Mark Hamade

A good leader knows how to motivate his or her employees. When considering how to motivate your team, keep in mind that there are some definite motivational styles that vary among your employees. Three of the most common styles are achievement-motivated, affiliation-motivated and power-motivated.

1.  Achievement-Motivated – Goal setting and achieving success is very important to employees with this motivational style. Such leaders strive for excellence and performance, and expect the same of their team.

What motivates them: These employees want to receive personal credit for their successful

efforts. Be sure to recognize their achievements within the organization as they arise.

2.  Affiliation-Motivated – Employees with this style are driven to relate to people on a social basis. They strive to be seen as having a friendly attitude and the ability to cooperate well with their team. They value relationships and tend to be sensitive to the opinions of others. They tend to be great with handling a team and getting work done from each employee.

What motivates them: Give these employees the job freedom to develop relationships in the workplace, especially with their team. They will extract the best performance from others.

3.  Power-Motivated – Employees motivated by power are those that prefer to take charge of situations. They are willing to take risks to achieve certain results. When used within the context of the organization, these employees are able to motivate others for the progress of the company.

What motivates them: Employees with this style need to be given the power to accomplish a

project as they see fit. If given a position of power, they will strive to deliver results.

By discovering the motivational styles of your employees, you will be able to harness their thinking patterns and allow them to perform at their best, take on more responsibilities and increase their job satisfaction.