As a team leader, it’s important for you to identify different motivational styles and figure out how to implement incentives into your team’s environment. You have to recognize when your agents are unmotivated and learn how to get them back on their feet.
It’s normal to get tired or frustrated. If your agents are typical entrepreneurs, instead of coming to the realization that they need to take a day off, you’ll often find them thinking, “I’m not meant to do this business.”
But the reality of it is: You need to get them motivated, and they will ultimately realize what they’re capable of doing. This newfound motivation has dragged me into the future, even when I felt exhausted and burned out.
So, if your team is running low on motivation, here are the top five motivational styles you need to identify and adopt — if you want your team members to achieve ultimate success.
1. Achievement motivation
Achievement motivation is one of the most common motivation styles found in businesses. It’s typically driven by the desire to achieve the specific goals you have set for yourself.
For example, an agent on your team may have a high conversion rate — and not necessarily because they desire a higher salary.
You can create incentives for this motivation style by giving your team members processes which will allow them to self-motivate and complete tasks which consist of fulfilling work. Be sure to recognize these agent’s achievements as they happen.
2. Incentive motivation
Unlike achievement-based motivation, incentive motivation prompts you to take action because of the reward you’ll receive in the end.
For example, an agent on your team with this motivation style will want a promotion — not because of the new responsibility that will fulfill them, but because of the higher salary that comes with it.
You can accommodate this motivational style by allowing your team members to seek goals and tasks that have incentives as well as achievements.
3. Power motivation
Power-based motivation is a style that encourages people to take charge of situations in their lives and in business. When they are given a position with power, they will strive to produce results.
For example, power-based motivation can drive an agent to become the leader of a team project. As a result, they will be able to motivate their colleagues to succeed and create the ultimate results.
4. Affiliation and social motivation
We’re all looking to connect and relate to others. As human beings, we’re very social creatures, and affiliation motivation caters to that desire. It’s fueled by social factors like belonging and acceptance.
For example, your agents will always seek to connect with their team members and host events like Zoom happy hours. They will also always look to make new connections within the community and industry. These connections will help your team gain new leads, prospects and allies in the community.
It’s important for your agents to find a team that accepts them. This way, you can motivate your team members to reach new heights which will weave true happiness and satisfaction into your team’s culture.
5. Competence motivation
Competence motivation is when your team members are motivated by the act of learning and improving a skill as they move toward the completion of an assigned goal or task.
For example, if your agents want a promotion because they will learn valuable skills and not because of the higher expected salary, then they’re motivated by competence.
This is a valuable motivator, and it should be used in your motivational strategy for your team. That’s because we’re living in an era where information is cheap. It’s free and readily available — which is why new and relevant skills are even more valuable.
By discovering what fuels your agents, you will be able to implement the right systems and processes to create a team culture based on these personalized motivation styles. This will encourage your team members to perform at their best and create more opportunities for themselves within the team.
Kathleen Black is the CEO of Kathleen Black Coaching and Consulting in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. Connect with her on Instagram at @kathleenblackcoaching or through her website ItTakesa.Team.
