Industrious Motivational Design

 your primary motivational drive is support.

Support, as a motivational drive, is all about providing the necessary strength for any effort to achieve its goals. This encompasses a wide range of activities and tasks, all aimed at maintaining functionality and ensuring smooth operations. When we talk about support, we mean the various forms of assistance and reinforcement that enable work to be done effectively. Whether it's moral, emotional, financial, or logistical, support is essential for sustaining efforts and ensuring that goals are met efficiently and effectively.


12 Elements of this Motivational Drive

Motivational drives are profoundly shaped by the fulfillment of core psychological needs, and these needs are nurtured by specific conditions that foster intrinsic motivation. Each of the 12 key areas—autonomy, competency, relatedness, purpose, curiosity, enjoyment, challenge, self-determination, internal rewards, growth mindset, novelty, and feedback—interacts with motivational drives in a unique way. By satisfying these needs, they act as catalysts for energizing motivation. Here's an insightful breakdown of how each area connects to our intrinsic drives, fueling our actions and goals.

  • Concept: Your support is more effective when you have control over how you provide assistance and maintain functionality. The freedom to choose your approach to supporting others and systems increases your intrinsic motivation.

    Application: Allow yourself to develop your own methods for offering support, giving you autonomy in how you provide help and maintain systems. This flexibility will enhance your motivation and effectiveness.

  • Concept: Your innate desire to learn better ways to provide support drives your motivation. Curiosity keeps you engaged and motivated to find innovative solutions.

    Application: Promote a culture of continuous improvement by encouraging yourself to seek out new methods and tools for effective support. This will keep you motivated and open to discovering more efficient ways to assist others.

  • Concept: Personal satisfaction and fulfillment from providing effective support are powerful motivators. Internal rewards like a sense of pride, self-worth, and personal growth drive your intrinsic motivation.

    Application: Reflect on your achievements in support roles, recognize the value of your assistance, and acknowledge the stability and functionality you've helped create. This reflection will reinforce your motivation and sense of fulfillment.

  • Concept: Feeling effective and capable in providing support boosts your intrinsic motivation. Mastering supportive skills and experiencing success in maintaining systems enhances your sense of competence.

    Application: Engage in training and seek opportunities for skill development in areas like technical support, caregiving, or administrative tasks. This will help you build competence and increase your motivation to provide effective support.

  • Concept: Genuine pleasure and satisfaction from providing effective support are central to your drive. Enjoyment fuels your desire to continue assisting and maintaining systems.

    Application: Create an environment where providing support is enjoyable and rewarding. Celebrate successful maintenance and assistance to reinforce your satisfaction and motivation.

  • Concept: Belief in your ability to grow and improve your supportive skills through effort and learning aligns with a growth mindset. This belief encourages persistence and resilience in providing support.

    Application: Foster an environment that views challenges in support roles as opportunities for growth and learning. Promote resilience and adaptability by embracing these challenges as chances to enhance your skills and effectiveness.

  • Concept: Positive relationships and a sense of connection with those you support boost your motivation. Feeling valued and appreciated by others fosters your sense of belonging.

    Application: Build a supportive community where you feel connected to those you assist. Encourage teamwork and mutual respect to strengthen these relationships and enhance your motivation.

  • Concept: Tackling difficult but attainable support tasks gives you a sense of achievement. Challenges that stretch your abilities without overwhelming you enhance your motivation.

    Application: Set challenging yet achievable goals for your support tasks, offering complex problems that require thoughtful and skillful assistance. This approach will help you grow and stay motivated in your role.

  • Concept: Exposure to new and varied support tasks keeps the process fresh and engaging. Novelty prevents boredom and sustains your interest.

    Application: Introduce new support challenges, vary tasks, and offer diverse experiences to keep your role dynamic and exciting. This variety will help maintain your enthusiasm and motivation.

  • Concept: Seeing your supportive efforts as meaningful and contributing to a greater cause boosts your motivation. Aligning your supportive tasks with both personal and collective values provides you with a strong sense of purpose.

    Application: Emphasize the impact of your support on the well-being and success of others, highlighting how your role is crucial for overall functionality. This recognition will deepen your sense of purpose and enhance your motivation.

  • Concept: Your perception of being in control of your supportive actions is essential. Feeling autonomous in your support role strengthens your motivation.

    Application: Encourage self-initiated support projects by giving yourself the freedom to decide how to best assist others and maintain systems. This autonomy will enhance your motivation and effectiveness in your role.

  • Concept: Constructive feedback on your supportive efforts helps you understand your progress and areas for improvement. Positive feedback enhances your feelings of competence and motivation.

    Application: Provide yourself with regular, supportive feedback on your assistance. Celebrate your successes and seek guidance on how to further enhance your support, boosting your competence and motivation.

In summary, the motivational drive of support is deeply enhanced by elements that support autonomy, competence, relatedness, purpose, curiosity, enjoyment, challenge, self-determination, internal rewards, a growth mindset, novelty, and feedback. These elements create an environment where individuals can thrive in their role of providing essential support and ensuring functionality and well-being in their tasks and relationships.

understanding pace + flow

Pace and flow play important roles in how we engage with our motivational drives.

  • Pace relates to the speed at which we prefer to approach tasks and goals. People with different motivational drives may naturally gravitate towards faster or slower paces. For example, those driven by Progress might thrive with a quicker pace, seeking to achieve goals swiftly, while those driven by Discovery may prefer a more deliberate pace, allowing time for exploration and deep understanding.

  • Flow refers to a state of being fully absorbed in an activity where challenges align with your skill level, creating a sense of effortless engagement. Achieving flow can be highly motivating, especially when it aligns with a person’s intrinsic drive. For instance, someone with a Fulfillment drive may experience flow when engaging in joyful or creative activities, while someone with a Resource drive may find flow in efficiently managing assets or organizing resources.

Both pace and flow help tailor how we interact with our motivations, keeping us engaged and energized by aligning tasks with our natural preferences and strengths.


Pace and Flow of the support Drive

Overall Pace:

The overall pace of someone driven by Support is steady and consistent, with a strong emphasis on reliability and thoroughness. They are focused on maintaining a smooth and stable environment, moving at a pace that ensures everything is well-managed and everyone is well-supported.

Flow:

The flow for those driven by Support is centered around providing consistent, dependable assistance and maintaining stability. They are most in their element when they can help others succeed, ensure that systems and processes run smoothly, and create an environment of reliability and trust. Their flow is characterized by a continuous, steady effort to support and sustain those around them.

Pace Increase and Activation:

  • Pace Increase: The pace of a Support-driven individual increases when they are needed to stabilize a situation, provide critical support, or help others achieve important goals. The urgency to prevent or resolve problems, especially in high-stakes situations, can lead to a more rapid and focused pace.

  • Activation: Key activators include responsibilities that involve caring for others, maintaining order, and ensuring the smooth operation of processes. Situations where their reliability and support are crucial, environments that value their role in sustaining operations, and roles that allow them to directly contribute to the success of others significantly enhance their flow and increase their pace.


For individuals driven by Support, their pace and flow are characterized by steadiness, reliability, and a focus on maintaining stability and helping others succeed.

Specific factors can activate their flow and increase their pace, aligning with their natural drive to provide support and ensure everything runs smoothly. Here’s how this unfolds:

  • Pace: Individuals with a Support drive typically maintain a consistent and dependable pace. They are methodical in their approach, ensuring that tasks are completed correctly and on time. Their pace is steady, reflecting a strong commitment to being reliable and providing the necessary support to keep things functioning smoothly.

    Flow: Their flow is rooted in consistency and reliability, with a strong focus on ensuring that processes, people, and systems are well-supported. They thrive in environments where they can be counted on to help others and maintain stability, creating a sense of continuity and trust.

    Pace Increase: Their pace can increase when they see an urgent need for support, especially if something crucial is at risk of falling apart or failing. The necessity to step in and stabilize a situation can prompt them to move more quickly to provide the needed assistance.

    Activation: Being given responsibilities that involve caring for others, ensuring the smooth operation of systems, or maintaining order activates their flow. Situations where their support is visibly making a difference, or where their reliability is critical, also increase their pace and engagement.

  • Pace: The pace of those driven by Support is often slow and deliberate when it comes to routine tasks, but it can become faster when stabilizing situations that require immediate attention. They are diligent in maintaining the status quo, ensuring that everything continues to run smoothly without disruption.

    Flow: Their flow revolves around creating and maintaining a stable environment, whether it involves supporting people, managing resources, or ensuring processes are followed. They are most engaged when they can provide steady, dependable support that keeps operations running seamlessly.

    Pace Increase: Their pace quickens when they need to respond to unexpected challenges or when they perceive that their support is critical to preventing or resolving problems. The urgency to restore stability can drive them to act swiftly and decisively.

    Activation: Environments where they can ensure stability, be it through routine maintenance, crisis management, or providing essential services, activate their flow. Roles that allow them to be the "go-to" person for support and problem-solving also enhance their pace and focus.

  • Pace: Progress for those driven by Support is closely tied to the success of others. They are motivated to work steadily and efficiently to help others achieve their goals, often prioritizing the needs of others over their own. Their pace is generally moderate, with an emphasis on being thorough and dependable.

    Flow: Their flow is centered around providing the necessary help and resources that enable others to succeed. They find fulfillment in seeing others thrive due to their support, and they are most satisfied when they can contribute to the well-being and success of the people and projects they care about.

    Pace Increase: Their pace increases when they see a direct link between their actions and the success of others. When they know that their support is crucial to achieving a positive outcome, they work more quickly and efficiently to provide the assistance needed.

    Activation: Situations that require collaboration, teamwork, and direct support to others activate their flow. Being involved in projects where their contributions are clearly helping others reach their goals, or where they can step in to resolve issues, significantly enhances their pace and engagement.


For individuals driven by Support, certain factors can activate their flow and increase their pace, aligning with their natural inclination toward providing assistance, maintaining stability, and ensuring that others are well-supported. Here are some key triggers:

  • Activation: When situations become unstable or chaotic, and there’s a clear need to restore order and provide support, Support-driven individuals are highly activated. They are motivated by the necessity to step in and bring things back to equilibrium.

    Pace Increase: The urgency to stabilize a situation, whether it's resolving a conflict, fixing a process, or supporting a team under pressure, can significantly increase their pace as they work quickly to restore balance.

  • Activation: Being presented with opportunities to directly contribute to the success of others, whether by offering guidance, resources, or hands-on help, strongly activates those with a Support drive. They thrive when they can see the positive impact of their support.

    Pace Increase: Their pace quickens when they recognize that their efforts are making a tangible difference in someone else’s success, particularly if the support needs to be provided promptly to meet deadlines or overcome challenges.

  • Activation: Crisis situations where immediate support is required activate their drive to help. Whether it’s providing emotional support during a tough time or stepping in to handle an emergency, these situations call for their reliability and steadiness.

    Pace Increase: In a crisis, the need for quick, decisive action to provide support can lead to a significant increase in pace. The urgency to mitigate the impact of the crisis motivates them to act swiftly and effectively.

  • Activation: Being in roles or situations where their dependability is critical, such as managing essential tasks, coordinating teams, or ensuring continuous operations, strongly engages Support-driven individuals. They are motivated by the responsibility of being the reliable backbone others can count on.

    Pace Increase: Knowing that others are relying on them to keep things running smoothly can prompt them to work more quickly and efficiently, especially when timely support is crucial to the success of a project or operation.

  • Activation: Situations that allow them to improve, streamline, or reinforce existing systems and processes activate their drive. They are motivated by the opportunity to make operations more efficient and ensure long-term stability.

    Pace Increase: Their pace can increase when they see a chance to implement changes or improvements that will provide lasting benefits, particularly if there is an immediate need to address inefficiencies or problems.

  • Activation: Working in a collaborative environment where teamwork is essential and where their contributions help the group achieve collective goals strongly engages them. They thrive in settings where their supportive role is valued and necessary.

    Pace Increase: The need to coordinate with others, especially in fast-paced projects or collaborative tasks, can lead to a quicker pace as they work to ensure that everyone has the support they need to meet shared objectives.

  • Activation: Receiving recognition or appreciation for their supportive efforts can significantly boost their motivation and engagement. Knowing that their contributions are valued makes them more eager to continue providing strong support.

    Pace Increase: Positive feedback and recognition can lead to an increased pace, as they are motivated to maintain or exceed the level of support they’ve been acknowledged for, especially in situations where ongoing or enhanced support is needed.

  • Activation: When a project or task is under a tight deadline, and their support is critical to its completion, Support-driven individuals are highly engaged. The pressure to ensure everything is completed on time and to a high standard activates their drive to be dependable and thorough.

    Pace Increase: The urgency of meeting deadlines or completing critical tasks can significantly increase their pace as they work diligently to ensure that everything is done correctly and efficiently.

These triggers align with the strengths of the Support-driven individual, enhancing their engagement and driving them to move more quickly when their ability to provide stability, help others succeed, and maintain reliability is most needed.

in the workplace

In the workplace, support is crucial for both individual and organizational success. For example, a team that receives adequate resources and backing from management is more likely to meet its targets and perform well. This could include access to training, tools, and a positive work environment. Moreover, employees who feel supported by their colleagues and supervisors are generally more motivated and engaged.

A practical example would be a company implementing a mentorship program where experienced employees provide guidance and support to newer team members, fostering a culture of growth and development.

personal life

In personal life, support can take many forms, such as emotional, financial, or practical assistance. For instance, during challenging times, having friends and family who offer emotional support can make a significant difference. This support might come in the form of listening, offering advice, or simply being present. Financial support, such as helping a friend in need with a loan or sharing resources, can also be vital.

An example of practical support could be helping a neighbor with childcare or household tasks, which can significantly alleviate stress and create a sense of community.

in relationships

In relationships, support is a cornerstone of strong, healthy connections. Whether it’s a romantic relationship, friendship, or family bond, being there for each other through thick and thin strengthens the relationship.

For example, in a marriage, partners who support each other’s goals and dreams create a nurturing and empowering environment. This could mean providing encouragement during career changes, sharing household responsibilities, or simply offering a listening ear during difficult times. Such support not only helps individuals thrive but also fortifies the relationship, making it more resilient and enduring.

summary

Overall, support is the backbone that enables individuals and systems to function and thrive. It provides the necessary strength and resources to keep things moving forward, ensuring that efforts are sustained and goals are achieved. By fostering an environment of support in various areas of life—work, personal, and relationships—we create a foundation for growth, reliability, and enduring success.

Areas where support operates