As we progress through our personal life and careers, we come across many situations that motivate us or turn us away/demotivate us (motivation). This could be due to internal drive (intrinsic), passion (intrinsic), curiosity (intrinsic), growth (intrinsic), money (extrinsic, incentive, pay & rewards), etc. Let me give you a personal example (true story). Years (and years.... actually well over a decade ago) in my career, I was a young, hungry, aggressive/assertive Account Director for a Marketing Company. I was motivated by title (extrinsic) and money (extrinsic, pay) and well as the overall passion to personally grow (intrinsic) and win (extrinsic) . I was hungry to learn as much as I could and advance faster than others, but I was willing to do the work, make the sacrifices, and put in the time. The company wanted to make the leap from a smaller firm to a mid-size firm and have the ability to "win" larger clients.

However, to do this, we had to win our first large client. I was assigned to the team (because I asked to be) to go after one of the largest beverage companies in the world. We worked tirelessly (sometimes 20 hours a day) with endless last minute travel to prove to this client we could create a team to meet/exceed their needs. We did a lot for free to prove we could do it. The responsibility was huge, but meaningful personally and professionally (Job Characteristics). This effort would double the size of our company, put us in a different playing field, but also tax our company resources by taking 1/3 of the current resources to pull off. But - we had an end goal in sight, the prize was big, the opportunity even bigger (Expectancy), and we were all bought in (Equity). We had each other's backs and we were committed.The leadership team (Leadership) ensured we had support and that all efforts and departments were aligned (Congruency) to the goal (Strategy).

The effort was supposed to take a year (Expectancy). At almost 2 years, (and no reward or win) we grew tired, frustrated, and some gave up. Some even quit the company. Others were asked to be moved to a different team (Lack of Job Characteristics and Motivation). But, not me! Bring it! We were going to win this account. And finally - we did!! We were given little pieces at a time, but eventually we were awarded the account. Huge press releases, huge party, etc. In a way I felt like I could breathe, but in another way, I panicked due to the overwhelm of the amount of work and having to deliver. But, we had a good team (Teamwork coming up in Module 3) and I knew we could pull it off.

At the company meeting presentation/celebration, the team stood up, everyone was so excited because even if you weren't part of the team, the entire company would benefit - but I would really benefit as the lead - because this meant a huge, career altering promotion (Expectancy and Extrinsic Motivation, Pay & Rewards). However...... instead of a promotion, leadership announced that my previous work partner, who did not work on winning the account (Equity), would be taking the account lead. They thanked me for all my work, gave me a small bonus that made everything I did, not worth it (Expectancy). They explained that by winning the account I had proven myself and they wanted him to now have the opportunity to lead a big client. Although they said they had other things in mind for me, I was devastated (Motivation gone....). Not only did I not get the reward I worked so hard for (Expectancy), I was personally blindsided (Leadership issue not communicating or checking in). Kind of even embarrassed. I seriously considered leaving the company. How could they hand someone the account that I worked 2 years to win? (Equity). That was my account! The person they gave it to was a personal friend. (and still is) He offered to turn the opportunity down because he didn't want me to leave, but at the same time, he wanted the opportunity (Congruency, Informal Culture). Stayed tuned to future weeks as we continue this situation and I explained what happened next.

1. After reading my situation and now thinking about your experience, briefly explain a professional situation that comes to mind based on the learnings in Module 1 and 2. The situation needs to be something you experienced that didn't go your way, as you expected/hoped, etc. Explain the situation. Be sure to note the concepts in parenthesis like I did in my example. Identify at least 3 different concepts. Note: Your response to this question is required to be in business-style writing and limited to few business style writing short paragraphs.
2. Thinking about (and applying course concepts) How did you handle this situation? Be specific. Note: APA in-text sourcing and references are required - using parenthesis as in Q1 will not be accepted in Q2-5.
3. Now thinking about this same situation you just described and taking into account everything we learned, how would you handle this situation now? Be specific and apply the concepts in Module 1 and Module 2 as support for your changed behaviors. Note: APA in text sourcing and references are required - using parenthesis as in Q1 will not be accepted in Q2-5.
4. What recommendations would you give leadership to avoid this situation you just explained, occurring in the first place.
   1. Be specific and apply the concepts as support. Note: APA in text sourcing and references are required.
5. Reply to 1 student post. Be sure to include overall thoughts as well as recommendations for their situation based on your experience and course content. APA in text sourcing and references required as support.