In his TED talk, renowned life coach and leadership expert Tony Robbins spoke about the 6 core human needs. This topic offers a lot of insight into what drives our decision making and behaviour. You may or may not have come across this, so here are the 6 core needs summarised below for reference:
1. Certainty- We all need certainty/stability. The certainty to know what’s next, to be comfortable, to be safe, be stable.
2. Uncertainty- Variety is said to be the spice of life. Contrary to requiring certainty, this need is about having uncertainty, variety or change in life.
3. Significance- This need is about being recognised, appreciated, acknowledged by others.
4. Connection- This need is about being connected with others, to feel like we belong in a group, to be able to collaborate with others.
5. Growth- This need is about growing- as professionals, as individuals, learning new things, being able to do more.
6. Contribution- This need is linked to being able to contribute. To our team, by helping others, giving back to our society/organisation. This often drives fulfilment.
While we all have the above needs, some of these needs are more dominant for us than the others. Some people may need certainty more than uncertainty; some might need significance more than connection. I had a chat with a friend the other day- he told me about his difficulty to work with a certain stakeholder. Every time he pitched ideas on how they could improve the processes within their business unit, the stakeholder appeared hesitant and held on to status quo. So what were the dynamics behind this classic stakeholder engagement problem? My friend had the need for changing things up or improving things, and that reflected in his ideas being pitched. On the other hand, his stakeholder had a strong need for certainty, and was extremely risk averse. Hence, his guarded approach to any ideas that prompted change.
So how are the 6 core needs relevant to you building your impact as a leader? Here’s an insight about human behaviour-people respond favourably to those who seem to address their needs/concerns. People spend a considerable part of their day at work. So when you address their core needs, they engage better with you. They respond better to what’s expected of them. Productivity goes up, stress goes down. While people have their respective needs, understanding them and working with them accordingly does become your responsibility. Your behavioural flexibility here goes a long way in elevating your impact on your group. In the example that I shared above, the conversation would go very differently if people involved recognise different needs of others and adapt their approach to interact more effectively.
So how do you gauge what people’s core needs are? In many organisations, people fill out questionnaires through profiling tools that offer insights into their behaviour patterns and preferences. This may not be in place in your organisation, or you may not always have access to this information. Hence, the more direct and quickest way to have conversations with your people and know them better. Here are some ways to gauge what people’s dominant core needs are, and how to fulfil them. These apply to not just team members, but also various stakeholders whom you often liaise with.
1. Certainty- People with a need for certainty tend to be risk averse, and prefer a safety first approach. They focus on contingency plans, or backup options. It may often take great convincing to get them onboard change initiatives.
How you meet their need for certainty- People with a need for certainty crave for clarity. They need to know what the next steps are, before they can take them. So if you want to get them onboard for any change initiatives, it’s important to articulate clearly what it looks like, and how the change will be implemented. It helps being clear when you communicate with them, as they do not appreciate ambiguity too much. Also, being transparent in your interactions helps win their trust. In my previous newsletter, I spoke about creating psychological safety for your people. So when you work with people needing certainty, creating a safety net help you meet their need for certainty.
2. Uncertainty- People with a need of uncertainty are open to change. In fact, change excites them and they are quick to take action. They like to try different things, different approaches and are open to taking on new challenges.
How you can meet their need for uncertainty- It can be sometimes tricky for leaders to keep meeting this need, especially in a stable environment where not many changes are anticipated. It helps if you can invite their inputs on some of the changes that can be made, or how they could improve some of the ways they deliver their tasks. You could ask them to go to industry events and conferences where they can access a variety of different information that they can bring back to the team.
3. Significance- People with a need for significance want to know if they are valued by others, that others appreciate their efforts and thoughts, and perceive what they bring to the table as important.
How you can meet their need for significance- Appreciating people’s efforts go a long way in meeting their significance. Most people, especially those with significance as a core need can endure hardest of days knowing that their leader appreciates their work. As the saying goes, “A person who is appreciated does more than what he/she is expected”. Acknowledging people’s inputs on key matters makes them feel validated, and motivates them to keep up their work.
4. Connection- People with this need crave connection with others. They like to have a sense of belonging to the group they are with. They thrive in the company of others, and enjoy networking with people. Forming relationships is an area of strength for them, and they like being aligned with people they work with. Because they enjoy connecting with others, they tend to collaborate well.
How you can meet their need for connection- Identifying shared objectives and purpose gives people in your team a strong reason to connect. Encouraging an open culture, where people can share information and feedback with each other can also meet people’s need for connection. Opening up conversations with them about how they are doing helps them express their views and feel connected. Eventually, that boosts their sense of belonging, and they tend to derive a sense of identity through the group they work with.
5. Growth- People with a need for growth like to know how they can grow in their role, as well as professionally. It’s important for them to know what their career progression opportunities are, and how they can expand their skill sets. Will they supported as they look for growth?
How you can meet their need for growth- You can work with people to identify their aspirations, and how you can support them achieve those. You can help them set goals around their performance, identify the various competencies they can strengthen. These can be competencies relevant to their current role, as well as those that build readiness for their next role.
6. Contribution- People with a need of contribution like to go above and beyond their role, and make a difference. They are motivated by being able to help others, adding value to the initiatives they work on.
How you can meet their need for contribution- You can clarify how their role/deliverables contribute to the team/program/organisation’s objectives. You can also provide opportunities for them to mentor other team members, create knowledge artefacts that help other people in the organisation.
Here’s your opportunity to reflect- how well do you recognise the core needs of the people you work with? How well do you currently address them? And how would addressing those needs help you build your impact?