The Impact of Individualism on a Worker’s Success

Individualism is a plays a huge role in the core of America’s foundation. It is what influences many aspects in society, economics, and culture. It has an impact on the development of America’s character as a whole. Some people in America are believed to be self-reliant. Those working in the workplace are thought to be individualists. Workers are motivated by what is good for them personally.

Furthermore, in the American workplace’s, workers who are self-determined are valued. Therefore, the desire of workers in order to achieve fulfillment and be able to feel content or satisfied with their work impacts the concept of individualism. In regards, to capitalism it is what motivates individuals, whether those individuals are individualistic or not. All types of individuals need some sort of motivation. If a worker does not feel as if they are being compensated or appreciated correctly, then motivation for personal growth decreases. That being said, a self-determined individual who receives motivation through capitalism such as acknowledgement is someone who is independent. Hence, he or she embraces individualism in the workplace because he/she is willing to do and embrace the best version of them and branch out in order to grow. In turn, capitalism- what motivates workers to complete tasks and attain satisfaction is what creates individualism. We as humans get so caught up in the little things that we forget to see the bigger picture of life. That being said, workers must strive to embrace individualism.

In his book Invisible, David Zweig argues that engagement is not the way to attain success. It is not something that should be defining us. In fact, he further explains how “our culture tells us that it brings us many things we’ve been programmed to desire - attention, money, power”. Nonetheless, workers should want to work for themselves and work for the betterment of themselves. Additionally, he states that we are in a world that is “driven by narcissism ”. Hence, he believes people don't work for themselves but for Facebook "likes”. Many people brand themselves to attain fame and feel satisfied, however the desire to do better for one self is what allows for satisfaction. The time spent branding oneself can be better spent towards something more productive and useful for the bigger picture. We need to focus less on what we can’t control and more on what we are good at and how we can give back to society and help others for the greater good. We can’t be reliant on fame and fortune, if we want to be self-reliant. Therefore, we don’t need to be reliant on fame and fortune to boost our self-esteem. Our self-esteem can be boosted if we are individualistic and independent. It is important to want to learn and improve oneself rather than wanting attention to determine that individuals’ success. Workers need to be self-reliant on matters that only concern personal growth. Workers don’t need fame recognition, they only thing they need is acknowledgment.

One major example Dan Ariely mentions in his Ted Talk had accessed the success of acknowledgment. It was seen that when he took a piece of paper with random letters and assigned people to find some pairs of letters in the paper, those whose work was unacknowledged worked less than those whose work was acknowledged. Hence, acknowledgment is the key to personal growth and developing individualism. Furthermore, workers who are individualistic look for purpose. If there is purpose, there is motivation to grow. In Dan Ariely’s Ted Talk, he stresses the importance of purpose and how purpose is key to motivation, which is essential for work satisfaction. He goes on to explain that money isn’t what is all about. In fact, he says, efficiency isn’t more important than meaning anymore, and that “meaning, creation, challenges, ownership, identity pride” are what can pose as great motivators.

Similarly, in a book called, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Dan Pink—Chapter 1: The Rise and Fall of Motivation 2. 0, suggests that it's the individual’s desire (intrinsic factor) to strive to do good or be better that motivates he/she. More specifically, he says, “the performance of the task, provides the intrinsic reward… The joy of the task is its own reward”. Pink’s and Ariely’s ideas and thoughts co inside and therefore, purpose is what serves as the intrinsic motivating factor in order to have workers to succeed. Purpose is what exemplifies our inner desires for personal growth. The purpose of something is what will give workers pleasure in pursuing the task. It is what will help increase productivity. In fact, Ariely makes a logical point if there is even a little bit of purpose, workers are motivated by it in order to succeed because they feel as if their work has value and it isn't meaningless. Working for a purpose rather than something of monetary value such as a paycheck, gives rise to meaningful motivation and demonstrates meaningful work.

Overall, by giving workers a sense of purpose, they feel valued they as well as appreciated. Recognizing that a worker is exceling, is a great asset for the workplace, and providing positive feedback for them is motivating because it gives the worker purpose to be the best version they can be of themselves and strive to do better. They will do whatever it takes to get the job don. When importance is given to the worker and their work, they prove to excel because they have a purpose, however if workers aren’t acknowledged then, purpose is nonexistent and success is unattainable. The world around has a variety of people, all of which can be motivated if there is purpose. Purpose is what feeds off capitalism, which in turn drives the inner core of individuals to thrive, do well, be self-reliant and creates individualism.