Meet Maslow: Master of Motivation

Struggling with an unmotivated team? Perhaps just an unmotivated individual? Are you tired of “counseling” and “yelling” at them? Maybe you're frustrated that your team isn't putting out the numbers you expected. Are you unsure of how to bring these people together?

Have you considered their needs?

Let me introduce you to Maslow. Maslow was a pretty smart guy back in the 1940s. He developed a hierarchy of needs used the world over in the teaching career today. This hierarchy broke down our human needs into several easily identified steps 

His hierarchy states that our underlying needs must be met before we can transcend to the next level. It looks a little like this. 

These needs have to be fulfilled in order. Our people and ourselves can't progress up these steps haphazardly. We have to meet each one step by step. Broken down the needs equate to: 

1. Biological and Physiological needs - air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep.

2. Safety needs - protection from elements, security, order, law, stability, freedom from fear.

3. Love and belonging needs - friendship, intimacy, affection and love, - from work group, family, friends, romantic relationships.

4. Esteem needs - achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, self-respect, respect from others.

5. Self-Actualization needs - realizing personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences.

We as leaders need to understand Maslow. We are the ones that set a culture of safety, of belonging, of achievement. 

If we're not helping to provide this for our team then our team will not grow. 

I've seen leader's consistently set a culture of fear. A place where their team lacks trust and therefore must look to their own safety. If our employees are looking out for themselves how can they look out for the company or the team?

I've seen leaders fail to recognized team and individual achievement. If we're not providing an environment and culture where our team feels like they are actually achieving something, a place where their achievements are recognized, then how can we expect them to invest in their own self growth and the growth of the team?

These are questions we need to ask ourselves. Most teams are failing because they do not have their needs met. 

Are you meeting them? 

Article by James Greenway

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