Motivation and the belief that we can make an impact.

In 1998, Professor Claudia M. Mueller from Columbia University conducted a fascinating experiment with a group of fifth graders. Each child was asked to solve a series of challenging puzzles on their own. Regardless of how well they performed, they were all told they did exceptionally well—better than most of the other kids.

Afterward, the students were split into two groups. One group was told they scored high because they worked hard, while the other group was told it was because they were smart and naturally gifted. Then, they were given three new types of puzzles to tackle: easy ones, medium-difficulty ones, and extremely challenging ones.

The results were eye-opening. The kids who were praised for being smart spent most of their time on the easy puzzles, avoiding the harder ones almost entirely. They didn’t spend much time overall trying to solve the puzzles (low motivation), and when asked about the experience, they said it wasn’t particularly enjoyable.

In contrast, the kids who were told they succeeded because they worked hard spent most of their time on the more challenging puzzles. They also invested more time overall in trying to solve the puzzles (high motivation) and said they genuinely enjoyed the process.

To understand what’s going on, we need to consider the concept of Locus of Control—the extent to which people believe they have control over the events in their lives versus being at the mercy of external forces. A person’s “locus” (Latin for “place” or “location”) can be internal, meaning they believe they have control over their life, or external, meaning they think outcomes are determined by factors beyond their influence, like luck or fate.

In the experiment, the kids praised for their hard work developed an internal locus of control. They believed their efforts mattered, which led to higher motivation, resilience, and even enjoyment. On the other hand, the kids praised for being smart developed an external locus of control. They attributed their success to innate ability rather than effort, which made them less motivated, quick to give up, and disengaged from the experience.

This insight aligns with common sense: why would anyone put effort into something if they believe the outcome is entirely out of their control? How can we feel motivated when we think our actions don’t make a difference?

When we see disengaged employees, unmotivated teams, or high turnover among younger workers who struggle to connect with a company’s vision, we should ask ourselves: how much does the organization make them feel like they can make a difference?

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