The 10 Personality Types in the Workplace & How to Motivate Them

How successful are you at motivating your team?

Motivation is a huge part of leadership. It provides the allure that makes people want to follow you and work with you. If you can’t motivate people, you can’t lead them.

But you see, not everybody gets motivated the same way. While one team member in the workplace may prefer to be heard all of the time and do their own thing, another might prefer to just go with the flow .

One of the challenges of being a leader is figuring out how to motivate different types of people based on their personality and needs. Once you have it figured out, you'll not only become a better leader but you'll

1. improve productivity and morale across your organization, and
2. foster better relationships with your team.

Understanding the 10 Employees Types You'll Find in the Workplace

1. Analytical

As you could probably guess, analytical people think very hard about things and pay attention to detail. They are continually assessing, making lists, and weighing the pros and cons.

How to motivate them: They need to be reminded of the specific reasons why their contribution is important, and expect to be rewarded accordingly.

2. Structural

These people thrive on organization and, well, structure. A structural thinker can’t get behind a leader who can’t get their thoughts and goals together. Timeliness and clarity are key.

3. Social

Social people need to feel like they’re valued for who they are, not just the work they do. They like to help people and solving social problems.

How to motivate them: Let them know that you enjoy having them around– work aside.

4. Innovative

Innovative personality types have a knack for finding the best way to get from point A to point B. They will introduce new ideas, methods, or products to ensure all tasks, for the entire team, are completed in a timely fashion.

How to motivate them: For innovative people to thrive, they need an outlet for their creativity and a role that encourages out-of-the-box thinking. Still, they focus on the larger goal and need to know that they’re adding to the big picture.

5. Quiet

No matter how quiet someone is, they’re always willing to open up if you talk to them one on one.

How to motivate them: It’s important to notice these people and make that extra effort.

6. Expressive

High-energy, expressive people, are natural people persons. They prefer things to be in the open. Of the personality types, they are amongst the best communicators as they enjoy speaking quite a bit.

How to motivate them: Try having a group discussion about their role, but make sure they have an opportunity to have their voice heard.

7. Peacekeepers

It’s difficult to motivate an idealistic person, and that’s what peacekeepers are. Most of the time, they hope things will go well rather than take action. They tend to be relaxed and prefer to not go out of their wait to upset others.

How to motivate them: Let them know when it’s okay to get fired, but also take the time to compliment their ability to keep a cool head.

8. Hard-Drivers

Hard-drivers have strong, dominant personalities. They think very independently and are most motivated when they agree with your goals and methods. If they don’t see the value in what you want them to do, they won’t be nearly as effective.

How to motivate them: Hard-drivers work best when they get immediate recognition for their accomplishments.

9. Focused

People who are very focused see the end goal more than the process.

How to motivate them: They’ll want to know what the reward will be up front because it will be what pushes through the work it will take to get there.

10. Flexible

These are the easiest people to motivate because they tend to go with the flow–that is, as long as the work doesn’t go against their own values or beliefs. Flexible people are more likely to be happy with anything.