I recently read an article written by one of the world’s top footballers (soccer players) which reminded me about a vital factor in being a great leader to those you lead. If you have 7-10 minutes please give the article a read. I found it extremely insightful and it honestly moved me a little.

I’ve Got Some Things to Say by Manchester United & Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku

Those who know me know that I’m a huge (fanatical?) football fan. However I don’t manage any footballers so why is this article relevant to me as a Millennial Leader? First, some background. Romelu Lukaku is someone I’ve been aware of for a few years as he played on other teams in the English Premier League, which I follow closely, but is not someone I knew of really well. In the summer of 2017 he joined my beloved Manchester United for an astronomical £75 million transfer fee with a monthly salary likely around £1 million. Over the past year, as a key player on my favourite team I’ve learned more about him and what strikes me the most is his passion for the game, his relentless running, and ultimately his results – he’s scored 37 goals (as of today’s date) across all competitions during the 2017/2018 season for club and country. After reading this article I now truly understand the motivation behind why he is so good at what he does (clue: it’s not just about money).

I took two things away from the article:

1. A timely reminder that I need to ensure I know the motivation driving the people I lead and to stay current on it as it changes over time. This isn’t groundbreaking by any means; there’s a wealth of literature on motivation and its importance in leading teams. I will assume you agree that knowing each of your staff’s motivation is a vital ingredient to successful leadership so I won’t cover that in this blog.
2. As a Millennial Leader, I need to recognize and empathize with the motivation of people in different generations whose motivation is alien to me. With that knowledge I then need to tie in work-related matters to each person’s motivation where possible.

With a broad range of employees on my team spanning from interns to those whose careers are longer than my life, it’s vital that I go beyond simply being aware of each person’s motivation. Leaders need to be able to closely relate to what drives their team members especially when a person is at a different stage in their career.

As an example, I can closely relate to someone who is just over a decade into their career, has a young family, and aspires to executive positions in their future. My motivation is likely similar to theirs. How I work, the things I’m willing to do or not do, and my career risk tolerance are probably consistent with theirs, leading to a better working relationship and better results.

It’s harder for me to relate to someone nearing the end of their career, perhaps with declining health or worries about their financial situation in retirement, who may also have children in post-secondary education or elderly parents they’re taking care of (or both). Because I’ve never been in that situation it may lead to a lesser working relationship if I’m not willing to mentally step into their shoes and try to understand their motivation. I was fortunate enough that growing up my parents never had to mix water into my milk to make it through a week so without some deep thought I wouldn’t be able to fathom how that impacts and potentially drives someone.  And to be clear, you can think about it all you want and you’ll never truly understand it however it has to be more than just a cursory thought.

What are some techniques a leader can implement to understand and leverage someone’s motivation?

• Informally, get to know your staff beyond just their business deliverables. Talk to them about more than just work; build rapport over time.
• Formally, make relationship building part of reviews and career discussions. I personally start every one-on-one I have with my team with a very simple question: how are you doing? I’m not asking about work when I ask that question.
• Periodically ask specifically about what their motivation is. If you use a template for career discussions make that question part of it. Add it to your list of interview questions too.
• Ensure opportunities are tied to their motivation. If someone is 6 months away from retirement giving them a 1-2 year high stress project isn’t smart.
• If you observe a change in one of your employees check in with them to see if anything major has happened.
• Ensure recognition is tied to their motivation. If someone is motivated by money then monetary recognition is the obvious answer. If they’re family focused or like to go on vacations as often as they can then paid time off will potentially resonate more.

To summarize, each person is the sum of all of their experiences and no two people are the same. We’re motivated by different things and those motivations change over time. As a Millennial Leader it’s vital that you take the time to deeply understand what drives each person you lead – especially those who are most different than you or at a different stage in their career – and then leverage that knowledge to be a better leader for them.