Husband and Wife Teams

I have worked with a number of husband and wife teams, many of whom have been effective and successful.  But not without some challenges to overcome, due to the complex nature of their ‘multi-faceted’ relationships.

Whether they run their own business(es), or work in the same company, or even the same team, the first hurdle is to separate their work and their home lives.  Really separate them, as in removing any emotional baggage that has taken place at home when they come into work – not easy!

One way to help is to review how our couples are motivated at work, to enable them to have a deeper understanding of what makes each other tick.  Combine this with clear business goals and the right skills and they can be really focussed on business success.  That is providing they can switch off when they leave the office!

For example, one half of a couple, who ran multiple businesses together, as well as separate businesses, decided to set up a new business.  They knew this would take some time to build and ring-fenced the time to enable them to do so.  However, they soon found themselves under financial pressure from their spouse.

When we looked at their motivation profiles it was clear that one was more focussed on money and the other on quality and customer service.  This was clearly causing some conflict, so it was a relief to both to find out the reason behind it.  They were delighted to find that the common ground between their two opposing views was both achievable and very productive for the businesses.  It also enabled them to ‘park’ external factors and really focus on business outcomes.

Of course many teams can find themselves in similar situations to our couples, in fact being in a team can feel like a marriage at times!  Most, if not all, issues can be resolved by understanding what makes each other tick.  Simple, quick and effective!

Banning working from home…

Many large corporations are moving away from the ‘working from home’ concept, with companies like Yahoo banning it altogether.  Unfortunately many employyes will leave their positions in reaction to these new policies.  A one-size-fits-all approach to working hours and conditions is likely to backfire.

Knowing how to motivate your team is vital if you are in pursuit of the greatest productivity.  Dynamic, forward-thinking organisations recognise the value of offering flexible working practices.  They reap the rewards from highly engaged staff who feel motivated and perform their roles to the best of their abilities.  This also lowers staff turnover and thus recruitment and training costs.

Others don’t give the flexibility they could, probably due to poor leadership and management practices and lack of trust.  This leads to some staff feeling de-motivated and under-performing.  Or they might even leave.

However, the ones who will leave first are likely to be some of your best people.  They are confident, competent and are likely to be sought after by your competitors.

The key thing is that some individuals love flexibility, others love being in the office and some like a mixture of both.  So your flexible working policy needs to incorporate the needs of each individual, and what makes them tick.

And your leaders need to be able to get the best from every individual, wherever they work.

Do you understand what makes your people tick, so you can make the most of flexible working in your team?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Meaning At Work

I read People Management’s interview with Dave Ulrich with interest – see The Why Guy.

The most compelling part for me is the affirmation that the responsibility for motivating staff, or providing meaning for what they do, sits firmly with business leaders.

That’s why we engage at C- level, with the support of HR, when dealing with Motivation Reviews.  When a leader invests from their P&L and sees the benefits directly (increased sales, customer satisfaction, productivity) everyone wins.

When organisations are really smart, the leader also empowers their direct reports with this responsibility.  This means the organisation is focussed on success through the motivation of  its employees – a powerful way to drive results.

How Motivation Drives Performance – Creator Profile

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

If you have Creator as one of your top motivators, you will seek and embrace change and innovation.   Your favourite gift is a blank sheet of paper; your worst nightmare the company handbook of processes and procedures.  You are highly motivated when you are given the opportunity to identify new ideas, new ways of doing old things, or to solve problems – as long as you get the credit, not your boss.

The (Not So) Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us

This an an interesting video which I thought I would share with you.

The animation is brilliant, but it really doesn’t take university / economist studies to work out that money is not everyone’s main motivator.

If you’d like to know how these theories work in practice, and the benefits you can gain for your business, take a look at what a Motivation Review can do for you.