A misunderstanding in regards to workplace motivation or “rallying the troops,” stems from personality type. A rousing speech, a pep talk, or a motivational meme will have starkly different results depending on an employee’s MBTI. Many articles and videos have been produced highlighting what I am going to write here. Nonetheless, it continues to be a roadblock many organization cannot navigate around.
A quick list is useful to get a high level overview of which types are internally motivated and which need a polite nudge to get moving. Internally motivated types are: ENFJ, INTJ, ENTJ, ENTP, ISTJ, ESTJ, ESTP. Externally motivated types are: INFJ, INFP, ENFP, INTP, ISTP, ISFP, ESFP. Take a look at the hyperlink above to get a further analysis of each individual’s motivational posture.
Also, for managers or aspiring managers, take the assessment and know what you are working with.
The reason we have to focus on type as an imperative to great management is to recognize that, guaranteed, a percentage of your office isn’t going to process your motivational tactics the way you want them to. This is why company’s that dominate their industries use MBTI to build the strongest and most dynamic teams. For example, let’s look at Ray Dalio and his company, Bridgewater Associates. In his book, Principles, he talks about his implementation of “Radical Transparency” within Bridgewater and how it completely transformed the corporate culture. Along with the internal app that allowed each employee to view another’s profile, at every desk was a card that listed out MBTI, DiSC, and other personality assessments. This way, that vaunted communication issue could be greatly reduced.
When you know who you are dealing with and how they interpret and interact with their environment, you can avoid pitfalls before you step in them. That email you are about to send? That zoom meeting you are about to attend? That project you are going to lead? Well, now you know how how to approach everybody. And there’s no way you would argue against having more information about those you work with 8-10 hours per day. Work is already stressful enough–let’s do what we can make it increasingly more pleasant.
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