One of the questions I hear most from founders and business owners is, “How do I motivate people?”
It’s an understandable question. You care about your team, and you want them to feel engaged and energised. But dig a little deeper, and this question usually turns out to be a shorthand for something else.
Here are some of the things business owners actually mean when they ask about motivation:
- “Some people just don’t do what I ask.”
- “They give up too quickly when something’s difficult.”
- “They need me to check in constantly.”
- “They’re not quite fitting in with the rest of the team.”
- “They’re turning up, but they’re just going through the motions.”
These are common, real-world challenges — but they’re not all solved with the same answer. Which is why ‘motivation’ can be a bit of a red herring.
What have you already tried?
When I ask business owners what they’ve done so far, they often tell me something like this:
- “I had a chat with them to see how they’re feeling.”
- “I gave them some encouragement and a confidence boost.”
- “We went for a coffee or a pint to reconnect.”
- “I gave them a firm talking-to.”
- “I organised a team away-day to boost morale.”
All of these are natural responses. They come from a good place. But here’s the rub: most of them fall into the same category – let’s call it getting close again. Social bonding. Reconnecting emotionally.
And while that’s sometimes helpful, it’s not always what the team needs.
Motivation isn’t about mood. It’s about clarity and confidence.
In my experience, teams don’t fall flat because people are unmotivated in some abstract sense. They drift when they’re unclear, unconfident, or disconnected from how their role contributes to the bigger picture.
Sometimes, the root issue is accountability. Sometimes it’s trust. Sometimes it’s just that no one really knows who’s meant to be doing what, or how decisions are made.
A trip to the pub won’t fix that.
Working well together doesn’t just mean being mates
Let’s talk about the role of social bonding at work.
There’s nothing wrong with warm, friendly relationships. In fact, cordiality and mutual respect are essential. But teams don’t need to be best mates to function well – and sometimes, a strong social culture can actually mask deeper dysfunction.
I’ve seen plenty of high-performing teams that don’t have much of a social life together. But what they do have is:
- Clear expectations
- Agreed ways of working
- A shared understanding of what good looks like
That’s what drives motivation — not just liking each other, but knowing how to succeed together.
Get to the root cause
So what’s really going on when someone looks unmotivated? Let’s revisit that list of concerns:
- Not doing what they’re asked? Often a lack of accountability, clarity or follow-through. → Try individual or team coaching to build ownership and commitment.
- Giving up too easily? Might signal a confidence issue — or that they don’t really know what’s expected. → Could be coaching, or role clarification with your input as leader.
- Needing lots of attention? Possibly unclear job design — or they’ve never been helped to build independent judgment. → Start by clarifying expectations and responsibilities as a team.
- Not fitting in? Often a sign of deeper tensions in the team dynamic, or unresolved issues around norms and values. → A focused team development process (not quad biking) can help.
- Going through the motions? Could be any of the above — or something else entirely. → Time to investigate. Ask better questions. Collect more information before diagnosing.
In fact, that last step – collecting more information – is almost always where I’d begin, because the only way to solve the real problem is to understand what it is.
So what does it take?
Two things:
- Experience. You’ve got to know what patterns to look for — and what tends to sit beneath them.
- Flexibility. There’s no one-size-fits-all solution. You need a toolkit of approaches, and the judgment to know when to use each one.
That’s what I help my clients do. Together, we figure out what’s really going on — and build solutions that actually work.
Final thought
If your team feels flat or stuck, the answer probably isn’t another pep talk. It’s clarity. It’s shared expectations. It’s better conversations about what success looks like, and how people can contribute to it.
That’s what creates energy and motivation that lasts.
If you’d like to explore what that could look like in your business, I’m always happy to talk it through. Just give me a call.
Book a Leadership Power Hour with me
A Leadership Power Hour gives you an hour of 121 time. I’m an organisation leadership coach who has been working with successful SME business leaders for over 30 years.
I’m also the author of ‘A Buzz in the Building: How to build and lead a brilliant organisation’. In your 121, you’ll establish what you’re hoping to achieve and work to achieve an actionable result by the end of our hour together.
You might want to choose between different courses of action, get advice on a specific issue you are stuck with, or just need a sounding board.
My insights, suggestions and practical advice will enable you to come up with an actionable plan to move your business forward.
This is an effective and powerful way to resolve a niggling issue, and, for a small investment, to experience how useful organisation leadership coaching can be.
Book now for just £199 + VAT: 07801 259637