The Biggest Mistake Leaders Make About Motivation

One of the most important insights I have gained from my work as an executive coach is deceptively simple: most leaders underestimate what truly motivates people.

The Myth of Money as the Primary Driver

Many organisations still operate on the belief that people are primarily motivated by money.

Money can be the main drive but in fact, few stay long; most leave after a few years for a better salary.  Money matters to many, but it's not enough for lasting engagement, fulfilment or performance.

Yet it remains the default lever.

What Actually Drives People

Across roles and industries, the pattern is consistent:

Most people want to make an impact. They want to contribute, help others, and feel that their work matters.

People want meaning, growth, to feel that they are trusted, and the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than themselves.

In other words, they are intrinsically motivated.

If you are a leader who wants your team to thrive, how about:

• In a one-to-one or team session: instead of only discussing outputs, try and also understand what’s driving them?

For simplicity, it could be rating how they are feeling about their Growth, Impact or Accountability, out of 10, for example

• When hiring: are you only assessing capability, or also motivation?

  
  

• When leading: are you creating control, or ownership?

  
  

Daniel H. Pink talks about this well through three drivers: AUTONOMY, MASTERY, and PURPOSE.

These are available to every leader:

• Autonomy: giving people ownership

• Mastery: investing in learning, coaching, mentoring

• Purpose: connecting work to something meaningful

  
  

A Final Reflection

Shift the question from:

“How do I incentivise performance?”  to “How do I create the conditions where people want to perform?”

Because every conversation, hire, and incentive you design signals what really matters.

If you would like to explore coaching to increase your own motivation and impact at work, or to support your team, I would love to hear from you