Motivating the Middle Review

     The first time that I had ever heard of Motivating the Middle was when I attended the Student Leadership Summit hosted by Stonehill College, Bridgewater State University, and Wheaton College. One of the smaller group sessions I elected to attend was focused on motivating your current members, and recruiting potential new members. BSU was the only school out of the three who had Greek Life, so some of the information regarding recruitment methods was redundant. However, when the professor began speaking about Motivating the Middle, it was something I had never heard about before. He spoke briefly of the differences between the "thirds", and how no matter how big or small your organization is, it will always be separated into these thirds. I was really intrigued about this explanation of group roles and wanted to learn more about it; unfortunately, I don't have much time to read for pleasure while I am here at school, so going to get the book and ultimately read it got sent to the backburner. 

     Thankfully, GLAD was able to give me a reason to read the book, as well as prioritize reading it. The first thought I had after opening the book for the first time was that the theory of these "thirds" within organizations made so much sense. An organization full of top third members who are always willing to go above and beyond would never be able to function. The same goes for the middle and bottom thirds. All of the thirds are somewhat interdependent on one another, and the organization needs these thirds in order to maintain balance. 

     My take on the middle third was that these are the members who so badly love their organization, but they just don't have the means to devote their entire life to it. These are the members who are struggling with going to school full time, working part time, all while trying to remain involved on campus. It might be the members who commute or the members who, rightfully, prioritize their school work above all else. I feel as if motivating this group is less of rewards or incentives and more showing this third that their opinions and ideas matter just as much as everyone else's. Letting your middle third members know that they are valued will motivate them better than rewards could.

    I truly enjoyed getting to read this book and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to expand their leadership knowledge and sharpen their skills! It was a wonderful book and I'm glad I did get the chance to read it!