“We have the numbers to prove it,” says the director of operations for a major cruise line. “The best captains have the highest employee morale, the highest revenue per passenger, the best customer satisfaction ratings, and the fewest problems.”
He challenged us: “Now how do we get more of the best?”
Finding the missing link
Through interviews and the mind-body, personality instrument, FEBI, we learned pretty quickly what separated the best from the rest. It was the healthy presence of one of the four primary patterns of personality: the collaborator.
One collaborator-rich captain, a rather flamboyant fellow, was known for driving his motorcycle up and down the ship’s promenade, and donning a wig to advertise a special in the ship’s hair salon. Another beloved captain joined a problem ship, and immediately took aim at the poor conditions in the crew cafeteria. He organized a clean-up, a painting party, and had the food improved. By first caring for his crew, he created a powerful sense of family that translated within weeks into happier customers and better profits.
That’s not to say collaborator energy is the only pattern needed for a successful work climate. The Harvard Business Review article, “Employee Motivation – a Powerful New Model” identified four fundamental drives that have to be satisfied in a climate of full engagement, which mirror the four patterns of personality:
- the drive to acquire – winning, advancing, the ambition of the driver
- the drive to comprehend – meaning, learning, the inquisitiveness of the visionary
- the drive to defend – security, fairness, the consistency of the organizer
- the drive to bond – belonging, caring, the connectedness of the collaborator.
Significantly, article authors Nohria, Groysberg, and Lee found not a hierarchical relationship among these needs (as in Maslow’s research), but that all four had to be met for the best effect on climate. “The whole is more than the sum of the parts,” the authors stated. “A poor showing on one drive substantially diminished the impact of high scores on the other three.”
Just as we’re composed of all four patterns, the workplaces we best function in satisfy the needs of all four patterns.
Adding collaborators into the business climate
But back to the cruise ship, which exemplifies so many organizations we work with. The reason the collaborator stood out as a strong differentiator is that it’s so often the missing link. There are a number of ways to strengthen this collaborator link. Even in your work as a trainer, developer, or leader, there are ways to build collaborator energy, including:
- Show caring for people.
- Tell stories.
- Foster mutual reliance.
- Give people a chance to know each other away from work.
- Play, dance, or sing together.
- Celebrate work and achievements.
- Use group incentives.
- Practice paradox—see both sides of issues.
- Use improvisational comedy techniques in meetings.
- Create spaces for people to gather informally.
- Encourage personalizing work areas (team slogans, family photos, and so on).
- Practice empathy to influence.
- Add humor—through pictures, talks, and contests.
- Use bright, fun colors and soft furniture—think Disney.
- Surprise and delight people.
Final thought
From our factor analysis of the traits associated with collaborator energy, such as fun, joy, optimism, and resilience, it’s easy to see how this energy shifts the emotional valence of a climate, affecting all of the other drives. Winning becomes more fun, learning is more joyful, and even defending is done with greater optimism and resilience. Navigating the turbulent waters of today, who wouldn’t want more of that?
