Many of us are more motivated than ever to create social change. We may look at the events in the world and notice ourselves feeling furious, afraid, inspired, and more. If we can unbraid these various motivations, we can see them and ourselves more clearly. With this clarity, we can better engage with conscious awareness and agency – fueling ourselves for more effective, consistent, and sustainable change.
Push & Pull Motivations
One simple way to separate these motivations is by distinguishing between push and pull motivations. Succinctly, push motivations are what we are seeking to avoid, get away from, stop, and end. Pull motivations are what we are seeking to move toward, year for, and inspire us. Push motivations can be external factors and pull motivations internal, but that is not always the case. Push motivations are often immediate, claim our attention, and can burn hot. Pull motivations tend to be less obvious, require our imagination, and are more sustainable.
Examples
| Push | Pull |
| Suffering | Thriving |
| Exclusion | Belonging |
| Oppression | Liberation |
| Trauma | Well-being |
| Survival | Thriving |
| Burnout | Sustainability |
| Illness | Health |
Leading for Social Change
As leaders, if we can notice and clarify what motivates us, we can engage with that motivation with agency. When I pay attention, I feel barraged and overwhelmed with push motivations, often by the news and social media. These issues and challenges are real, serious, and pressing. I also notice that they leave me feeling overwhelmed, powerless, and like giving up. I feel bad about my lack of engagement, which can easily fall into me justifying why I’m not engaged by pointing to all the bad, awful, and terrible things happening in the world. I can fall in love with the problem.
However, when I actively work (and some days it feels like really hard work) to put my attention on the good I want to bring about in the world (e.g. better tomorrows), I find it is energizing, inspiring, sustainable, fuels my creativity and innovation, and gets me engaged. When this gets difficult or seems impossible, I often turn to adrienne maree brown, who consistently leads me (from afar) back to this place.
“I believe that all organizing is science fiction – that we are shaping the future we long for and have not yet experienced.”
― adrienne maree brown
Leading for Better Tomorrows
Here are three tips for cultivating pull motivations as a leader with your team, organization, and broader movements .
- Imagine
- Imagine the future you would like to realize. Create a vision Literally, create a picture of it in your mind. Can you see it? Is it clear? What could bring more clarity and focus to your vision?
- Curate
- Curate this vision for better tomorrows. Fuel it. Feed it. Feel its resonance in your body. Experience the sustainability of this motivation.
- Lead
- Lead others by painting the picture, inviting them to contribute to the vision, creating buy-in, and fueling our collective energy.
Evolve Your Leadership Voice
If you are a leader inspired to create better tomorrows, consider joining our next cohort of Evolve, launching on June 2, 2025. Evolve is for senior leaders who are deeply knowledgeable, committed to social change, and eager to release fear, gain courage, and take transformative action. In these tumultuous times, we’re doubling down on building the strength and effectiveness of your leadership voice. We’re offering a 1/3 discount for our next cohort, launching on June 2. We’d love for you to be a part of it. Visit Evolve to learn more and register by May 16!
