What Leaders Can Learn From Bo Jackson

Bo Jackson was a professional football and baseball player in the late 80s and 90s. In 1986, Jackson was the number one overall draft pick for the NFL, chosen by the The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for a cool $7.6 million five-year deal (at the time, the highest paid rookie in the NFL). But Jackson turned them down and ended up sitting out that NFL season. Earlier that spring, the Buccaneer’s recruited Jackson during his senior year at Auburn University and reassured Jackson that a trip to Tampa Bay on the team’s private jet was not in violation of SEC rules. However, the flight did indeed violate the rules and Jackson lost eligibility for his final baseball season at Auburn. Jackson vowed that he would never play for the Buccaneers and made that clear before the draft. The Buccaneers assumed that Jackson was bluffing and that millions would motivate him to change his mind. It did not.

Leaders can learn much from the story of Bo Jackson. Often leaders assume that spot bonuses will help an employee suddenly feel engaged or fulfilled in their role—but are baffled when that’s not the result. Or managers may be confused when an end-of-year pay increase is met with apathy instead of excitement by a team member. Money is important, and a fair, sustainable wage is necessary at work. But, money, as seen with Jackson, may not motivate.

Individuals are motivated by a multitude of reasons, and two employees might have very different drivers of motivation. If managers motivate everyone on their team exactly the same way, some individuals may feel inspired and eager to take action, while others–like Bo–might walk away. Thus, a great manager works to figure out specifically what drives each of her team members, and then tailors incentives, rewards and praise to align with each team member’s needs.

But how do you figure out what motivates your employees?

A great place to start is by understanding the three primary motivation types. In the 1960’s, psychologist David McClelland developed a theory of motivation referred to as McClelland’s theory of needs. In this theory, there are three primary motivation types and each individual has a dominant type. Here are the three types.

The Need For Power

Though the term “power” may have a negative connotation, individuals with a need for power are excellent at leading teams and groups, and enjoy having control over the outcomes of their work. Individuals with a power type are particularly strong at working through hierarchies, and are often content working as individual contributors. They’ll happily share their expertise with others, especially if they are outwardly recognized for doing so. Power individuals love healthy competition. The person in your office who turns everything into a game that can be won–from client sales to company softball? She likely falls into the power archetype in motivation.

There are a number of incentives that work well for power types. Outward praise and recognition resonate, especially if the praise signals greater status or prestige. Power types can be rewarded with gaining more responsibility or increasing their team size. Promotions matter a lot to them for this reason. Lastly, power individuals respond well to healthy team competitions or contests.

The Need For Achievement

Individuals motivated by achievement love to accomplish goals, solve challenging problems, and see signs of progress in their work. These individuals enjoy and are motivated by a hard task that they can work on and overcome, and have a strong desire for excellence. They want to do a good job and desire lots of feedback regarding how they are doing. If you have a detailed to-do list next to you and derive lots of satisfaction with crossing things off that list, you very well may be an achiever.

Incentives that work well for achievers include challenging projects and stretch goals. Achievers also are motivated by promotions, not necessarily because of the status a promotion conveys, but rather because the promotion is an outward signal of accomplishment. And, achievers will thrive in being rewarded with opportunities to learn new skills. For achievers in particular, make sure you are providing plenty of learning and development options for them.

The Need For Affiliation

The last motivation type is the need for affiliation. Individuals who are motivated by affiliation care deeply about being part of a team and being connected to those around them. They have a deep desire for harmony, belonging, and often have a strong desire to be liked. Affiliators do best when they are part of a close-knit, high-functioning team, and often prefer team work over being an individual contributor.

Individuals with a strong need for affiliation can be rewarded by ways that help them to develop and deepen relationships. Managers can reward affiliators with an opportunity on a new cross-functional team, or an opportunity to deepen a relationship with a key client. Praise affiliators for their relationship-building skills, and make sure to provide affirmation that they belong and are appreciated.

Ask And Observe

Through observing how your team members operate, you may have a good idea of what motivation type may be dominant. Perhaps a team member was not enthusiastic to take on a new challenging project as an individual contributor, whereas another team member was thrilled at the prospect to do so. These observations start to paint a picture of what is motivating and what is not.

The best way to determine which of the three motivation types is dominant for your team members is to ask. Ask your employees:

• What kind of work is most enjoyable for you?
• What tasks do you find most challenging to tackle?
• What do you love most about your job?

These questions will help to uncover what motivates your team, and what rewards or incentives your team member may just not care about.

Perhaps if the Buccaneer’s understood that Jackson’s love of baseball was greater than his love of $7.6 million, they wouldn’t have made such a massive blunder and wasted their number one draft pick.