Good bosses who bring out the best in others

By Christine Won

In business, forget what you learned in kindergarten: Do not treat other people the way you want to be treated.

Rather, treat others how they want to be treated, said Risa Mish, JD, a professor of practice at the Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business, at the 2025 AVMA Veterinary Business and Economic Forum, held October 8-9 in Denver.

To help leaders lead well, Mish tapped psychologist David McClelland's model of human motivation. She recommended tapping into a person's primary motivational driver when assigning tasks, making requests, and recognizing achievements, because people enjoy and excel at different tasks.

Mish elaborated on the three profiles—the achiever, the affiliate, and the power influencer—in terms of strengths, challenges, and recognition.

"Understanding what makes people get out of bed every morning is essential to bring out their best at work," she said.

Achievement driven

Those with a primary achievement driver prefer assignments with clear directions and specific goals. If a manager needs to assign an achiever a project with "moving goal posts," he or she can divvy it up into achievable segments with clear milestones for better reception and results. Achievers also like measurable metrics and prefer moderately challenging tasks that are not too easy nor too difficult that appear unattainable.

People driven by achievement are well-organized, good at taking initiative, and comfortable with planning and execution. However, they may get impatient with processes and are less comfortable with delegating, which can translate to micromanaging in leadership. Their main risk of burnout is perfectionism.

These individuals' recognition preferences include specific acknowledgement of goals they achieved, but their favorite form is a promotion, Mish said.

"If you're going to spend the money and the time, recognize people in a way that speaks to them," she said, "because anything else is a waste of resources."

Affiliation driven

Those with an affiliation drive enjoy assignments that allow them to help, guide, and mentor others, Mish said. They prefer to collaborate rather than compete, she explained. They are attuned to the needs and feelings of others, are good listeners, and can skillfully connect with others in any setting, such as helping new employees get acclimated.

"The thing that motivates affiliation-driven people is the building and developing of relationships," Mish said. So, managers can take that into account when delegating tasks that involve mentorship, training, and other collaborative roles, calling them "the best team players."

Affiliation-driven people also like visible symbols of belonging, such as company T-shirts or baseball caps. They do also prefer clear directions upfront but for a different reason than achievers: to prevent potential confusion or conflict down the road.

But developing relationships takes time, so affiliation-driven people may not be as attuned to deadlines. Another challenge can arise when they assume the emotional state of others around them, so they may get overwhelmed with others’ needs over their own tasks.

Managers should recognize affiliation-driven employees by highlighting how they have contributed to the success or growth of the team and how others have found them helpful.

Their preferred form of recognition is a handwritten note, especially in this era of digital communication, Mish said, adding that is why she keeps a box of stationery in her desk.

Dr. Geri Lake-Bakaar, owner of Evolution Veterinary Specialists in Lakewood, Colorado, said she ordered thank-you cards on Amazon immediately following the session.

The practice has experienced employee turnover, and learning about people's different motivational drivers helped her realize some of the disconnect, Dr. Lake-Bakaar told AVMA News.

Power and influence driven

The third group of people are those driven by power and influence. They are adept at navigating organizational hierarchies along with organizing and persuading others.

"They are all about impact," Mish said. "That's what drives them—not metrics and not specific relationships, but overarching impact. These are the people who want to be working on things with very long-range outcomes and high organization or industry visibility."

Mish, who identified as part of this group, said they can be a challenge to supervise during their early career years "because when you're new, it's pretty hard to change the world, even though you want to."

She recommends framing assignments as "this is important to the CEO" or "this is an organizational aim" will pique their interest.

"They tend to be very capable, strategic thinkers, and these are the people who actually like ambiguity," Mish said. "So if you've got a big, hairy, ambiguous problem, these are your folks because these are the ones who feel like if we get it solved, it's going to have a very big impact on something really important."

For the veterinary industry, getting junior power influencers involved in organized veterinary medicine, including the AVMA, will feed their motivational drive, Mish said, as they work on industry-level initiatives.

Some challenges to keep in mind when managing employees driven by power and influence are that they can be perceived as argumentative or intimidating, dominate conversations, or have difficulty letting others be heard. In addition, they may not know when it is time to give up. A manager may need to step in to tell them what they have done so far has had an impact, even if that is that it is time to go in a different direction.

For power- and influence-driven employees, recognition from a high-ranking person will be the most meaningful.

Recognize and reframe

Recognize that people have different drives, Mish said, and give them the kinds of assignments that speak to their drive. If you don't have that option to always pick assignments, practice framing it in a way that speaks to what drives them.

Understanding motivational drivers is not just for bosses, either: Anyone can use these tools to not only manage up, but also to manage themselves.

"Use the Jedi mind trick on yourselves," Mish said. "Reframe it in your own mind in a way that speaks to what drives you."