MOTIVATING BY PERSONALITY

Every workplace is made up of a multitude of different personality types, which can be challenging when trying to lead a team. There’s no strategies or techniques for management that every employee will engage with, so in order to motivate a team, their unique personalities must be taken into consideration.

It may be easy to assume that increased salaries or improved relationships between employees are universal motivators, but as American psychologist Frederick Herzberg concluded in his Motivation-Hygiene Theory, these factors can reduce job dissatisfaction but they don’t necessarily guarantee satisfaction. His findings instead pointed to recognition of achievements, opportunity for growth, and the work itself being amongst the main motivators for employees. By recognising the motivators that each employee has, you will be better positioned to successfully engage each individual member of staff.

Here are the key personality types you are most likely to recognise and how to motivate them:

Seeking stability
This employee appreciates predictability within an established organisation, where they have a set routine and know exactly what is expected of them. The best way for a leader to engage with this type of employee is to maintain a clear stream of communication by keeping them in the loop and giving regular briefings. They find security in achieving their goals, so make sure to acknowledge their service.

Seeking innovation
A creative type who likes to be challenged, the innovation seeker appreciates being involved in the generation of new ideas and being given problems to solve. To help them thrive, avoid giving them a rigid routine that will demotivate them. Knowing that they have some freedom to put new ideas forward will give this type of employee a boost.

Seeking knowledge
This type of worker enjoys a role where they get to use their specialist knowledge and skill set, and is motivated by training and development. They are ambitious and appreciate being recognised for their expertise, especially when the skills they have developed increase opportunities for promotion. To lead a knowledge seeker, set them targets that can be achieved by mastering new skills.

Seeking power
A power seeker aims for leadership and management roles that offer them responsibility and control. To keep them focused, find them opportunities to manage or deputise within the workplace. Although their main aim is usually a promotion, a change of job title can also be hugely motivating, as it will reflect their power.

Seeking recognition
Driven by earning respect in the workplace, a recognition seeker is driven by having their achievements visibly acknowledged and by receiving positive feedback on their efforts. With this kind of worker, feed their urge for recognition by asking them to be involved in projects and offering regular reviews of their progress.

Using insight to tap in to each worker’s individual motivators will lead to a more productive workplace, as each person will feel valued within the company. Additionally, it will develop your skills as a manager to have a deeper understanding of how to inspire different types of personalities. Need some guidance in figuring out what makes your employees tick? We can help.