Rethinking Leadership: aligning purpose, motivation, and team success in modern workplaces

The Challenge of Modern Leadership Training

How effective are today’s leadership training programs? If you're an executive, you've probably attended several leadership-related sessions: feedback meetings, 360-degree evaluations, and self-assessment tools to identify your leadership style. But did any of these make a long-term impact? When crises arise or you're under pressure, do you find yourself applying those lessons to lead your employees effectively? Leadership training typically covers topics like employee engagement, motivating collaboration, and fostering a positive work environment. However, the question remains: how many people are truly happy at work?

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Leadership in Action: A Broken System?

In my experience, many leaders seem more focused on protecting their own positions than on leading effectively. They are often more concerned with maintaining their visibility and status, using others to further their own goals. This isn’t necessarily a criticism of their morality; it’s human nature. It’s difficult to behave differently without a support system—like a community that holds its members accountable. For example, in a church, members share common beliefs and values, and this sense of collective accountability guides their behavior.

While the comparison to a church might seem unpopular, it underscores an essential point: shared beliefs create alignment. Imagine applying that principle to a company. Could we foster a shared vision among employees in a corporate environment, where the driving forces are brand identity and profit instead of personal values?

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A “Christian Purpose-Driven” Leadership

The word “evangelize” has become common in business transformation roles. Why? Because employees need to be inspired to believe in a company’s mission—they need to feel driven by purpose. Everyone asks themselves, "Why am I doing this?" Whether it's for recognition, motivation, or the need for a purposeful start to the day, having a clear "why" is crucial.

This sense of purpose is even more significant for younger generations, especially Generation Z, who place more emphasis on their personal lives than their work. They crave immediate impact but often lack emotional connection. Growing up in an internet-driven world, they are accustomed to instant results. So, how can companies keep these individuals motivated?

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The Disconnect Between HR and Employee Well-Being

For a long time, companies have addressed leadership challenges with varying degrees of success. But are these solutions working for Gen Z? It seems we’ve become overly reliant on new HR tools and management methods, which often reduce personal interaction. In the past, HR departments prioritized employee well-being and workplace conditions. Today, trendy topics like mental health and gender equality dominate, while much of the HR function has become outsourced and bureaucratic, focusing more on evaluation and benefits management than on individual development.

This shift has made HR feel cold and impersonal. Traditional models no longer emphasize individual recognition, leaving employees—especially younger ones—feeling disconnected from their own talents and dreams. Some schools still encourage parents to invest in personalized talent evaluations for their children, but when those same individuals enter the workforce, that personal attention disappears.

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Leadership in Practice: The Double-Edged Sword of Team Success

As a leader, I’m passionate about exploring leadership styles and their impact, particularly on younger employees. I’ve learned that promoting team success and individual talents can sometimes backfire. If you focus too much on your team and not enough on your superiors or peers, you may be perceived as a weak manager. In many companies, especially those led by older generations, power, obedience, and status still reign supreme. If you’re not seen as the “king” of your team, you may be viewed as ineffective.

Worse, if you promote your team’s talents too aggressively to higher-ups, you risk losing your best people or even your own job. In cost-oriented companies, junior talent is often seen as a potential threat rather than an asset, with leadership fearing that standout employees could replace them. This mindset is detrimental to long-term motivation and productivity.

Self-example: Role Models and Sense of Belonging

My personal experience as a young professional bodyboarder offers a glimpse into the profound role that purpose and motivation play in long-term success. At just 15, I was traveling along Brazil’s Atlantic coast, sponsored with bodyboards, clothing, and travel expenses, and managing my own career. This wasn’t about individual glory, but about a deep passion and sense of purpose that drove me to wake up at 5 AM, surf for hours, and relentlessly pursue improvement. My motivation came from having role models—experienced surfers who guided me through the rough, competitive, and often risky environment. In a sport as physically and mentally demanding as surfing, especially as a young woman, I had to overcome verbal pressure, tough competition, and constant physical challenges. Yet, because I had a clear purpose, all of these negatives transformed into fuel for my growth. The recognition and respect I eventually earned were not just personal victories but key moments of belonging within a community, a “tribe.” This sense of belonging and shared respect parallels the dynamic between employees and their teams in the modern workplace.

In the context of leadership, my early lessons resonate with how we must rethink leadership models to inspire today’s workforce, particularly younger generations. Like surfing, where respect and recognition must be earned through effort and resilience, motivation to keep taking risks while not being pro like others, modern workplaces must cultivate a culture where purpose aligns with individual and collective achievement.

Fostering Motivation in Generation Z: A New Approach

To motivate Generation Z, we need to rethink how we engage them. As I mentioned earlier, it all comes back to purpose. Gen Z wants to know that their work has a tangible impact on the world, not just on a company’s bottom line. We need to show them how their efforts contribute to real-world change, linking their daily tasks to a broader purpose.

Generation Z has grown up in a digital world, constantly connected through social media. To motivate them, we need to bring that sense of community and engagement into their professional lives. Creating tools and platforms that allow them to shine, collaborate, and receive recognition will help foster motivation and pride in their contributions.

However, recognition alone isn’t enough. Tangible incentives such as career advancement and financial rewards are also necessary. While money matters, success for Gen Z is not just about a paycheck—it’s about validation, purpose, and making a meaningful impact.

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Shifting Leadership Styles: From Command to Coaching

Traditional performance reviews and rigid hierarchies no longer resonate with Gen Z. These methods feel outdated and impersonal. Instead, we need dynamic systems that promote real-time feedback, peer recognition, and visible progress tracking. Gamification elements, for instance, can transform mundane tasks into engaging challenges, offering instant rewards—something Gen Z is accustomed to in the digital realm.

Additionally, leaders need to adopt a coaching-centered approach, focusing on mentorship and empowerment rather than command and control. Gen Z employees want to feel that their leaders are invested in their growth, much like the support they might receive from an online community.

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Conclusion: A Call for Leadership Innovation

To effectively motivate Generation Z and foster long-term team success, we need to rethink traditional leadership models. The focus should not only be on individual performance but also on the collective achievements of the team. Richard Branson’s quote, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first,” serves as a powerful reminder that happy, motivated employees are the key to long-term business success.

Leaders must prioritize the development of purpose-driven teams, embracing new tools and approaches that align with the values of younger generations. By fostering engagement, transparency, and a sense of community, we can create workplaces where employees—particularly Gen Z—are motivated to drive results and contribute meaningfully to the company’s success.

In the end, a leader’s true value lies in their ability to cultivate a thriving, motivated team. The next time you evaluate a leader, consider the collective impact of their team’s success, not just individual performance.

?PS: the guy beside me in the picture is my Uncle, Eduardo Gurgel, my first role model who motivated me to become a surfer...