Building Intrinsic Motivation on Your Team
An approach way more effective than a Braveheart speech.
95% of my clients are people managers. That means it’s their job to generate results through others; they aren’t producing results by themselves, or at least that’s not their entire job. This lack of control can be scary, particularly for new managers. They want to learn how to motivate people, and fast.
In fact, “how do I motivate my team” is one of the most common questions I get. My initial response: motivation isn’t something you can generate from scratch, or force upon people. You can’t just give a Braveheart speech and bam, the team is motivated. Instead, your objective is to create an environment where people are able to motivate themselves. We call that intrinsic motivation: it’s way more productive and way longer lasting than extrinsic motivation.
To create an environment ripe for intrinsic motivation, we first need to understand what motivates people. My favorite framework on this topic was created by the psychologist David McClelland, and it’s called Need Theory. Basically, it states that humans have three types of emotional needs: achievement, affiliation, and power. Their motivation is shaped by their orientation toward a particular need.
I’ve found that my clients typically have a primary need, and a secondary one. In other words, they usually have one need that is more dominant than others, and shapes their motivation. More on the three types of need:
Someone with a need for achievement:
Is goal-oriented, loves to accomplish a challenging task
Is open to risks, particularly if they align with a goal
Likes getting feedback
Often likes working alone
What motivates them: hitting quotas, getting a bonus, outperforming others
Someone with a need for affiliation:
Believes that the sum is greater than the parts
Likes to be part of a team and will seek alignment with team members
Favors collaboration over competition
Doesn’t like high risk or uncertainty
What motivates them: a sense of belonging, recognition for their team
Someone with a need for power (note that I often call this “influence,” because power can have a negative connotation):
Enjoys competition and winning
Seeks praise and recognition; likes to be in the spotlight
Favors leadership positions and the chance to organize an effort
Is self-disciplined and expects others to be the same
What motivates them: management and leadership, the knowledge that they are influencing outcomes
The very best managers are able to identify the primary needs of each of their team members, and calibrate their management relationship and that person’s responsibilities accordingly. When applied to an entire team, this approach can create a culture of intrinsic motivation that is far more powerful than any extrinsic rewards.
Interested in how this theory impacts your effectiveness as a manager? Here’s a great article on assessing your own motivators as a manager, and how that impacts managerial performance.
👋 I’m a seasoned executive coach partnering with executives and people managers in tech to manage from abundance, not fear. Interested in coaching for you or your team? Learn more at iocoaching.co. You can also follow me on Twitter at @nikkilgoldman.