Integrating Self-Motivation with Team Goals

Eight years ago, I was standing in front of my first sales team as their new leader. I was also battling the familiar chaos of onboarding: learning the numbers, understanding individual quirks, and trying not to let imposter syndrome show. Exciting. Overwhelming. Exhausting. All the typical emotions that come with leading a group of ambitious yet vastly different sales personalities. I decided to take a "layered" approach to motivation because I’d finally accepted a simple truth: Not everyone is driven by the same things. (And it’s often the ones you least expect who surprise you.) Before this breakthrough, I struggled with three things: The Pep Talk Trap: Pouring endless enthusiasm into group meetings, hoping it would ignite everyone equally. (Spoiler: It didn't.) The “One-Size-Fits-All” Rewards: Thinking if one person was excited by a big bonus, everyone else would be too. They weren’t. Misreading Silence: Assuming the quiet ones were unmotivated when, in fact, they needed more personalized encouragement. Here’s what I learned: Motivation isn’t about one grand strategy. It's about knowing what makes each person tick. Let’s break this down. For some, numbers speak. They crave being challenged with new targets or hitting top-quartile performances. Others? Recognition fuels them. A shoutout in a team meeting means more than any cash prize. Then there are those who value learning. Offer to sponsor a sales workshop, and you’ve got their full engagement. When I learned to meet people where they were (instead of where I thought they should be), things changed. Our numbers improved. Our meetings became more dynamic. And crucially, our culture of success and camaraderie started to stick. Leading a team isn’t easy. But understanding what drives them—individually—is the secret sauce. How do you motivate your team to reach ambitious goals? #motivation #mindset #performance #team #leadership #sales

“𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞? 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐚𝐥, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐞.” Ever heard this in a team setting? Or worse — felt it silently lingering in the room? 𝐴𝑐𝑐𝑜𝑟𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝐺𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑢𝑝, 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 23% 𝑜𝑓 𝑒𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑦𝑒𝑒𝑠 𝑓𝑒𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑟 𝑜𝑟𝑔𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑧𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛'𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑎𝑙𝑠. 𝑇ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑟 75% 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑠 — 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑠. The truth - If your team doesn’t see how the goal benefits them, they’ll 𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧. 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧. I remember a moment with a high-performing IT lead whose team had hit a wall. Projects were delayed. Morale was dipping. No one was pushing beyond the bare minimum. He kept asking, “Why don’t they feel motivated? This goal is clearly important.” But here’s what changed everything: He stopped asking them to support his vision and started helping them see themselves inside it. We rebuilt the communication around 3 key shifts: ✅ From “task” to “shared mission” – Use inclusive language. ("Here's what we can build...") ✅ From “delivery” to “development” – Show how their contribution grows their skills, visibility, influence. ✅ From “your” outcome to “our” success – Tie goals to personal wins (reputation, ownership, promotions, mastery). 𝐀𝐬 𝐬𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 —𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. To your success, Coach Vandana Dubey "Elevating Leaders, Enriching Souls" Where Professional Growth Meets Personal Fulfilment! #TeamMotivation #LeadershipCommunication #MidCareerLeadership #LeadershipDevelopment #Mindset LinkedIn

If you are relying on me to motivate you, I probably don’t want you on my team. *Read that again please… When you lead a team, you cannot possibly be the sole source of motivation. In fact, Daniel Pink’s book “Drive”, unearths some interesting research on intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation for teams. I often speak about the idea of shared leadership. As organizations become flatter and work becomes more knowledge based instead of task-centric, leadership cannot solely be about position. Motivation cannot solely be about the carrot and stick. I’m excited to share some powerful insights inspired by this recent read…ok I listened to it on a recent drive six-hour drive back home. In the pursuit of unlocking your team's full potential, consider the following strategies: 1️⃣ Autonomy: Provide your team members with the freedom to explore and execute their ideas, allowing them to take ownership of their work and approach tasks in their unique way. 2️⃣ Mastery: Foster a culture of continuous learning and development by offering opportunities for skill enhancement and growth. Encourage your team to set personal development goals and support them in achieving these milestones. 3️⃣ Purpose: Connect your team's work to a higher purpose, emphasizing the meaningful impact of their contributions. Help them understand how their efforts align with the larger goals and vision of the organization. By incorporating these principles of autonomy, mastery, and purpose into your leadership approach and team dynamics, you can cultivate an environment where intrinsic motivation thrives, leading to increased engagement, creativity, and overall team satisfaction 🌟💡 #intrinsicmotivation #teamdevelopment #leadershipdevelopment #leadersarereaders #LeadershipDecoded Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences on this transformative journey! 💬💭