How to Motivate People: A Practical Guide for Leaders

Motivating oneself and others is a critical skill that every successful leader needs to master. In my work as an executive coach, I often encounter questions like “How do I motivate my team?” or “How can I increase employee engagement?” Many leaders hope that, with decades of research, there would be clear, straightforward answers by now. However, motivation remains complex and, importantly, deeply personal. Different people are motivated by different factors, making it impossible to apply simple one-size-fits-all approaches.

The good news is that, despite the highly individual aspects of motivation, there are some common themes and principles that every leader can learn and benefit from.

Here’s a summary of the key ideas from our podcast episode, How to Motivate People: A Practical Guide for Leaders. You can also listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

The Money Myth

A common misconception is that money is a primary driver of motivation. While compensation certainly matters and fair pay is essential, the belief that more money equals more motivation is often overstated. Many organizations still operate under this paradigm, but research suggests that, once fair pay is in place, other factors become far more important.

For instance, Daniel H. Pink’s wonderful book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Pink, 2009) offers helpful insights here, particularly the importance of autonomy, mastery, and purpose.

Autonomy

Autonomy at work is about granting people freedom to shape how they do their jobs. Employees often find greater motivation when they can decide how, when, and with whom they work, and ideally, what they work on. In a corporate context, certain outcomes will always be required, but if leaders can give employees the latitude to reach these goals in their own way, motivation massively increases.

Autonomy's opposite is micromanagement, which can be a major demotivator across roles and cultures. William McKnight, the former Chairman and President of 3M, famously advised already 80 years ago to “hire good people and leave them alone.”

Nevertheless cultural differences may play a role; in some cultures, employees expect more direct guidance from leaders, while in others, autonomy is more highly valued. Knowing what level of autonomy works best for each individual is essential

A common challenge for leaders in this context is letting go: as the person in charge, you will ultimately be held accountable for your team’s results—or lack thereof. This accountability makes it tempting, especially for highly competent leaders, to tell people exactly what to do. The real art lies in finding that fine balance—holding people accountable for results without falling into micromanagement.

Mastery

People enjoy and take pride in getting better at what they do, eventually becoming a recognized expert in their field. Thus, this desire to pursue mastery relates to two other powerful motivators: recognition and achievement. We all appreciate when our efforts are noticed—both at work and at home.

Progress toward mastery is a source of fulfillment in any area of life. Consider hobbies, like learning an instrument or playing a sport—many people pursue these activities with dedication and without any financial incentive. It’s the joy of improvement and the satisfaction of reaching new levels that drive them.

Within organizations, requests for training are common, as employees strive to enhance their skills. However, too often these highly motivated people are confronted with budget constraints. But leaders should view trainings as an investment rather than a cost.

When formal trainings are not possible, on-the-job development and assigning the right roles at the right times are other valuable ways to support mastery. Importantly, each person’s growth trajectory is different; what’s right for one may be too challenging—or too boring—for another.

This relates to the concept of “flow” as so beautifully elaborated by the late psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi: flow describes a state in which individuals can experience complete immersion and focus, and a deep sense of enjoyment and satisfaction (Csikszentmihalyi, 1990). This state occurs when there’s a balance between the challenge of the task and the individual's skill level, leading to peak performance and creativity. Flow is often marked by a sense of effortless action and time distortion, where hours can feel like minutes. It is critical for leaders to understand that the point where people experience Flow, a healthy balance between overwhelm and boredom, is highly individual.

Purpose

Given how much of our lives we spend at work, it’s only natural to want that time to feel meaningful. People crave purpose, which often involves contributing to society or making a difference in the world.

Even when an organization has an inspiring purpose, leaders may still need to clarify how each individual’s work supports it. This can bridge the gap between high-level mission statements and employees' day-to-day efforts, reinforcing their connection to the organization’s broader goals.

We have discussed the importance of purpose in various other episodes of Second Crack — The Leadership Podcast and will not elaborate more here.

Getting Along, Getting Ahead, and Finding Meaning

The Socioanalytical Model of Values, Interest and Motives developed by Blickle and Hogan (Blickle and Hogan, 2017) highlights three key drivers of motivation: getting along, getting ahead, and finding meaning.

As humans, we have always lived in groups. For our hunter-gatherer ancestors, living in communities was critical for survival. Today, we are still deeply social beings with a natural desire to get along with others.

At the same time, most organizations are hierarchically structured, and hierarchical differences come with an unequal distribution of power. Moreover, being higher up in the pyramid is typically accompanied with numerous benefits and privileges that many people desire. Thus, getting ahead is another factor? that is critical for motivation, although somewhat paradoxically opposed to getting along.

Lastly, there is the aspect of finding meaning, which is identical to finding purpose as touched on earlier.

The third driver, finding meaning, ties closely with purpose. For some, altruistic motives outweigh the drive for power. And so, once again, recognizing individual difference in motivational factors is critical for leaders to be successful. Consequently, leaders must reframe the question from “how can I motivate my team?” to “how can I motivate each person?”

In oder to understand individuals better, leaders might straightaway ask people what is most important to them at work. But be aware that power distance or, at times, lack of trust, may prompt people to tell their bosses what they think they want to hear.

Thus, instead of asking people, it can vibe very effective to observe them to understand what excites them. Notice when they’re most engaged and when their enthusiasm wanes. When leaders understand these nuances, they can create work environments where each person is more likely to be their best.

Involvement, Recognition and Treating People like Heroes

Employees care about their work and want to contribute to the organization’s direction. Leaders can leverage this by involving people in strategic conversations, harnessing the collective intelligence within the organization. When people feel involved, they also feel recognized and valued—another powerful motivator. And if you as a leader demonstrate that you truly believe in people, that will create another motivational boost.

In my first corporate job after university, I was surprised by the responsibility I was given early on. Although it was challenging, I didn’t want to disappoint my boss who had hired me and shown confidence in me, so I put in the extra effort. Later, I saw the same effect when a senior leader took over a team which I was not very fond of. To my surprise, this leader took every opportunity to express his confidence in his team, for instance, during meetings in which also some of his team members were present. And just within in a couple of months, I saw these people grow significantly.?

When leaders treat their team members like capable, trusted professionals, team members are more likely to rise to that expectation. In other words: if you treat people like heroes, they’re more likely to become heroes. If you treat them like children, don’t be surprised if they act accordingly.

Reflection Questions for Leaders

• What truly motivates me?
• How might my motivators be similar or different from others?
• How can I provide more autonomy to my team in terms of how, when, and with whom they work?
• How can I support each person’s development?
• Does my organization have a compelling purpose that goes beyond financial goals?

References

Blickle, G. and Hogan, R. (2017). Socioanalytic Perspective. Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences, pp.1–5.

Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1990). Flow: the Psychology of Optimal Experience. 1st ed. New York: Harper and Row.

Pink, D.H. (2009). Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. Riverhead Books.

For further insights and tips on motivation and engagement, listen to our podcast episode, “How to Motivate People: A Practical Guide for Leaders”, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or our website.

Second Crack – The Leadership Podcast is hosted by Martin Alderg?rd and Dr. Gerrit Pelzer . In each episode, we explore everyday leadership dilemmas and paradoxes and provide practical advice for leaders. For a consultation on boosting motivation and engagement within your organization, feel free to reach out to us.

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