Building productive teamsMotivating & inspiring others
Motivation map
Motivation map
3 minutes
Motivation changes over time, with goals, confidence and life outside work. This framework helps you understand what fuels each person in your team, so you can lead in a way that keeps motivation alive rather than trying to “fix” it when it drops.
1
Ask
Try using these short, curious questions in everyday moments, such as in 1:1s or quick check-ins:
• “When do you feel at your best here?”
• “What type of recognition feels meaningful to you?”
• “What is energising you most at the moment?”
• “What tends to drain your energy at work?”
These questions help uncover real motivators rather than assumptions. You may be surprised by the answers!
• “When do you feel at your best here?”
• “What type of recognition feels meaningful to you?”
• “What is energising you most at the moment?”
• “What tends to drain your energy at work?”
These questions help uncover real motivators rather than assumptions. You may be surprised by the answers!
2
Observe
Watch for signs of energy and withdrawal in day-to-day behaviour:
• What work do they naturally gravitate toward?
• When do they speak up, volunteer or take the lead?
• When do they hesitate, go quiet or pull back?
Motivation often shows up in behaviour before people can name it directly.
• What work do they naturally gravitate toward?
• When do they speak up, volunteer or take the lead?
• When do they hesitate, go quiet or pull back?
Motivation often shows up in behaviour before people can name it directly.
3
Map
Each person typically has one dominant driver and often a secondary one. You can think about four practical drivers:
Achievement-driven: energised by visible progress and outcomes.
Thrives with clear goals, stretch opportunities and seeing results.
Connection-driven: driven by belonging and appreciation.
Thrives with collaboration, shared success and feeling part of something.
Growth-driven: fuelled by learning, mastery and challenge.
Thrives with development opportunities, feedback and new problems to solve.
Certainty-driven: motivated by clarity and predictability.
Thrives with clear expectations, priorities and reduced chaos.
A quick way to track this is to note a two-letter code for each person (Primary + Secondary), e.g.:
AG = Achievement + Growth
CG = Connection + Growth
CA = Certainty + Achievement
This makes it easy to see patterns across the team.
Achievement-driven: energised by visible progress and outcomes.
Thrives with clear goals, stretch opportunities and seeing results.
Connection-driven: driven by belonging and appreciation.
Thrives with collaboration, shared success and feeling part of something.
Growth-driven: fuelled by learning, mastery and challenge.
Thrives with development opportunities, feedback and new problems to solve.
Certainty-driven: motivated by clarity and predictability.
Thrives with clear expectations, priorities and reduced chaos.
A quick way to track this is to note a two-letter code for each person (Primary + Secondary), e.g.:
AG = Achievement + Growth
CG = Connection + Growth
CA = Certainty + Achievement
This makes it easy to see patterns across the team.
4
Apply
Choose one small action per person for the next 2–4 weeks, examples:
For an achievement-driven person:
Agree on a clear, visible goal, and make progress and wins easy to see and celebrate.
For a connection-driven person:
Create more opportunities to work with others, contribute to team rituals, or support peers.
For a growth-driven person:
Add a stretch element to their work, involve them in solving a new problem, or support a new skill.
For a certainty-driven person:
Clarify priorities, provide a simple plan for the next few weeks, and reduce unnecessary ambiguity.
Small, personalised actions like these compound over time and build trust as well as motivation.
For an achievement-driven person:
Agree on a clear, visible goal, and make progress and wins easy to see and celebrate.
For a connection-driven person:
Create more opportunities to work with others, contribute to team rituals, or support peers.
For a growth-driven person:
Add a stretch element to their work, involve them in solving a new problem, or support a new skill.
For a certainty-driven person:
Clarify priorities, provide a simple plan for the next few weeks, and reduce unnecessary ambiguity.
Small, personalised actions like these compound over time and build trust as well as motivation.
5
Review
In your regular check-ins, include simple motivation questions such as:
• “What’s giving you momentum at the moment?”
• “What’s getting in the way?”
• “Is there anything that would help you feel more focused or energised?”
These conversations keep motivation aligned to what people actually need now, rather than what used to work in the past.
• “What’s giving you momentum at the moment?”
• “What’s getting in the way?”
• “Is there anything that would help you feel more focused or energised?”
These conversations keep motivation aligned to what people actually need now, rather than what used to work in the past.
When people feel understood in what drives them, momentum becomes a habit, not a lucky streak.
Choose two people and try this approach with them over the next month, you’ll quickly see what works.
Sources
Gallup. (2025). State of the Global Workplace Report. Gallup Workplace Research. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (n.d.). Self-Determination Theory. Retrieved from https://selfdeterminationtheory.org/the-theory/
Locke, E. A., & Latham, G. P. (2002). Building a practically useful theory of goal setting and task motivation: A 35-year odyssey.
American Psychologist, 57(9), 705–717.
by
Ben Robinson
Executive Coach and Organisational Development Leader | Coached over 200 leaders