Varied Employees and Various Motivators

Be it Hertzberg's motivation-hygiene theory or Maslow's hierarchy of needs, numerous theories suggest that success & happiness both are governed by whether your individual motivators are being met or not, and that's not always all about money.

We all have our distinct blend of motivators and for leaders to better engage the team to prosper in their respective roles. As the time goes by the type of people who work for us or around us keeps changing. From the employee who is as virtuous as a saint to the one whose mind is a sinner's sanctum, we come across numerous types of employees in every workplace. A few of the many varieties of employees along with their different motivators are discussed under:

The Groundbreaker

He/She is always striving for creativity, innovation and challenging environments. The groundbreakers are usually really more motivated than they actually appear. They want you to engage them into projects that need some originality or problem solving. What really matters for them is workplace flexibility. Since they get bored and feel demotivated quite easily, you need to shake up the routine, hold some brainstorming sessions; do anything that will trigger their brain neurons and this will give them a boost. Also, they want people (especially an employer) who are/is clearly devoted to something more than just profits.

The Free Spirit/Bird

They want to make their own decision, control their time and environment. They want their own space to get things done. Rules and regulations, micro-management are a big turnoff for them as they hate authority and bureaucracy. They are often hard to handle and understand, but they always play a crucial role in organizations. Give them any job and their space (both literal and figurative) and boom! consider it done (just forget about everything and  everybody else). They are the no-nonsense, ambitious entities who like to work autonomously in their own workspace. Help them clarify their vision for their work and life, be clear & specific while sharing the organization's aims and objectives but also define clear boundaries allowing them the freedom they need.

The Perfectionist

They are the ones who will always have a plan in place for everything they do. They exactly know what they want to do and wish to achieve. Employers love such employees as they can absorb complicated, abstract ideas and concepts, work on them and then come out with a seamless, extensive plan for achieving optimum results. They like to stretch it out at times to get a job done, provided they are given their personal space. Give them a profile that emulates power, responsibility and gives them control over resources and be rest assured about the work that you are planning to get done.

The Hustler

He/She is the one who can be taken at his/her word. They are often the ones with maximum leaves left in their kitty as they rarely take sick days and put their life into their work and hence they often rise to the level of “boss's right-hand”. They don't have to be the most talented to earn this title but it's their great level of self-confidence and commitment towards their work which does the trick. They are highly versatile, self-motivated and sensitive. Organizations that manage to retain such hustlers usually go a long way. They would be happy to stick to your organization for rest of their life, provided you value their commitment and offer them the right opportunities to grow.

The Pundit

They seek proficiency, expertise and knowledge. They want a job which requires specialized skill set and knowledge. Their key motivators are training or coaching programs, especially when such an initiative is linked to a promotion. They do enjoy it when it is giving them a chance to specialize in the areas of their own interest. Also, it would be a dream come true for them if such personal development leads to formal appreciation and/or recognition. Hence motivate them by giving them ambitious targets and a chance to act as a mentor to others, so as to further boost their expertise.

The Socialist

They need belongingness, a sense of fulfilling relationships in the organization. They are  people-oriented beings who love strong team-spirit, liveliness and social hustle bustle around them. They get highly motivated when they get opportunities for helping others. Hence forget about the heavy paychecks, just give them an excellent work-environment, develop a anthropo-centric culture, consult them, get them involved in daily social events and your job is done. They always prefer a personalized approach hence a regular “How are you doing? What's your view on this?” will make their day.

The Seeker

He/She is trying to find a purpose and meaning in everything he/she does. The Seeker always wants his/her work to make a considerable difference in the lives of his/her circle. They constantly look for purposeful, significant, care-oriented roles where they can see the bigger picture and are highly motivated when they receive regular praises and feedback on how they are making a difference to their organization. Since they strive for a greater good, a simple paycheck would not cut it, you need to show him/her that the efforts and the amount of time he/she is putting at your organization serves a greater good.

The Crabby

They believe that they are not getting paid what they are worth and think that whatever benefits your organization is offering to them are awful. Such crabs are a real pain for any organization, especially when it comes to motivating them. Since they are a firm believer of “nothing can beat a hefty paycheck” policy, so you can't do much to motivate them (actually you can't afford to keep them motivated). But trying to replace them could prove even more costly and if you are not cautious they can drag your other employees down with them.

The Materialist

Material satisfaction is the whole and sole aim of their living. They want above-average living and hence are attracted to profession with above average pay scale and clear routes to promotion. They are the one with very clear career plan and path. They have the ability to adapt and are able to access the future accurately. If you want to get your work done from them, you need to link them to some kind of rewards (especially monetary ones) and set for them clear goals to engage their competitive spirit.

The Hotshot

He/She seeks honor, appreciation and self-esteem. They are the star employees who know the ins and outs of every job they have been given till date and hence their employers know that they have the capability and potential to do any assigned job seamlessly. These highly ambitious creatures constantly seek an opportunity to shine, so an organization must feed their hunger to be recognized by engaging them in important projects, challenging them with complex problems and regularly reviewing their achievements and targets. They will value your positive feedback and they love good publicity (And who doesn't?). They get motivated by awards (not rewards) and status, so whenever they achieve their ambitious targets confer them with visible perquisites which link to their position.

It is very difficult to spot all the  traits in your team members and identify the different motivating factors. Gradually but, the employers and /or the HR heads have to analyze and need to identify the type of employees they have in their team. With the help of such insights, the management can really predict what really boosts their morale or what they need to fix to keep up their Fire.

– Chetan

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