🔬 The Science Behind MQi

The owner of a small tech startup had high hopes when he hired a promising new salesperson. On paper, the hire made sense—smart, motivated, great communication skills. But after eight months, the results told a different story. The numbers were underwhelming, and morale was slipping. The employee looked frustrated. Frankly, so did the owner.

He questioned whether he’d made a bad hire. But something didn’t add up. This wasn’t laziness or lack of talent. It felt deeper—like a mismatch.

At a colleague’s suggestion, the employee took a motivation assessment. The assessment was quick and straightforward. The report? Dense, confusing, and easy to ignore. It sat untouched until a professional coach was brought in to explain it.

What they discovered changed everything.

The report revealed that the employee’s core motivators weren’t about persuasion, competition, or achievement. They centered on creativity, autonomy, and innovation—traits that had nothing to do with sales targets but everything to do with product and marketing strategy.

The owner made a bold move: he shifted the employee into a new role focused on design and development. Almost immediately, performance improved. The frustration was gone, replaced by energy and genuine engagement.

It wasn’t the hire that was wrong—it was the fit. And the insight that fixed it came from understanding motivation, not personality.

Why This Story Matters

That transformation wasn't luck. It was motivation science in action.

Most legacy assessments oversimplify people—labeling them as "types" or "colors" based on surface-level traits. But real human behavior is complex. Contextual. Dynamic. That’s why Motivation Quotient (MQ) was created: a deeper diagnostic tool built on the advanced behavioral science of Reiss Motivation Theory.

With 24 motivational DNAs and 6 life indexes, MQ goes far beyond generic personality categories. It uses scenario-based questions to eliminate bias and uncover how people are truly wired—not just who they are, but what they need to thrive.

Why MQi Is Different—and Better

Even powerful tools can be hard to use. Early MQ reports, though rich with insight, required trained professionals to interpret. That’s why we built MQi, powered by Sherpa—a custom Retrieval-Augmented Generation (R.A.G.) AI trained on nearly 500,000 motivation profiles and decades of data.

Sherpa acts as an on-demand coach—translating complex psychological assessments into simple, personalized guidance for individuals, managers, and teams. No more confusion. No more labels. Just clear answers based on real data.

The Results Speak for Themselves

• Teams focused on motivation are 43% more productive

• Employees matched by motivation are 68% less likely to leave

• Leaders using Sherpa gain instant insight into what drives people

Your Next Step

If you’ve ever struggled to understand your people—or yourself—now is the time to take action. Motivation isn't a mystery. It's a measurable advantage.
Explore the science below.

Or better yet—try MQi for yourself and see the shift. Request a Demo to see how.