If intimate relationships have Love Languages, should we also have Love Languages in our management style?
To rephrase that question, are there certain management incentives that motivate some employees that don’t motivate other employees?
If so, then we shouldn’t have the same management incentives for every employee, right?
For example, if I know a direct report is really motivated by professional advancement, extending her vacation days wouldn’t be optimally motivating to her because her goal is professional advancement. A better incentive might be to provide her with the opportunity to gain a new credential or learn a new skill.
Here are 3 keys you can leverage to encourage your team properly.
Understand your Direct Reports’ work motivations
Understanding your direct reports’ work motivations is critical. If you take time to identify what their goals are, you can work on brainstorming and identifying incentives that would motivate them. If you are struggling to identify your direct reports’ work motivations, you can try using Ambition In Motion’s Work Orientation Assessment – https://ambition-in-motion.com/companies.
Be willing to alter and change your management style based on the individual
Having a one-size-fits-all management philosophy does not work. What it will do is surround you with other people that are just like you. This lack of diversity will create blind spots and turn away potentially great collaborators to your team. If you are willing to alter your management style, you can allow your direct reports to thrive and grow in the way that motivates them.
Encourage an open and honest dialogue to gain feedback on the style you have implemented
Radical candor is critical to knowing if what you are doing is working. If your direct reports fear you or your response to their honesty…they won’t be honest with you. If you can’t have honest feedback, you will have no idea if what you are doing is working and you will likely revert to old, bad habits.
Growing the engagement and the productivity of your team is not easy, but it is possible. If you are willing to understand what motivates your team, act on it, and accept feedback, you will be well on your way to achieving great outcomes.
If you are interested in learning more about research on mentor relationships for companies, check out https://ambition-in-motion.com/companies.