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All people in our society (with a few pathological exceptions) have a need or desire for a stable, firmly based, (usually) high evaluation of themselves, for self-respect, or self-esteem, and for the esteem of others (Maslow, 1943). Maslow’s progressive hierarchy of needs are Physiological → Safety → Social → Esteem → Self-actualization.  People that encourage others, are optimistic, and praise action, raise self-esteem in others.  Those that are negative, pessimistic and chastise others bring self-esteem down. Our esteem is derived from our purpose in life and being on this earth.  Satisfaction of the self-esteem need leads to feelings of self-confidence, worth, strength, capability and adequacy of being useful and necessary in the world (Maslow, 1943).  We thrive and are motivated at doing things we are good at because it builds our self-esteem and confidence.

Clayton Alderfer (1972) sought to simplify the hierarchy of needs by breaking it down into three concepts. Thus, the progression in the ERG model is Existence → Relatedness → Growth which relates to Physical → Social → Psychological (Baack, 2017). The ERG theory in addition, includes frustration and regression in the Relatedness/ Social category. These elements are based off of how well an employee can work with others. If an employee connects well and is able to form relationships, they are able to move on to the growth stage of the theory. If they don’t, they will regress and fall back into a physical need.

The Maslow and the ERG theory focus on the physical needs first. These are the needs that satisfy the human body. Physiological needs include food, clothing, shelter, water, and sex—the basic bodily needs (Baack, 2017). I think in daily life we need to be aware of what affects our needs and what our impulse needs are at the moment. Why are those needs so prevalent? We are either depriving ourselves of an element or unaware that we have it. In the military, I make sure that my Soldiers are fed, given time for fitness and personal hygiene. After a routine is developed for physical needs, we can focus on training and development. Training and development is able to cover the remaining hierarchy of needs. I am able to focus on team development and make sure everyone feels as though they are part of the team. I conduct evaluations to help Soldier be more aware of their actions, performance and behavior. It is my responsibility as a leader to be aware of my actions and the actions of my Soldiers and adjust as necessary.

Baack, D. (2017). Organizational behavior (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://ashford.content.eduLinks to an external site.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-396. Retrieved from:https://library.ashford.edu/ezproxy.aspx?url=http%3A//search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true%2526AuthType=ip,cpid%2526custid=s8856897%2526db=pdh%2526AN=1943-03751-001%2526site=ehost-live