How not to lose your best MBD professionals

Many MBD teams struggle to keep up with the needs from their organization.

While MBD services are in increasingly high demand, most MBD teams simply don’t have the time, nor the people, to deliver. Let alone, live up to the desired quality.

So, when you’re in charge of an MBD team, you’re working with (very) limited resources. Here’s how you can keep the best ones you’ve got.

Always provide your team members with these 3 things:

1. Purpose – An explicit understanding of why to do the job.
2. Mastery – A clear understanding of how to do the job. 
3. Autonomy – The freedom to do the job the way they see fit.

According to best-selling author Daniel Pink* these are the 3 drivers that truly motivate people.

I believe Pink is absolutely right. Also, because his findings tie in neatly to the work that two professors of psychology did many years before him.

Edward L. Deci and Richard Ryan discovered that there are 3 universal and innate needs that must be satisfied in order to enhance motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness.

We humans have a strong urge to operate autonomously. To feel like we are the masters of our own destiny. To direct ourselves. And make our own decisions.

Of course, the freedom to operate autonomously is restricted in the workspace.

After all, we’re not alone. We have to take others into account. However, giving your team a degree of job autonomy will increase their job satisfaction.

At the same time, we want to feel competent. We strive to master our jobs. To get better at them each and every day. And perform the tasks in front of us as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Make sure tasks match your team’s skills. They shouldn’t be too hard, nor too easy. And keep in mind that we enjoy learning new things. Don’t deny your team the opportunity to get better.

And finally, purpose. Or, relatedness? Or, both!?

Don’t just be explicit about the job you want your team to perform. Also be explicit about the reason. Always paint the bigger picture. Explain why you want them to perform a certain task.

A shared purpose does wonders for your team. And their results.

Allow your team to make a meaningful contribution to an overarching goal. Research by McKinsey shows that employees who find a significant sense of purpose in their work, perform better, are more committed to their organization, and less likely to leave.

Provide your team with autonomy, mastery, and (a shared) purpose.

Hope this helps!

* In his 2009 book Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

Thank you for reading MBD Boost #020, sent to marketers and business developers on October 8, 2024.