Workplace Motivation – Answering the Questions Every Leader Is Asking

If you are finding that your team’s motivation is inconsistent, up one day and down the next, you don’t have a problem with motivation- it’s a performance consistency problem. I’ve taught hundreds of children and over 12,00 adults in a variety of contexts and learned how to bridge the gaps between motivation, you as a leader and team performance/output.

In this article I want to help to answer the most requested motivational questions about motivation in the workplace. I will then suggest a simple 5 step implementation process that you use to measure and track your improvements.

The most asked motivational questions from leaders — answered

These answers can be applied straight away, without the need for heavy theoretical frameworks, implementing new processes or burdening your HR department.

How do I get people to care without micromanaging?

You need to help them to become intrinsically motivated. So, begin by finding out what they care about most. Ask them, “what are the 3 most important things in your life?” Listen carefully then write their answers down. Link all tasks and workload back to how it can help them with the 3 things they care about most. Then hold them accountable for these. You do not need to micromanage the things that people care most about. They will be self-interested enough to manage themselves. This strategy switch from making them do things, to encouraging them towards how they can get what they want most, is motivation in the workplace gold.

How do I fix low performance without conflict?

Conflict is healthy, as long as it is resolved. Do not be afraid of conflict happening. Instead, you should fear people not airing disagreements and resentment building then exploding. This happens far too often in the workplace. Separate out low performance from conflict. Do not assume that just because someone is currently performing poorly, that they are in conflict. They may have a health condition or a family matter. So instead, book in some time with them and ask how they are and if anything is troubling them. This empathy-led approach to motivation in the workplace will also help to strengthen your relationships with your employees more than making judgements about them ever would.

How do I re-energise a burnt- out or cynical team?

Burnout and cynicism are two separate things, so let’s treat them as such. To keep you team away from burning out, these can help:

Provide meaning and purpose for work- meaningless work is often some of the most stressful
Identify your busiest times of the year, and when you can ease up on workload expectations. Discuss these with your team, and this will help to pace their efforts and avoid ever decreasing performance levels.
Respect people’s emotional capacity. Due to the challenges of life outside of work as well as within it, people can only cope with so much at a time. Encourage your team to openly talk about how much they can handle at a time. You lead by example on this.

For cynicism, this can help:

People often use cynicism as a form of protection. So, get curious and ask them some open-ended questions, starting with words like who, what, where, when and how? Often you will find that there is something that they are scared of, or something bad happened that they don’t want to repeat. Identify what this is and address it with open, encouraging, empathetic discussions.

How do I create consistency, not bursts of effort?

This comes from you and the behaviours that you demonstrate. Raise your own standards of expectation by asking yourself this question every morning, “what behaviours do my team deserve to see from me today?” Do they deserve calmness, kindness and inspiration? Then show those. Do not underestimate the power of your daily example- both in person and online. The best motivation in the workspace is created by the people who take seriously how professionally they present themselves- to their team, to their clients and customers.

Do not create random incentives and hope that they will motivate people. They won’t. A lot of people are perfectly capable of high performance if they are given a stable, focused working environment. Resist the urge to jump in and provide novelty. It does not work with children, and it doesn’t work with adults- respect the dignity of the person and of their working environment.

How do I stop good people slipping into average performance?

Challenge! Always promote and celebrate high standards, growth and embracing challenge. Do not simply provide people with more of the same work when completed. Instead, go deeper. Get them to apply more thought to the same area. Could their work be applied into a different context- into making some social media content, a video, writing a report? Liaising with a different department? Always have the next step of a person’s development journey mapped out for them. There is nothing more motivating in the workplace than someone knowing that they are making progress towards a goal that they care deeply about. This approach can be applied both at the individual level and team level, too.

How to Measure Whether Your Motivation Strategies Are Actually Working

Now you have some ideas to implement, let’s make sure that your efforts will be rewarded by taking some simple application steps forwards.

Get clear on what improvements you want to see- performance metrics improved, a better vibe in the office each day, employees showing more engagement in meetings, improved emotional intelligence. Write these down and begin with this as your focus- it is essential.
Create a way of tracking this- you could add numbers, letters or scores such as percentages. Use AI if you struggle with this-be careful to not use names and protect privacy.
Get collaborative input from your employees- tell them what you are doing, and ask for their co-operation, i.e. ask them to self- reflect and to also rate their own performance improvements formatively.
Make sure to include variety, spontaneity and fun! Boosting motivation is not a boring thing to do- unless you make it so- it can be lots of fun. Talk to your people about ways that you can help to make your environment more motivating.
Give yourself a period of time, I would recommend at least 3 months of tracking motivation levels and improvements. Then review at the end of the 3 months, see what worked and what didn’t. Look at your scores and metrics. Most importantly, speak with your people. Decide what you are going to continue and where you can improve next.

Final Thoughts: Sustaining Motivation Beyond Today

Remember, as a leader, motivation in the workplace is one of your key responsibilities. So, treat motivation as you would with any other metric: with care, attention, effort and diligence- and improved performance for you is not a matter of if it happens, but when it arrives.

To personalise this content even closer to you and your team, just send Kataholos a message, and Michael talk you through how you can do this.

Kataholos and our 5 Types of Motivation Model are available to be delivered as:

121 online coaching

Online or in person group training

Online course in both video and audio format

Through subscription to our online platform www.kataholoslearning.co.uk

Love and best wishes,

WhatsApp: +44 7581412253

Email: michael@kataholos.co.uk