What motivates people?

I often get asked the question “what motivates people?”

What motivates people?

I often get asked the question “what motivates people?” And of course the honest answer is “it depends who we’re talking about.” We all have different drivers and motivations and so it’s best not to try to find a silver bullet ‘universal’ motivator and instead get to know the individual, their drivers, aspirations, dreams, and their realities. Now this may sound a little ‘nice’ but of course it isn’t. Getting this right means happier and more productive staff who want to be there because the environment fits with them. The question of ‘fit’ is usually measured by the ‘harder’ metrics such as ‘experience,’ ‘expertise,’ ‘knowledge,’ etc and these are certainly the areas cited when it “doesn’t work out.” Yet we know that in reality it is about the interaction between personality type and environment.

We are currently adding to our careers section on the personality at work profiles to help you think more deeply about the ‘best fit’ kinds of roles and organisations for you. We hope you find it helpful.