Continuing on the motivation theme from last week’s ditch the carrot vs. stick for motivation to dive into how to motivate someone with an achievement mindset.
On the surface David McClelland’s Need for Achievement seems perfectly tailored for inside salespeople.
I agree!
I do want to ask you a question: Have you defined what a standard of excellence looks like in your organization?
Here is the thing about people with the need for achievement… they also have a strong desire for performance feedback. Which means they need to know what how excellence is measured.
I’d add that also means they have to have bought into your, and your organization’s, definition of of what excellence looks like.
Here are my top tips on motivating someone through achievement:
- Share your vision, this will help transform it into a shared vision. Getting their buy into the mission you’re working toward.
- Make sure they know their goal AND how it helps meet the overall objective.
- Have them work on the plan that will get them there, help them make sure they can achieve what they’ve set their mind to.
- Remember their feelings of competition regard being measured against your standard of excellence, not necessarily beating a person.
Find out more about what motivates the individuals on your team- use it to your advantage (and theirs).