Derrick Coleman Case Study

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1. Although this is a commercial, it is also the most profound motivational influence I have seen in a while, so I had to put it on here. It is both inspiring and motivational for kids, adults and anyone feeling like they won’t achieve their dream. Derrick Coleman the first deaf NFL player discusses his struggles with becoming an NFL player. Being deaf coaches were unsure how to coach him, he was picked on by many of his peers and told to quit. When he wasn’t picked in the draft he continued to pursue his dream of being an NFL player, until with the opportunity given to him by John Snyder and Pete Carroll his dream became a reality with the Seattle Seahawks. Coleman definitely had motivation. His desire and commitment would not allow…show more content…
I believe there is correlation between performance and motivation x ability, but I think another factor has to be considered as well. In order to achieve peak performance you need to add opportunity or environmental factors. You certainly need the desire and commitment first as well as the ability, but without the opportunity to achieve or someone to give you a chance to perform you will not achieve your peak performance level. A few examples come to mind. A real estate agent can have motivation x ability, but the economic collapse of the housing market is going to inhibit that person’s peak performance by no fault of their own. Athletes as well have the same restraints. Russell Wilson, Derrick Coleman and even Michael Oher are good examples. They definitely had the ability and drive and commitment, but without being given the opportunity to show how well they could perform they were not at their optimal performance level. I think the reason this equation Performance = Motivation x Ability is used mostly in management is because these are factors that can be manipulated by leaders. They can hire the people with the right abilities for the specific job they need and also improve ability with training. There are also several ways, which we have learned in this chapter, that managers can apply to motivate their employees. Some argue, which I agree with, that you can create your own opportunities. This is somewhat true as well. Seattle would not have gone to the Superbowl and had the opportunity to win without several factors coming together, such as motivation, teamwork and great coaching. So, one could argue that you can create your own opportunities, which is some instances are true, however, my point is that without opportunity playing a factor you will never achieve your best
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