Hi Marshall. Thanks for reading and commenting! Of course every individual is different. In my experience, nearly everyone is a mix of both. I know I sure am. To me, it’s about “and.”

In my view extrinsic vs intrinsic is not unlike the extrovert vs introvert comparison. It’s a way of saying “In a world where you only get to pick one, which would you prefer?” But that isn’t the real world. We nearly all play in the in-between.

That said, a leader is looking for opportunities that light up a high performer’s motivational engines. The fuel a leader uses to do that can be a mix of things from a variety of buckets associated to extrinsic motivation (reward, recognition etc) and intrinsic (purpose-driven, area of interest etc.). The key is to find a mix that works for the individual, and to find that general formula means staying connected through practicing active listening, encouraging feedback and dialogue, and being willing to adjust the mix as you both learn what lights up (or dims) a high performers shine.
Does that help?