DRIVE-ing the Roundabout

We often talk about motivation as something you either have or you don’t. In reality, 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞’𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲, 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬.

According to Edward Deci and Richard Ryan’s Self -Determination Theory (2000), later popularized by Daniel Pink in Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (2009), 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐭:

• 𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, having a say in how they work.
• 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲, improving at what they do.
• 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞, understanding that their work matters to someone.

When these needs are met, the experience itself becomes energizing. 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐮𝐭𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐲.

Motivation fades when systems or leaders interrupt the loop.
Micromanagement limits autonomy.
Stagnant roles block mastery.
Disconnected strategies weaken purpose.

When any link breaks, energy leaks. Rebuild the loop, and momentum returns.

𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐌𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲: 𝐑𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 “𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐭” 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 “𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐞’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐭?” This builds ownership and signals trust.

𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲 : 𝐀𝐬𝐤, “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐱 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐧𝐨𝐰?” 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐭.

𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 : Start meetings with a short story about someone who benefited from the team’s work. 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐌𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 is not about lighting fires under people. It 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦. In McKinsey’s 𝑆𝑡𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑂𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 2023, meaning, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. When managers design experiences that feed autonomy, mastery, and purpose, they 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐦𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐚 𝐨𝐧𝐞-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩.

𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐩 (𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐦𝐲, 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐲, 𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 ) 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐰?