Implicit Motives
Human behavior is driven by implicit motives. These are largely unconscious and relatively stable. They are deeply rooted in our behavior and often difficult to assess. The Big 3 of the implicit motives are the need for power, the need for affiliation, and the need for achievement.
Cognitive Bias
We are wired for bias. As Kahneman points out, our thinking is flawed because we usually want to think (too) fast. Biases like the endowment bias, the selection bias, the optimism bias etc. govern our thinking and our decisions. There are many biases. Leaders need to know how people think and why they think in mysterious ways.
Personality
Personality is a set of robust traits that describe and predict behavior. People can be more or less open, conscientious, extraverted, agreeable or neurotic. There are no types. Our personality is rich with nuances. To understand someone’s behavior we need to study personality. What are people’s strengths? What are the risks of derailment? And finally, what are preferences and values that drive one’s behavior. It is clear that personality is related to the set of implicit motives that are driving behavior.
Engagement
Engagement, and especially work engagement, is both the fuel and the compass of behavior. Without engagement, there is no behavior. Work engagement is about more than motivation. It’s also about vigor. Being willing to perform is not enough. It’s also about being able.