Employees often tell you what they want. They want a raise or promotion, maybe stock options. But in the famous words of Steve Jobs, “people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
While these incentives are important to keep your employees happy and feel valued, you need a different approach to encourage day-to-day productivity and motivation that’s self-sustaining.
Tap into intrinsic motivators—employees’ need for autonomy, mastery, and purpose.
Watch Conducting Motivational 1-on-1 Meetings with Alex Moyle for more on figuring out what makes your teams tick, as well as tips for leading performance reviews that motivate employees.
3 Intrinsic Motivators Every Manager Needs to Know
#1 Autonomy
Employees craving autonomy may not always express their need outright. You may sense they’re frustrated by your frequent check-ins, or you may find them frustrated when they don’t have clear ownership of projects.
Someone motivated by autonomy wants to be left alone in their work. They want to be able to make decisions on their own and be trusted to do the right thing for themselves, their team, the company.
The trick is to encourage autonomy in line with their skillset. Give them the opportunity to succeed, and every time they prove themselves, give them increasingly challenging tasks to independently complete.
#2 Mastery
If someone on your team expresses they’re bored in their role, that’s a good signal they’re motivated by mastery. Mastery is all about the inner desire to improve, and people in this camp need to constantly be learning and developing.
When boredom strikes mastery-driven employees, it may be time to reinvent that person’s role.
Work with them to set a clear path to achieve goals. Give them opportunities to feel like they’re progressing. And keep putting projects and experiences in front of them that will help them feel like they’re developing.
#3 Purpose
Why am I here? Why do I turn up to work? What do I want to be in life? These are the questions that people motivated by purpose are always asking.
Purpose-driven employees are likely the ones asking the big picture questions in team meetings or performance reviews. While it may feel like their contributions are off track or distracting, take note—this is someone who may be motivated by purpose, whether it’s serving customers, serving employees, or serving society.
Tap into their passion and you’ll nurture an engaged employee who will keep showing up as a valuable part of the team.
Watch Conducting Motivational 1-on-1 Meetings with Alex Moyle for more on figuring out what makes your teams tick, as well as tips for leading performance reviews that can help motivate your team.
Other LinkedIn Learning courses you may be interested in:
Giving and Receiving Feedback with Gemma Leigh Roberts
Motivating and Engaging Employees with Roberta Chinsky Matuson
Leading Yourself with Elizabeth (McLeod) Lotardo and Lisa Earle McLeod
Influencing Others with John Ullmen
Topics: Productivity tips
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