What really motivates you as a consultant? What really motivates your clients?

Written by Carter McNamara | Edited by naga
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    Different people are motivated by different things. It’s very important to know what really motivates you. Otherwise, the quality of your work will suffer. When helping another person, it’s very important to know what really motivates them, as well, so that you can build those motivators into your work with them.

    Consider from among the following typical motivators. Rank the motivators, starting with “1” as the highest. You might have several that you rank as a “1”. Don’t worry about getting your ranking to be “perfect”. The point is to go through the process of thinking about what really motivates you. Consider discussing the results with others who know you.

    __ Career Development / Success

    __ Caring For / Supporting Others

    __ Comfort / Relaxation

    __ Fun / Recreation

    __ Health / Balance / Energy

    __ Influence / Leadership

    __ Learning / Knowledge / Discovery

    __ Materials / Possessions

    __ Recognition / Praise

    __ Security / Money / House

    __ Social / Affiliation / Popularity / Acceptance

    __ Status / Prestige / Stand Out / Reputation

    __ Task Accomplishment / Problem Solving / Achievement

    __ Teaching / Guiding Others

    __ Vitality / Energy

    __ Others? __________________

    Questions and Suggestions for Reflection:

    • Are there other comments you could make that would help you (and maybe others) to more clearly understand what really motivates you?
    • What can you do to include more of the motivators in your job or other roles?
    • How would you have ranked your motivators a year ago? 5 years ago? 10?
    • Have others complete this checklist about you, e.g., friends, family, peers, employees, etc.

    What other comments would you like to make?

    Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, is faculty member of the Consultants Development Institute.

    Carter McNamara