Collaborative Leadership

I find Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple, a fascinating character.  As a gradual (and sceptical) convert to Apple products, from an iPod to an iPhone to a Macbook, it is great to hear the insights of how the company, and particularly it’s leader, operates.

In this shortened version of an interview, Jobs explains how he is a ‘facilitator’, not a manager, and how committees are frowned upon.  What I like is the recognition that to attract and retain key people means accepting that they will often know more than the man at the top.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Builder Profile

So we’ve seen how Directors, those who seek control, can maintain and increase their motivation levels.  Now let’s take a look at the Builder.

If you have Builder as one of your top motivators, you are motivated by money and material things.  You like a high standard of living and you tend to compare yourself with what others have, and want more.  You will regularly review your financial investments, and are likely to have multiple income streams.

Fire Your Grumpy Staff?

I read a great article recently with the above title.   The essence of the message was “I can’t for the life of me see how great customer service can be delivered by staff who hate – or don’t enjoy – their jobs. Great service experiences are always a result of someone who is engaged and sees the problem through the customer’s eyes.”

Couldn’t agree more.  However, you don’t need to fire all of them.  A Motivation Review of the team would soon establish if you had the right people in the right roles to deliver excellent customer service.  More importantly it gives leaders the opportunity to engage with staff at a different, emotional, level – to identify the reasons behind any grumpiness.

A small change in a leader’s reward strategy to each individual will then make a big difference to employee motivation – and customer service.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Director Profile

So we’ve seen how Experts, those who seek mastery, can maintain and increase their motivation levels.  Now let’s take a look at the Director.

If you have Director as one of your top motivators, you want to be able to influence the way things happen, especially having control of people and resources.  This includes making critical decisions about how these are used, and tends towards management roles.  You are self-confident and provide clarity for others.  Consequently you like clarity from others, which means clear objectives and strategy from above.

Leaders – Treat Followers As Equals

Enjoy this simple, light-hearted look at how a leader’s natural skills encourage the initial following, which quickly grows into a movement.

There are many qualities required in any such situation – confidence, self-belief, energy, empathy.  Let me know what else you spotted.  The motivation of the leader is clearly Spirit, and their passion for what they believe in.  But is is their ability to let followers lead others which ultimately makes the difference.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Expert Profile

So we’ve seen how Friends, those who seek belonging, can maintain and increase their motivation levels. Now let’s take a look at the Expert.

If you have Expert as one of your top motivators, you seek mastery of a subject, and you like to pass that knowledge on to others.  You actively seek opportunities to demonstrate expertise in the specialised fields in which you operate.   Training opportunities are highly motivating for you, though a course is not always necessary, as you enjoy self-development too.

In It For Fun, Not Money

Before you read this I have to admit to being a Branson fan.  I found Sir Richard’s blog on fun-not-money very interesting and very relevant to the work I do around what motivates individuals and teams, and how that can drive success.

I disagree that most people start businesses because they “feel that they can create something that is going to make a difference to other people’s lives”.  I think people start businesses for all sorts of reasons.  However I strongly agree that people who DO start a business for this reason are most likely to be successful, as they will put customers first.

So perhaps this gives us an insight into the motivators that will make the most successful entrepreneurs?  Making a difference is the Searcher motivator.  Add some Spirit (autonomy) and Creator (innovation) and that could be the recipe for success!

Let me know if you’d like to find out what motivates you.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Friend Profile

So we’ve seen how Defenders, those who are driven by security, can maintain and increase their motivation levels.  Now let’s take a look at the Friend.

If you have Friend as one of your top motivators, you need to belong to a community – an organisation, a team, a group, etc – with which you share values.  You enjoy building relationships with other people at work and you tend to work more collaboratively.  You may not like a job, but will stick around if you like the people.  You don’t like conflict and will avoid cold-calling at all costs!

Success Is A Continuous Journey

There are some brilliant Ted Talks and this one from Richard St John is a very candid view on success.

What I find interesting is Richard’s view that he became successful doing things that he enjoyed doing, but that success meant he had to do things that he didn’t enjoy – his explanation is very much a task focus.  If you look at this from a motivation perspective, it is clear that Richard is motivated by autonomy rather than money, and certainly not operational management.

I’ve seen a very similar situation working with a local entrepreneur in Dorset.  When I explained their motivators to them (see Motivating Without Money) they suddenly realised why they weren’t enjoying their role like they used to.  Thankfully this happened in time for them to implement changes to the business rather than suffering the same pain that Richard went through.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Defender Profile

So we’ve seen how Stars, those who are driven by public recognition, can maintain and increase their motivation levels. Now let’s take a look at the Defender.

If you have Defender as one of your top motivators, you really don’t like surprises!  You need stability, security and predictability, which means that you demand more communication than the average employee.