motivate them to perform – in a way that brings meaningful results and is long-lasting. You’ll learn that in doing so, you’ll build a corporate culture that values high performance, which in turn will help you fulfill your goals.

    Best quote from Primed to Perform

    If you want to build a ship, dont drum up people to collect wood and dont assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea. – Antoine de Sain-Exupéry

    —Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor
    example alt text

    Who should read Primed to Perform?

    • Managers and leaders from big and small companies alike
    • Businesspeople who want to increase company performance
    • People interested in the science behind human performance and motivation

    About the Author

    Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor have more than 20 years of experience helping companies develop high-performance cultures. They are also the co-founders of Vega Factor, a company that helps firms create high-performing, adaptive cultures.

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