THE QUESTION MIKE ASKS EVERY ROOM
Four drives shape how you work, how you lead and how you like to be led. Knowing yours is where good leadership starts.
Six minutes. No right or wrong answers. Your results are yours to keep.
A drive is something you need from your work, the way you need air or sleep. How much you want to influence what happens. How much you need people around you. How fast you want things to move. How much structure you want.
Everyone has all four drives. What makes you you is how strong each one is, and how they combine.
You can work against a drive. People do it every day. Mike puts it simply: "It doesn't mean you can't do it. It just means you have to do it better than you naturally do."
None of these are good or bad. They are information.
FOUR DRIVES. EVERY PERSON.
How much influence you seek.
Takes charge when the moment calls for it and steps back when someone else has it handled.
Clarity about when to lead and when to support.
Waiting to be told which one this is.
How much interaction you need.
Connects easily when it helps the work, then is happy to get back to the task.
A mix of team time and quiet time.
Being pulled into too much of either.
How fast you want to move.
Comfortable with a steady pace, and with change when there is a reason for it.
Advance notice for big changes, freedom on small ones.
Stress when everything changes at once.
How much structure you want.
Follows the structure that matters and flexes where it doesn't.
Clear standards on what matters most.
Assuming everyone draws the line in the same place.
Everyone is a mix of all four. The combination is what the assessment shows, and it is why two people with the same title can need very different leaders.
LEAD EACH PERSON THE WAY THEY NEED TO BE LED
Pick a moment. See how the same message lands with different people, and what to change so it lands well.
“The report came in late and two numbers were wrong. I need it right next week.”
Be direct and brief. Name the standard, the gap and the result you need, then let them own the fix.
Keep it calm and private. Ask how they see it, and make clear you're on their side.
Talk in person and keep it warm, then confirm the facts in writing so they stick.
Give a heads-up, keep it one to one, and allow time to think before they respond.
Explain what stays the same and what has to change. Give them time before you check in.
Get to the point and agree on the next step today.
Bring specifics: which numbers, what the standard is, what right looks like. Put it in writing.
Lead with the headline and the one thing to fix. Skip the long write-up.
These are tendencies, not rules. The assessment shows how a specific person is wired, so you don’t have to guess.
See how coaching works →WHY IT MATTERS
A drive is a need that shapes how you work: how much influence you seek, how much interaction you need, how fast you want to move and how much structure you want. Everyone has all four, at different strengths.
No. None of these are good or bad. They are information. The point is to understand how you are wired, and how the people around you are wired.
Your natural drives are steady through adult life. How you adapt to your current role can shift every few months, and the assessment shows both.
About six minutes. There are no right or wrong answers, your results are yours to keep, and Mike walks you through them personally.
Yes. Teams use it to hire for the role, coach each person the way they need to be coached, and work better together. Book 30 minutes with Mike to talk it through.
START WITH YOURSELF
Six minutes. No right or wrong answers. Mike walks you through your results.
