Stop Trying to Motivate Your Team

Insights from the coaching room

When someone in the team isn't performing, one question comes up remarkably often:

“How do I motivate them?”

It's understandable.

Someone who used to show initiative has gone quiet.

A manager isn't stepping up.

An employee is doing the minimum.

Targets aren't being hit.

The temptation is to assume the missing ingredient is motivation.

So the owner tries encouragement.

A bonus.

A team meeting.

Perhaps a new incentive scheme.

Sometimes it works.

Often it doesn't.

Because I've found that what gets described as a motivation problem frequently isn't a motivation problem at all.

And trying to motivate someone before understanding what's really getting in the way can mean treating the symptom rather than the cause.

“They're Just Not Motivated”

I've heard variations of that sentence many times in coaching.

My response is usually to become curious.

What specifically aren't they doing?

What should they be doing instead?

Do they know that?

Have they demonstrated they can do it?

What happens when they don't?

The conversation often changes remarkably quickly.

Because “unmotivated” is a judgement.

It's not a diagnosis.

And before you can solve a performance problem, you need to understand which problem you're actually dealing with.

Start With Clarity

The first place I'd look is expectations.

Does the person genuinely know what good performance looks like?

Not:

“Do a good job.”

Or:

“Take more ownership.”

Or:

“Be more proactive.”

Those aren't particularly useful expectations.

What does ownership actually mean in their role?

What decisions should they make themselves?

What numbers are they responsible for?

What should happen by when?

How will success be measured?

I've worked with owners who are frustrated that somebody isn't performing, only to discover that the expectations exist almost entirely inside the owner's head.

You can't fairly hold someone accountable for a standard you've never clearly established.

Then Look at Capability

Knowing what's expected and being able to deliver it are two different things.

Has the person been properly trained?

Do they have the knowledge?

Do they have the skills?

Have they been promoted into a role they aren't yet equipped to perform?

This is particularly relevant when good employees become managers.

Someone can be excellent technically and struggle enormously when they're suddenly expected to lead people, delegate, manage performance and have difficult conversations.

That doesn't necessarily mean they're unmotivated.

They may simply not know how.

You can't motivate someone into possessing a skill they haven't developed.

Look at the Environment You've Created

Sometimes the business itself makes good performance unnecessarily difficult.

Poor systems.

Conflicting priorities.

Constant interruptions.

Unclear responsibilities.

Too many approvals.

Insufficient information.

The owner overriding decisions.

Different managers giving different instructions.

Then we wonder why people don't take ownership.

One question worth asking is:

“If this person wanted to perform brilliantly, how easy have we made it for them to do so?”

That's not about removing personal responsibility.

It's about making sure the business isn't inadvertently creating the very behaviour you're complaining about.

Then Look at Accountability

This is where some performance problems become uncomfortable.

Because occasionally people know exactly what's expected.

They have the ability.

They have the resources.

But there's little consequence when they don't deliver.

A deadline passes.

Nothing happens.

A KPI is missed.

It's mentioned briefly.

The same mistake occurs again.

Someone else fixes it.

Standards gradually become optional.

And eventually the owner concludes:

“They don't care.”

Perhaps.

But another possibility is that the business has taught them that the standard isn't particularly important.

Accountability isn't about punishment.

It's about making commitments matter.

You Get What You Tolerate

One of the most damaging things a leader can do is repeatedly accept performance below the standard they've supposedly set.

Not just because of the individual involved.

Because everybody else is watching.

Your strongest employees notice when somebody continually underperforms without anything happening.

They notice when deadlines aren't really deadlines.

They notice when values are talked about but behaviour that contradicts them is tolerated.

And eventually the standard you accept becomes more powerful than the standard you communicate.

That's why addressing poor performance isn't only about the person concerned.

It's about the culture you're creating for everyone else.

And Then We Get to Motivation

Suppose you've dealt with all of that.

The expectations are clear.

They have the capability.

The environment supports them.

They receive feedback.

They're being held accountable.

And they still aren't doing it.

Now we may have a different conversation.

Because there comes a point where the question isn't:

“How do I motivate them?”

It's:

“Do they actually want to do this?”

That's a much harder question.

But it's an important one.

You Can't Want It More Than They Do

I see owners expend enormous amounts of energy trying to rescue people.

Another conversation.

Another chance.

Another incentive.

Another deadline.

Another promise that things will improve.

Sometimes that patience is rewarded.

People can go through difficult periods. Circumstances change. Good employees sometimes need support.

But there also comes a point where continuing to try to motivate someone becomes a way of avoiding a decision.

You can provide clarity.

You can coach.

You can train.

You can support.

You can create the right environment.

You can hold someone accountable.

But you can't indefinitely supply someone else's willingness.

Be Careful With Incentives

When motivation appears low, money is often one of the first solutions considered.

Let's introduce a bonus.

Pay commission.

Create a competition.

There's nothing inherently wrong with incentives.

Used properly, they can reinforce the right behaviours and reward strong performance.

But they won't repair poor management.

If someone doesn't understand their role, adding a bonus doesn't create clarity.

If they lack the skill, commission doesn't create capability.

If nobody holds them accountable, another incentive doesn't create standards.

And badly designed incentives can encourage precisely the wrong behaviour.

Before changing the reward, understand the problem.

Five Questions Before You Call It Motivation

When someone isn't performing, I'd work through five areas.

1. Clarity

Do they know exactly what good looks like?

2. Capability

Do they genuinely have the skills and knowledge to deliver it?

3. Environment

Have we given them the systems, authority and resources they need?

4. Accountability

Are commitments measured, discussed and followed through?

5. Will

Having addressed the first four, do they actually want to perform at the level the role requires?

That sequence matters.

Because jumping straight to number five can lead you to blame somebody for a problem the business created.

But refusing ever to get to number five can leave you tolerating something that needs addressing.

Good leadership requires both.

The Manager's Job Isn't to Create Motivation

I think there's a subtle but important distinction here.

A leader absolutely influences motivation.

The environment you create matters.

Recognition matters.

Purpose matters.

Development matters.

Fairness matters.

Being treated with respect matters.

Bad management can certainly destroy someone's enthusiasm.

But I don't believe a manager's job is to somehow manufacture motivation inside another human being.

The manager's job is to create the conditions in which good people can perform well and then hold them accountable for doing so.

That's a much more realistic responsibility.

A Practical Exercise

Think about one person in your business whose performance is currently frustrating you.

Before deciding they're unmotivated, score each of these out of ten:

Clarity — how clearly do they understand what's expected?

Capability — how confident are you that they can do it?

Environment — how well does the business enable them to succeed?

Accountability — how consistently are expectations followed up?

Will — how much evidence is there that they genuinely want to succeed in the role?

Don't score what you think you've provided.

Score what you can demonstrate.

Your lowest score may tell you considerably more than the word “motivation” ever will.

The Real Truth

Performance problems are rarely solved by motivational speeches.

They're solved by understanding what's really happening.

Sometimes the answer is clearer expectations.

Sometimes it's training.

Sometimes it's better management.

Sometimes it's stronger accountability.

Sometimes it's removing obstacles.

And occasionally, despite doing all of those things, the answer is accepting that the person and the role are no longer right for each other.

The skill is knowing which situation you're dealing with.

Final Thought

Next time you find yourself saying:

“How do I motivate them?”

Try replacing it with:

“What's actually preventing this person from performing?”

That question forces you to diagnose before you prescribe.

And you may discover that motivation was never the problem in the first place.