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The most interesting information that I took from Adam Grant was that the largest problem with employees who have high task positions is that they are disconnected from seeing the impact of their work. For example, car mechanics who put together car parts such as seatbelts and airbags never see the drivers who've been in accidents who were saved by airbags and such. In retail, sales associates work very hard in achieving store goals, and when the goals are met, and the store is ranked number one in sales or customer experience, sales associatese aren't the ones being recognized from corporate with bonuses or extra time off.

Another thing that was interesting was the initial high motovation of employees at the beginning, excited to do their work, but over time, employees lose their motivation due to the lack of recognition. Which means employees need to be reminded of how important their work is for the company, and how much they are valued at the company. Verbal affirmation, providing lunch, setting personal goals are some ways to keep employees motivated.

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I found the point about the students that were “cold callers” very intriguing. Trying to raise money for a school is a difficult task especially when in a recession. They are calling alumni and other who had received help or attend the school in the past. These callers are not always welcomed by the individual on the other end of the phone. As a caller they may feel that they are making little to zero progress in acquiring money for the school due to the high failure rate. They need to see how well they are doing as a total to show that they actually are making a difference in the task at hand. This job is high in task significance and the caller should have the opportunity to see what effect they are making. Another similar story was the job of a Lifeguard. Many will never have to jump into a pool and have to save a life. Adams had a great idea to use stories from the media about how a lifeguard had saved a drowning victim to motivate other lifeguards.

I definitely agree and support Adam's three recommendations to boost up employees' motivation, commitment and satisfaction to their jobs and the missions of the companies they work for. 

The mission of my organization, an organ transplant organization (OPO) and the work I do everyday, although not directly related to saving people's lives, motivate me to give 120% of myself for the cause.   Once in awhile, I heard stories of people we helped saved or prolonged their lives.   The feeling of satisfaction and appreciation of being  a part of the organization is indescrible. 

Adam Grant makes an interesting point that reminding people of the meaning and significance of their work can double their productivity. And he did this by simply sharing stories from people who benefited from their jobs

I think Adam made a great point in his research. It would help companies lower the turnaround rate of employees in companies if employees heard or saw their job really does make a difference. I have worked in retail for almost 7 years, which is very tedious. If someone showed me appreciation it would definitely keep me motivated to work harder. I wish the question was brought up why companies do not use this technique in trainings more often. I also wanted to know more about similar motivating techniques employers could use if they could not use Adam's way of motivating.

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