According to classic research done by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan from the University of Rochester, there are six distinct reasons people find motivation in their work.
Play: These individuals are motivated by the work itself—they work because they enjoy it. Play is our learning instinct, and it’s tied to curiosity, experimentation, and exploring challenging problems.
Purpose: These individuals work because they value the work’s impact, and the direct outcome of the work fits their identity.
Potential: These individuals see work as a benefit to their prospects, and it bolsters their vision of their future self.
Emotional Pressure: These individuals are working to avoid disappointing themselves or others. They openly feel fear, peer pressure, and shame.
Economic Pressure: These individuals work to gain a reward or avoid a punishment. It’s an external force that is disconnected from their identity.
Inertia: These individuals are stuck in a rut. They’re just doing what they’ve become accustomed to doing and can’t really explain why.
A person can be experiencing several of these motivations at any one time.
If they are experiencing one or more of the top three motivations (play, purpose, potential), they’ll tend to be strongly connected to their work and the culture of their teams.
If they are experiencing one or more of the bottom three reasons (emotional pressure, economic pressure, and inertia), they’ll tend to be less connected to their organizations.
This simple psychology directly affects both recruiting and retention.
Agents in the first category are easier to retain and more difficult to recruit away from competitors.
Agents in the second category are more difficult to retain and easier to recruit.
One of the most important questions to ask during almost any meeting with an agent is
Why are you doing what you’re doing?
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P.S. I’ll be in Las Vegas next week at the LeadingRE conference. If you’re going to be there too and would like to connect, reply to this email, and we’ll set something up!
