394: Todd Henry - The Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work (The Motivation Code)

Nov 30, 2020

Todd Henry, bestselling author and creativity expert, discusses the hidden forces behind our best work. He explores the grave reality of unfulfilled potential, urging us to ‘die empty’ and embrace our passions. Todd breaks down six motivational archetypes—Visionary, Achiever, Team Player, Learner, Optimizer, and Key Contributor—revealing how these distinct traits drive us individually and collectively. He emphasizes the vital importance of self-awareness in leadership, fostering authentic connections for personal and team growth.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

The Most Valuable Land

Todd Henry shares a life-changing meeting moment discovering the most valuable land in the world.
He coined the phrase “Die Empty” to live fully by unleashing all his best work before death.

ADVICE

Master the Craft of Writing

Writing is a powerful skill that opens doors professionally and personally.
Leaders should hone writing to communicate clearly and influence regardless of their field.

INSIGHT

Six Unique Motivation Archetypes

Motivation varies uniquely across individuals with six archetypes defining what drives us.
Understanding your type helps sustain engagement and reveals both strengths and shadow sides.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

Die empty

Todd Henry

In 'Die Empty', Todd Henry addresses the common issue of putting off important work until tomorrow. He emphasizes the finite nature of time and resources, encouraging readers to make the most of each day. The book provides strategies for defining goals, maintaining curiosity, stepping out of comfort zones, and making steady progress on meaningful projects. Henry's approach is centered on the idea of 'dying empty' – ensuring that one's best work is not left unfulfilled at the end of their life[1][2][3].

The accidental creative

How to Be Brilliant at a Moment's Notice

Todd Henry

The Accidental Creative is a comprehensive guide designed for individuals whose jobs involve producing ideas, projects, and deliverables. Todd Henry addresses the challenges faced by creatives in demanding work environments and provides a blueprint for managing and enhancing creativity. The book is divided into two main sections: The Dynamics and Creative Rhythm. It outlines five key practices—Focus, Relationships, Energy, Stimuli, and Hours—to help readers improve their creative output. Henry emphasizes the importance of intentionality, whole-life planning, and effective time management to maintain creativity and productivity. The book is highly recommended for creatives, leaders, and anyone involved in generating new ideas and acting upon them.

The Motivation Code

Discover the Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work

Todd Henry

In this book, Todd Henry presents a new framework for understanding what motivates us and why. Drawing on decades of research and interviews with over 100,000 people, Henry identifies twenty-seven unique 'motivational themes,' each with its own DNA. These themes help explain why some people are driven by a race against the clock, others by team involvement, and others by public recognition. The book teaches readers how to decode their Core Motivation to make informed decisions, choose career paths, and transform their work into work they love. It also provides insights into how each motivational type finds meaning, their shadow sides, and how to interact effectively in the workplace[1][4][5].

Text LEARNERS to 44222 for more details about The Learning Leader Circle

Full notes at www.LearningLeader.com

Twitter: @RyanHawk12

#394: Todd Henry - The Hidden Forces That Drive Your Best Work

Show notes:

What is the most valuable land in the world?
- "The graveyard... All of the stuff we carry with us for our life and never put out into the world... All of that valued is buried in the ground."
The two words that Todd wrote down after coming to this realization? "Die Empty."
- “The rough edges they decry you for now… Are the very rough edges they will celebrate you for later.”
What drives us to unleash our best work?
Drawing on interviews with over 100,000 working professionals, the answer is no one size fits all. Todd Henry shows, in fact, that there are six unique "motivational archetypes"...
They are:
- The Visionary strives to make her mark on the world by building an ideal future, even when others may not see as far ahead.
- The Achiever relishes a finished product and must conquer whatever obstacle comes his way, no matter how difficult or time-consuming.
- The Team Player values being part of a group and will go to great lengths to achieve unity and enhance collaboration.
- The Learner is obsessed with mastering new skills and showing off what she knows--which is often a lot.
- The Optimizer thrives when systems are running smoothly and finds great satisfaction when things are done the "right way."
- The Key Contributor shines at the center of the action, especially when others can recognize the value of his work.
Todd's work teaches us to decode our motivational type so we can structure projects, have conversations, make decisions, and even choose career paths to amp up engagement and achieve fulfillment. Once we know how to activate our inner drivers, we can transform the work we do into the work we love.
Why should you write?
- "If you can learn to write, you'll be invited into rooms."
- "Turn the ineffable into something."
- Read, comprehend, synthesize, write...
- "People won't follow you because of your position or title. You have to persuade them. You have to cut through the noise, hone your skills. It's a craft you must work on."
- Have empathy, uniqueness, precisions. Have empathy for the end user.
- Have an intended audience: one person in mind. Ramp up your empathy for the end user...
"We wait for tasks to motivate us and that's exactly backwards. We need to bring our motivation to what we do. We have to train ourselves to bring our motivation to our work instead of waiting for our tasks to motivate us."
Because of the motivation code, "I have a language now that I never had a language for previously"
- A new framework for understanding people. It's created "aha" moments
- "Self-awareness is the first step to maturity."
  - "It helps use discern areas where we're insecure."
What was Todd thinking five minutes prior to going on stage at the Global Leadership Summit? 10,000 in the audience and hundreds of thousands watching worldwide...
- "I reminded myself how grateful I was to be there..." It was calming.