Why You Can’t “Motivate” Someone to Be More Driven (Here’s What Actually Works)
One of my coaching clients, Priya, asked me a question that I hear quite often.
“Vanessa, how do I get someone on my team to be more motivated and show more initiative?”
Let me set the stage for you. Priya runs a very successful sales team. Her company has a very fast-paced environment that rewards speed, hustle and people who are ambitious. So, when one of her top performers, a steady, methodical man named Chris, wasn’t chasing stretch goals the way the rest of the team was, she assumed something was wrong with his motivation.
Here’s what I told her. Your job as a leader is not to motivate people.
Your job is to create an environment that is motivating for them.
We all have different work styles and that’s the point
Some people are wired for ambition, speed and big swings.
Others are wired for consistency, structure and steady, reliable output.
Neither of these work styles is better. They’re just different.
The problem wasn’t that Chris lacked drive. The problem was that Priya was leading him the same way she leads everyone else and then expected the same outcome.
So, the real question isn’t “how do I motivate my team?”
Rather, it is “how do I create an environment for someone whose work style is different from mine?”
How to lead someone with a different work style
If you have a team member who values structure, predictability or a calmer pace, pushing them to be more aggressive or ambitious will backfire every time.
Instead, you try this:
- Be specific about your expectations. Don’t assume they’ll fill in the gaps the way a more self-directed person would.
- Give advance notice on changes and deadlines. Uncertainty is what drains this person, not workload.
- Build in the structure they need to feel confident, not micromanaged.
- Co-create what “quality” and “proactive” actually mean, in concrete terms, so they’re not guessing at your definition.
- Ask them directly what kind of support helps them do their best work.
Look for what they bring, don’t focus on their gaps.
Before you decide if someone is a poor fit, look at what they’re actually good at delivering. Maybe they are the person who your most difficult clients trust.
Maybe they catch the details everyone else misses.
Maybe they are the calm, steady presence that keeps the team grounded when things get chaotic.
Sometimes a person really is in the wrong seat. But often, they’re the right person being led in the wrong way.
Your job isn’t to make everyone ambitious. It’s to lead each person in a way that feels motivating for them.
The people who don’t match your default style aren’t necessarily a problem to fix. They’re often the ones who add the balance your team needs most.
As Maya Angelou put it, “In diversity there is beauty and there is strength.”
Thank you for sharing!
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