As a boss, understanding those who work for you and what makes
them shine is essential
Leaders often know instinctively that if you want staff to be
their best, they need the right motivation. And those feelings are correct: Hay
group research showed that highly engaged employees are 50% more likely to
exceed their performance targets.
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| source: presentationgo |
Whether its Maslow’s hierarchy of needs or Hertzberg’s
motivation-hygiene theory, evidence suggests success and happiness is
determined by whether your individual motivators are being met, and that’s not
necessarily all about money.
According to motivational expert James Sale, we have our own
unique blend of motivators. By identifying these nine motivators in your team
and adapting your leadership style to each employee, you will be able to better
engage staff to succeed in their roles. Here are the nine types of worker:
1.
The defender
This worker seeks security, predictability and stability. They
like stable, well established organisations, giving clear roles with a set
routine and career paths. Boosting their motivation involves regular
communication.
Leaders should communicate, communicate, and communicate to these
workers – especially good news about the organisation and how it’s doing. Being
given accurate information frequently is highly motivating for them. Regular
briefings, even emails to keep them in the loop, are useful. They want
continuity from a manager. Tell them in writing what you expect from them, link
goal achievement to security and support them through periods of change. Reward
and value their loyalty and faithful service.
2.
The friend
They seek belonging, friendships and fulfilling relationships.
This worker likes organisations and roles with a strong team ethos, excellent
social activities and opportunities for helping others. They are motivated when
they feel supported, consulted and involved. Create a good social working
environment – they like social events, a personalised approach and a
people-centred culture. They also value it if you publicly stick up for them.
Regularly ask them, “What do you think about X?” and take them into your
confidence.
3.
The star
They seek recognition, respect and social esteem. They like
visible perks that link to their position, clear hierarchical structures, job
titles and the opportunity to shine. Motivate them with awards and status. Feed
their need to be recognised by involving them in projects, providing clear
career progression and regularly reviewing their targets and goals. They
particularly value positive feedback and they love good publicity, so when they
achieve ambitious targets, reward them in a visible way.
4.
The director
They seek power, influence and control over people and resources.
This type of employee likes management or leadership roles with clear and
visible responsibility for people and resources, and promotion and career
prospects. Give them responsibility and influence, give them a mentor and find
opportunities for them to deputise – they like being stretched. Give them a job
title that reflects power – they will find this motivating. Training or
coaching to help them achieve gives them a boost too.
5.
The builder
Seeks money, material satisfactions and above-average living. They
like performance and reward to be strongly linked, are drawn to professions
with above average pay and visible routes to promotion. This is the one
employee type who is strongly motivated by money and material perks. They are
energised when they have a clear career path and plan, regular progress reviews
and increasing responsibility. You need to set them clear goals and link them
to rewards, especially financial ones. Engage their competitive spirit with
games, sporting activities and competitions – these will all boost their
motivation.
6.
The expert
This employee seeks knowledge, mastery and specialisation. They
like roles requiring specialist knowledge and skill, and are motivated by
environments where personal development leads to formal recognition of
expertise. Their motivational hot button is training and development,
especially when training, coaching or mentoring is linked to promotion. They
are motivated by ambitious targets and being a guide or mentor to others as
they like opportunities to share their expertise and specialise in areas of
interest. Encourage them to connect with other experts and further boost their
expertise.
7.
The creator
Seeks innovation, creativity and change. They like problem
solving, development work in cutting edge, innovative organisations or
challenging environments. Involve them in ideas generation, giving them
problems to solve and projects that need originality. Recognise their
creativity by rewarding them for innovation. Avoid putting them in a routine
role for too long as they get bored easily and become quickly demotivated. The
more stimulating environment you can provide, the better; shaking up the office
and creating a space for brainstorming gives them a boost.
8.
The spirit
This worker seeks freedom, independence and autonomy. They like
roles offering freedom where they control their own time, can make their own
decisions and use their discretion. You can motivate them by sharing the
company vision and goals, delegating responsibility and allowing them to work
autonomously. Support them to understand their values and clarify their vision
for their life and work. Restrictions, rules and procedures can demotivate them
as they hate bureaucracy. Be clear and specific about their objectives; avoid
micro-management, but create clear boundaries to give them the freedom they
need.
9.
The searcher
Seeks meaning, purpose and wants to make a difference. They like
purposeful organisations and are motivated by learning, caring-orientated roles
and projects, often with consumer-facing opportunities. Their top motivations
are praise and regular feedback. They are energised by linking their goals to
the wider team or organisational goals and receiving feedback on how they are
making a difference. Give them significant, important work, variety and help
them see the bigger picture.
Identifying types
There are individual profiling tools such as Motivational Maps that
define types and measure motivation, or alternatively you may spot certain
traits in your team. Using such insight, management can really understand what
makes their employees tick and how they need to behave to fix energy levels.
Carole Gaskell is managing director of leadership consultancy Full
Potential Group.
Source: The Guardians
