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.

There’s also an open culture to challenge other leaders, which helps to inspire ideas.  What Jobs does, almost subconsciously, is to realise that within this culture, each key employee will be motivated in different ways, and therefore needs to be recognised differently.  If we conducted a motivation review of his team I would guess most would reflect the company culture, but there would still be a few surprises.  Click here for more information on individual motivators.

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.

So, you will always think you should earn more, but what can you do if you think you are falling behind?  Obviously the current economic climate means that pay rises may be hard to come by, but you’ll want to be there if they are available.  Next ask yourself if you have any control over your earnings – does more success on your part mean you are rewarded with more income?  If not then perhaps you need to look at roles with an element of variable pay, a compensation plan.

If you are already in such a role then it is all about competing and winning.  Understand why you win or lose deals, and change your approach accordingly.  You already know that you might have to change company to maximise your income.

Next Tuesday : We start to look at examples of how to manage each motivator, starting with Spirit.

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.

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.

What can you do if you no longer feel in control?  Ask yourself about the purpose behind what you are doing – if you don’t know then you either don’t have, or don’t understand, your strategy and objectives.  So go and find them out, and clarify exactly what responsibilities you have in the organisation.  If possible, seek more responsibility, for this will be motivating for you, as long as you are in control of related decisions.

You will also want to be at the forefront of any organisational re-structure, as you won’t want to see another layer of management between you and your boss.  If you can get the more senior roles it will, ultimately, mean that you will be responsible for more resources.  Be careful to learn to adapt your management style to others’ preferences, as you will have a tendency to micro-manage!

Next Tuesday : Builder – the need for money.

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.

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.

How do you make sure you feel comfortable that your Expert motivator is getting satisfied?  A key action is to actively seek learning, training and development – rather than wait for it to be ‘allocated’ to you by others.  Next, your colleagues and customers need to know that you have this expertise, so be pro-active in sharing that knowledge.  You will soon find people come to you with questions.

You need to pay particular attention to your skills when you are changing roles, as starting a new job without the right skills, or at least a development plan in place, will be very de-motivating for you.  Be careful if you have moved into management from an expert role – you will need to focus on your delegation skills rather than taking work from your team.

Next Tuesday : Director – the need for control.

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.

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!

So what can you do if you don’t feel part of a team?  Firstly, take a look at your role and ask yourself it is team-based.  If not, are there any other teams around you that you could be a part of – this may be people who work at the same location, or perhaps you could be part of a virtual team, such as an account sales team.

Next check your working habits.  Do you isolate yourself by working at home or always travelling alone?  Could you be in the office more, could you travel with a colleague?  You may be someone who likes the social aspects of work, so why don’t you organise something for the team?  If you are self-employed or run your own business it is important to find partners to collaborate with – sometimes just to share an office with.

Next Tuesday : Expert – the need for mastery.

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.

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.

So what can you do if your boss doesn’t communicate enough with you?  Firstly, you can be pretty sure that their top motivator isn’t Defender – always useful to know – and make them aware of your need to know.  Even more enlightening is if your ‘thirst for information’ actually irritates your boss, because this means it might be their lowest motivator.  In that case you’ll need to be patient and try to focus on the priority areas for you, rather than everything at once.

You are, naturally, quite risk averse, so look to secure roles in secure businesses.  If you do take risks then do your research first – but of course, you already do that, don’t you……Running your own business could bring challenges.

Next Tuesday : Friend – the need for belonging and relationships.