In my work at Escata, a creative director that I have been talking to, is currently engaged in London as a freelance director has mega expenses, celebrity associations and almost guaranteed success is thinking about setting up a production company in the North West because it’s his birthplace, there is a lot of affection for the area and a desire to spend more time here.
Is it going to be easy to make the time or to set up a new project? Is it going to be easy to prioritise effort required to organise something new. In short no. Greater financial rewards from third parties and the ability to operate in comfort zones can be a strong reason to put off working on your personal goals.
To set up the proposed project in the North West will probably mean working with unknown names, application of a lot of hard work and adoption of a leadership role in addition to acting as a director. Whether the project will happen or not is possibly linked to the level of motivation for setting up the Northern project which is linked to the values attached to it.
Feather (1982) found that values had an influence on the perceived attractiveness of choice of alternatives and that the expectation of achievement of the chosen course of action also influenced the choice. It was found that the affect (feeling gained from the outcome) affected the behaviour choice. From this it would follow that if you attach a high value to the outcome of a course of action (value is not necessarily connected with money, but it could be) you’re more likely to achieve the goal you have set. If the outcome is linked to the performance of a specific task, even if the motivation for performance of the task is not 100%, the thought of achieving the outcome could act as a strong motivator. If the value of spending time the wonderful North West with its wit and humour, really carries value, the outcome may override the difficulty associated with working on a less glamorous project with lower financial returns. There may be additional spin off benefits like creating a brighter future for younger people, building more connections for a later stage in life.
Using the model described earlier there still needs to be a belief that the effort expended will result in positive performance i.e. that the effort used in setting up the new project will result in a sustainable and profitable business. There needs to be an acceptance that the products and services produced by the business may not carry the same prestige as previous projects. There needs to be a view that the outcome i.e. the success of the business is linked to the value of spending time in the North West. The motivation for directing in London on high status, high value projects with celebrity associations, is a feeling of success. Perhaps that same feeling of success could be linked to production of different services in the North West. There are plenty of success stories of people setting up successful creative businesses and the skill set to move from director to leader/owner manager can be acquired through experience, learning and forming networks. This combined with the experience gained from previous roles has the promise of success.
In conclusion, money could be a motivator for continuing with the course of action in London where there will be higher financial rewards. Other values which are of importance to the person concerned may be a motivator to change direction and work towards different goals which could produce equal feelings of success.
Gill Hunt
