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How to use motivations to increase meaning and performance at work
We imagine a world where every workplace is led by strong leaders who bring out the best in themselves and their teams.
When leaders tap into the motivations of their employees, the result is a high-performing, highly engaged team. While motivations can seem like an opaque or ambiguous concept, the Motivation Map is a practical tool that makes motivations tangible and leaves your team inspired.
Motivations are the driving force behind why people do what they do. They can help us activate work, persist through challenges, or increase our focus.
Here are examples of what motivates people at work:
Each of us works for different reasons so there is no one-size-fits-all approach. That's why managers can unlock everyone's best performance by understanding the unique motivations of their direct reports.
We spend so much time at work that, in a sense, how we work is how we spend our life. So it follows that what you do in work should ideally match what you want to do with your life.
By reflecting on and aligning their work to motivations, employees can find greater success and purpose. This is renewable super-fuel!
Focusing on motivations doesn't mean your team members get to ditch work they don't like. But it's important to understand which aspects of work are more draining. Your direct reports can keep the bad stuff in perspective and be smart about when and how they tackle the less motivating parts of their job.
The psychology of motivations is complex and there are many ways to motivate your team. One tool that can help managers understand their direct reports and their motivations is the Motivation Map. The map helps people introspect on what is most important to them and how that translates into their work motivations.
It also helps managers understand the relative importance of each motivation to their direct report. For example, autonomy and free snacks may both motivate an employee. But understanding that autonomy is significantly more important than snacks will help the manager lean into actions like giving the person ownership of projects rather than buying them new snacks every week.
Motivations don’t align to current role
Sometimes managers shy away from this exercise out of fear that direct reports' motivations may not align to their roles. It's important to remember that these motivations exist whether or not the manager knows about them.
It's far better to know if an employees' motivations are not being met in their role. This insight gives managers the opportunity to make adjustments instead of being blind-sided when a top-performer resigns. This exercise also starts a dialogue that enables both manager and their direct report to address issues together.
Motivations are outside manager’s control
Managers may find out that what motivates their employee is outside the manager's control, like money or equity.
Again, these motivations exist whether or not the manager knows about them. This present an opportunity for the manager to share how things work at the company. Employees can make wrong assumptions and take it personally. "I thought promotions happened whenever you want them. I didn't realize they happen in October".
Further, managers can influence. For example if an employee is heavily motivated by money, the manager can advocate for their compensation in the next compensation review. They can also share this data point with their own manager and HR in case there are other top performers voicing similar concerns.
Once a manager understands the motivations of their direct report, it is important to commit and act.
When it comes to committing, both manager and direct report should be part of the solution. Managers should also be clear and upfront when they cannot commit to a specific change. For example, if a manager can't change the number of days in-office, they shouldn't promise something. Instead, talk through ways to introduce more flexibility, quiet time, or whatever underlying motivation is being affected by in-office days.
When it comes to action, focus on 1-2 things at a time. Redirect work that is UN-motivating or assign work that is super motivating. Managers can talk with their own manager and HR about motivations they can't fulfil without company buy-in.
Many managers are already things that align with employees' motivations so be sure to call them out. "Hey, I know you love a challenge so that's why I gave you Project X". This is an evergreen motivator! Connect the dots whenever you can.
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