People are naturally motivated!

At some point in most leadership presentations I do, the topic of motivation comes up. I am quick to point out that basic fact that people begin life totally motivated. If you don’t believe that, I challenge you to keep up with a few 4-year-olds for a day. They are highly motivated, although I know little about what motivates them, they are excited to be doing almost everything.

But life takes its toll on even the most motivated people. “Stuff” happens that makes us question why we do what we do. We begin to wonder if there is any point to “giving it our all” when it feels like we don’t get much in return.

That doesn’t make us bad people; it just shows we are human. While a 4-year-old might not need a reason to be motivated, adults absolutely do need a reason. We need a reason to keep going when life is laughing at our plans. We need someone or something to counteract the beatdown that living can sometimes give us.

So when leaders tell me their people are unmotivated, I remind them that they weren’t always that way. At some point in their life, they were highly motivated. Until life got ahold of them. Maybe “life” included dead-end jobs, bad bosses, relationships gone wrong, or just a run of bad luck. Whatever their life was made of, it robbed them of an essential ingredient of success—motivation.

Motivation isn’t a one-time injection; it’s a living, breathing component of a thriving workplace that requires consistent care and attention. A truly great leader understands that their primary job is not just to manage tasks but to inspire people.

So, how can you, as a leader, consistently fuel the passion and drive of your team? It starts with looking beyond the paycheck and connecting with what truly drives human behavior: autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Here are four core strategies you can implement today to help your people stay motivated and engaged.

Connect Their Work to a Larger Purpose

Many people feel like small cogs in a large machine. They perform tasks without truly understanding how their efforts contribute to the bigger picture. This can be a huge motivation killer.

The Leader’s Action:

Communicate the “Why”: Regularly articulate the company’s mission and vision, and, more importantly, explicitly show how your team’s daily work directly impacts that mission. Turn routine tasks into meaningful contributions.

Share Success Stories: Don’t just celebrate project completion; celebrate the impact of the work. Did a new product feature save customers time? Did a marketing campaign lead to a new charitable partnership? Connect their output to a positive result.

Empower Them with Autonomy and Ownership

Micromanagement is the quickest way to extinguish an employee’s internal fire. People are naturally more motivated when they have control over their work and feel trusted to make decisions.

The Leader’s Action:

Delegate Authority, Not Just Tasks: Give employees ownership over projects and let them decide how to achieve the desired outcome. Focus on setting clear goals (the “what”) and deadlines, then step back and let them use their expertise.

Encourage calculated risk-taking: Create a psychologically safe environment where making a mistake is viewed as a learning opportunity, not a career-limiting event. This encourages innovation and proactive problem-solving.

Invest in Their Growth and Upskilling

Stagnation breeds boredom. High-performing individuals are driven by a desire to get better at what they do and to continually acquire new skills. As a leader, you are their gateway to professional development.

The Leader’s Action:

Provide Growth Opportunities: Offer training, workshops, and mentorship. Even better, offer “stretch assignments” that challenge them to move beyond their comfort zone and develop new competencies.

Tailor Development Plans: Don’t use a one-size-fits-all approach. Take the time during regular one-on-one meetings to discuss their long-term career aspirations and align their current work or training opportunities with those goals.

Practice Consistent, Authentic Recognition

While big bonuses are nice, consistent, specific, and sincere recognition often has a more profound and lasting impact on motivation. People need to know their efforts are seen and valued.

The Leader’s Action:

Be Specific with Praise: Instead of a generic “Good job,” try, “The way you handled that client’s objection in the meeting was excellent—it showed great composure and saved the deal.” Specificity shows you were paying attention.

Acknowledge Effort and Results: Recognize the effort put into a difficult task, even if the result wasn’t perfect. This encourages persistence. When the results are stellar, celebrate them in a way that aligns with the individual (some prefer a public shout-out; others a private note).

Simply Say “Thank You”: A sincere, personalized expression of gratitude is one of the most underutilized, yet powerful, tools in a leader’s toolbox.

Ultimately, motivation isn’t something you give to your people; it’s something you bring out of them by designing an environment where they feel respected, challenged, and connected to something greater than themselves. Step up, be present, and watch your motivated team achieve extraordinary things.