So you’ve taken the Attuned Intrinsic Motivation Assessment and are now the proud owner of a shiny new Motivator Report. Awesome!

But what happens if you disagree with part of your Report?

What if, for example, you are someone who loves to try new things and new approaches but your Innovation score is in the ‘Neutral’ zone? Or you don’t think of yourself as a person who needs a lot of guidance, and yet your Feedback score is firmly in ‘Need to have’ territory?

Does that mean that Attuned has got it wrong?

Well, not necessarily.

There are a number of reasons why your Motivator Report may not immediately resonate as an accurate picture of your underlying values—and often this apparent disconnect can be the first step on a pathway to greater self-awareness.

So before you chalk a surprising Motivator Report up as being unrepresentative of who you are, it’s worth considering whether the following factors may be at play.

Blindspots

One of Attuned’s primary benefits is to help people identify blindspots, both in your own motivational make-up and between yourself and other team members. So if there’s something that seems out of place, it’s possible that you’ve identified a blindspot—or at least an avenue for self-examination.

One of my calmest, most easy-going colleagues, for example, was originally surprised to see Competition as one of her top motivators. My team spoke about it in a group, and she speculated on why the score might be high when she did not see herself as a competitive person. She also talked about what Competition meant to her.

She mentioned that some of the Competition-related questions in the Motivation Assessment, especially those that were related to sports, didn’t really resonate with her. However, when asked to articulate what Competition did mean to her, she said that it is about having clear targets and goals, like “What is the finish line?” Or “What am I trying to accomplish here?” Then at the end she added, “Well, and I guess I don’t like to lose…”

Differences Between Work & Personal Motivations

The Motivation Assessment offers a unique insight into your core values and preferences, and while these can—and often do—apply across all aspects of your life, it’s important to remember that the results are first and foremost intended to show what makes work more meaningful for you. As such, it’s worth remembering that this can differ from what motivates you in non-work settings.

One of my teammates, for example, found it difficult to understand why he would score “Need to have” for Financial Needs. And I must admit that I was surprised to hear it too! He is certainly not someone I would ever describe as “money-driven”, or who looks at work through the lens of “if I get more money, I’ll be more motivated.” Digging a little deeper, however, the importance he places on Financial Needs started to become clearer. After discussing it with the team, he honed in on the fact that, for him, Financial Needs represents the peace of mind that comes with a certain level of compensation.

Likewise, another colleague is very sociable and outgoing, but his Social Relationships score is in the low “Neutral” range. This, he says, is probably because, while he enjoys lots of social interaction and group activities in his personal life—and even in a work environment—it is not something that makes work any more or less meaningful for him.

Changes Over Time

As one of our recent blog posts explored in greater detail, your Motivational Profile can evolve over time, particularly following significant changes in your work or personal life. We’re in the early stage of our research into this, but initial indications seem to suggest that, while some Motivators are fixed, others are situation-based.

Most commonly, a new job or a change in role at work can cause a previously low need for Feedback to rise sharply. Becoming a new parent, meanwhile, can increase a person’s requirements around Security and Financial Needs.

We’ve also noted that changes can happen when certain Motivators that were previously unfulfilled become satisfied. The first time I took the Motivation Assessment, for example, my Financial Needs score was quite high. This was because I was in the midst of moving to Tokyo and nervous about living in a big, notoriously expensive city for the first time. Now that I’m more secure in my finances, Financial Needs has dropped to a low “Neutral”, which makes a lot more sense to me than the score I’d had originally.

It’s Good to Talk

Whether or not the above solves the disconnect you might have experienced with your Motivator Report, the key is to spend some time reflecting on any results you disagree with and—crucially—to discuss it with your team and/or manager.

The topic of this post came up recently when my team got together to talk frankly about how we felt about our own Motivator Reports—both what we agreed with and what we didn’t—and the ensuing discussion was illuminating. Getting an outside perspective is one thing I can’t recommend highly enough if you think that one of your Motivators is too low or too high. You may be surprised to learn that there are some significant differences between how you see yourself and how others see you in a work setting.

And whatever you do, remember that there is no such thing as a “good” or “bad” Motivator Report or a “good” or “bad” score for any individual Motivator. At the end of the day, it’s all about increasing self-awareness and understanding what you (and others) require to be happy and fulfilled at work.

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