#ChooseToChallenge your assumptions about motivation

Over the years I’ve spoken with many job seekers who outline their ideal job one way, then apply to—or even accept—opportunities that are completely different. In most cases, the person wasn’t trying to misrepresent themselves, they just didn’t have the tools to understand or describe their key drivers. The same goes for managing people or communicating with colleagues. When we try to guess what is motivating others, or expect that what motivates us will work for everyone else, the risk is not only that we are wasting time, but also that this could be a cause of alienation.

I love to use Attuned as a conversation starter. Although everyone’s motivator report is composed of the same 11 motivators, each person I speak with identifies with those motivators through a unique lens. For example, my top motivator is Status, and I connect with the desire to work at a reputable company and take pride in the work I do. Another person might share the same intrinsic motivator, but find that their drive comes from the desire to hit promotion targets and step up in title.

If you’re already using a structured interview process to help reduce bias in hiring, consider adding some questions from Attuned as a jumping-off point for discussing the work environment. At Attuned’s (formerly) sister company, tech recruitment specialists Wahl+Case, we ask interviewees to complete the motivator assessment and make time during the interview process to discuss the results. It’s a great way to help candidates articulate what they find fulfilling in the workplace, as well as what they’re missing in their current role.

Don’t assume that what works for you will work for your colleagues. Use the Blindspot view to compare your motivators side-by-side with someone else’s, highlighting the areas where you may be viewing the same situation through different lenses. Having the data can help provide the awareness you need to choose a more effective course of action.

As part of my research for this post, I reviewed the Attuned motivator data, organized by gender. I thought about challenging biases by presenting facts and figures with all the ways that intrinsic motivators defied stereotypes (there’s some interesting data there!), but I didn’t want to tell another story about men being like this and women being like that. Statistics have their place, but when you design for the average person, you risk creating an environment that isn’t a good fit for anyone.

Instead, challenge yourself to learn something new about each person you work with. Rather than grouping people together—whether by gender, background, education, or even their top motivator—take the time to ask a few extra questions and customize your approach. See them as an individual, with a unique perspective, and get curious about what inspires them. When you are sincerely interested in understanding what makes people motivated at work, you’re much more likely to hit on something meaningful. And whatever steps you take, keep them consistent and follow through with all members of your team.

Incorporating an objective resource like Attuned can help to reduce bias, but at the end of the day, it’s really up to us to bring humanity to the data.