Mastering Motivation: The Role of Fear and Love in Your Learning

What’s top of mind: 

Maybe you noticed I’ve been a little quiet the last few weeks. Maybe you thought I ran off into the wilderness to escape the busyness of it all. Let me tell you: quite the opposite! Whereas last summer an injury forced me to slow down, this summer is on a tear all its own. I’ve been traveling for work, coaching Australian football, spending time with loved ones, and releasing a new LinkedIn Learning course called SAP S/4 HANA Essential Training.  

You know how it goes! We’re constantly moving, running toward or away from something. There’s a relentlessness to it—and a sense of normalcy about it. It feels natural, like it’s “just how life is.” There are precious few moments of zen when we’re fully present in the moment. I wrote about that last time—being in the zone—and while it’s exhilarating, it doesn’t always feel sustainable. How do we move through the other 99% of life? How do we stay motivated when our experience is effortful and disjointed? 

In my experience, one side of the motivation spectrum is powered by fear. Our fears are mixed, but I think most boil down to a few major players. There’s fear of death (fair enough), fear of abandonment (being alone or kicked out of the group), and fear of loss (around love, opportunity, time, or potential). 

I have seen fear serve as the prime motivator in many people’s lives. For example, when I teach in person at companies implementing SAP for the first time; most learners are terrified. In their pre-SAP world, they were experts at their jobs. Now, suddenly, they have to start their training over in an intimidating system. In an effort to stay effective (and employed), the fear of being cast aside drives them to learn new skills. I’ve often found that half my role is as a cheerleader who can reassure learners that they can handle the change. 

And I can tell you that letting fear lead doesn’t always amount to a pleasant experience, but it can get us where we need to go. In some cases, it can be an incredible motivator. Famous producer and Interscope Records Founder Jimmy Iovine has a telling quote about making fear a tailwind,

“Fear's a powerful thing. I mean, it's got a lot of firepower. If you can figure out a way to wrestle that fear to push you from behind rather than to stand in front of you, that's very powerful.” 

We can use fear as a base for motivational alchemy, a process in which we take something difficult and transform it into the fuel we need to propel ourselves forward. 

What’s the alternative?

If you ask me, the other side of the motivation spectrum is powered by love. Wait! Before you check out because I’m getting too corny, let me re-frame what “love” might mean within the context of learning. 

At its core, love is just a strong affection for something. An enthusiasm. A passion! Maybe even an obsession. 

When I’m motivated by love it means I’m excited about learning, instead of dreading it. Showing up to a class with an open heart means I’m approaching it with curiosity and an eagerness to ask as many questions as I like.  It means I have a low degree of self-consciousness and I don’t care about looking stupid to the instructor or my peers (this has only shown up as I've gotten older). It means I can try to explain what I am learning in my own words and take feedback from others to deepen my understanding. And when I get it all wrong, being motivated by love means I can have a good laugh at myself and keep moving forward because I just can’t get enough! 

This sort of insatiable appetite is the biggest distinction between running towards love instead of away from fear; when we’re motivated by passion, we can count even our failures, our mistakes, our missteps as wins along the way. These hurdles are proof we are chasing our dreams.  

What’s in it for you? 

I’d challenge you to find something, anything, to love the next time you’re confronted with a potentially scary new experience. Because, when we’re learning something new, changing our approach from one of hesitancy and fear to one of openness and curiosity can lead to much better outcomes. Getting it wrong starts to feel like progress and that sets off a motivational flywheel with unstoppable momentum.  

What I’m learning: 

My partner and I cruised our way through Netflix’s documentary series “Tour de France: Unchained” like we were Tadej Pogačar on a mountain stage. The timing conveniently aligned with the starting of this year’s Tour and I’ve gotten slightly obsessed with learning about the race, who the riders to watch are, and what all the different color jerseys mean. I’ve decided that I, personally, would want to be KOM (King of the Mountains) 🚵 and rock the red polka dot jersey. If you're a Tour aficionado, please share your tips to help get me up to sprinting speed!  

What’s new with SAP: 

SAP’s annual US conference, Sapphire, took place in Orlando last month. There’s a great recap of all the new partnerships and announcements here. 

What else?

Big news in the SAP training space! SAP acquired WalkMe, a DAP (Digital Adoption Platform) Software as a Service company. WalkMe offers guided walk throughs, contextual tips, automation of repetitive tasks, and on-boarding training and support. And—you guessed it!—they just launched an A.I.-powered copilot, which is right in line with SAP’s roadmap.  

Hot Take:

I’ve never used WalkMe, but I’m curious if it will cannibalize SAP Enable Now or whether the two products will work together to support SAP’s digital transformations. Personally, I wouldn’t be too sad to see the clunky Enable Now solution fade away.  

That said, the move sure makes it seem like SAP is committed to doing anything and everything to support the RISE with SAP initiative and get all customers over to their “A.I. powered cloud ERP.”  

What I’m reading: 

The Coach’s Guide to Teaching by Doug Lemov

I want to be a better teacher—I always want to be a better teacher!—and recently I’ve gotten more interested in becoming a better coach, so this book seemed like an obvious pick. I’m only halfway through, but one thing that has stood out to me so far is the idea of “Deliberate Practice of Patterns.” The concept involves repeatedly exposing athletes to specific scenarios where they need to recognize and react to patterns. Through repetition, athletes can internalize these patterns and speed up their instinctive responses. It makes total sense in sports, but it’s also made me reevaluate how I lead my training courses.  Can I incorporate patterns in teaching SAP? How can I help my learners recognize the problems they encounter more quickly? I’ll let you know what I come up with in the next edition.

What else?

Where are you motivated by fear? Where are you motivated by love? Which is more effective for you? I’m genuinely curious! I’m often driven by the fear of letting someone down or missing a deadline. Even when it comes to things I love doing, like writing this newsletter! When there’s no deadline for me to publish it, I write less frequently. Being subject to both love and fear feels a bit like biking into a headwind—and that’s a tough way to win any stage.

Looking forward,

JV

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