Asking that question of todays’ marketers is liable to bring out quite a few enthusiastic replies: “I’m passionate about marketing, I’m really motivated to deliver 110%” is a typical response.
But dig a bit deeper and ask yourself, “Can I really identify what motivates me?”
A recent article in the Harvard Business Review by Heidi Grant Halvorson and E. Tory Higgins revealed that most of us have a dominant motivational focus which affects what we pay attention to, what we value and how we feel when we succeed or fail. They argue that motivational focus affects how we approach life’s challenges and demands and they have identified two types of motivational focus: Promotion- focused people and Prevention-focused people.
Which are you?
Prevention-focused people work slowly and deliberately and see their goals as responsibilities. They concentrate on staying safe. To succeed, they work slowly and meticulously and they tend to be very accurate. They are usually excellent analytical and problem solving people, but they feel very anxious and worried when things go wrong. Prevention focused people tend to take up what organisational psychologists call, ‘conventional and realistic’ work – occupations that require knowledge of rules and regulations and a propensity for thoroughness. In other words, jobs in which attention to detail is what really pays off.
Promotion focused people are comfortable taking chances. They like to work speedily, seeking positive feedback and planning for only the best- case scenarios. They are more prone to error, dreaming and thinking big . They consider lots of alternatives and are great brainstormers. Promotion-focused people see their goals as creating a path to gain or advancement and they concentrate on the rewards that will accrue when they achieve them. They are less likely to think things through though. Promotion focused people tend to be most effective in dynamic industries where it’s important to respond rapidly and creatively.
Whatever our motivational focus, once you’ve identified your own, as a manager, it’s important to understand what motivates your colleagues and team members, if you’d like to get the best out them, it’s important to avoid incentives that aren’t aligned with someone’s motivational focus because they won’t be valued. In fact, they’ll be meaningless and in some instances, will be de-motivating. You may think it’s important to create new opportunities for advancement, but other members of your team may think the emphasis should be on protecting relationships with existing clients. Both viewpoints are right because every organisation needs promotion-focused and prevention-focused people.
The key for a successful individual, team and organisation is first, to identify your own motivational type and then to work with others to understand and appreciate what motives them.
If you’re a candidate looking for a new role or a client looking to fill a marketing role with the right candidate, contact Melvin Day: mday@marketingmoves.com or on +441932 253352
