In part one of this article, we discussed how inspiration fuels the desire to learn, why it precedes learning and training, and the data that supports this approach. We explored how employees who are inspired retain more knowledge, engage more deeply, and outperform those who simply receive training without intrinsic not extrinsic motivation. Now we will dive into what actually triggers inspiration and how leaders can uncover what drives their teams to perform at their best and how to get them there.

A Typical Coaching Case Study: The Impact of Prioritizing People

Consider this experience of a B2B company in the tech sector. Initially, the organization struggled with disengaged front-line employees who felt disconnected from the company’s goals, purpose and mission. Performance was inconsistent, underperformance and unacceptable behavior was tolerated, and turnover was high.

Recognizing the need for change, the company’s leadership shifted its focus from solely driving numbers to learning how to coach, resulting in engaging in new, meaningful conversations with employees that focus on them, their personal goals, motivations, personal values, priorities, and who they are, not their role, performance or their quota.

The Change in Approach

Now armed with a new approach around how to communicate, lead and coach, managers began to prioritize and motivate by first taking the time to uncover and then leverage each person’s individual values and motivations and align them with their job responsibilities.

Instead of focusing on quotas and performance metrics alone, they asked questions to uncover what truly inspires each unique, individual team member and most importantly, how they like to be managed, motivated, even held accountable. Some of these questions include:

• What aspects of your work do you find most fulfilling?
• What motivates you to come to work each day?
• What is most important to you in your career? In your life?
• What do you want your legacy to look like? How do you want to be known?
• How do you like to be managed?
• What type of incentive would motivate you to achieve more?
• What gives you a sense of accomplishment at the end of each day?
• How can I be your accountability partner so that you stay on track to achieve your goals?
• If for some reason you don’t follow through with your commitments, how should I approach you so that you’re open to hearing it?

Through these conversations, managers quickly realized that money, while often on the top of their motivators is not what most people are looking for today. Most salespeople are not simply coin operated. That is, they’re primary drive may be more than just making money or financial incentives.

Studies show today that most people in today’s work force value, personal growth, culture, collaboration, meaningful work, and having a lasting impact precedes being motivated by money.

With this insight, the leadership team took the time to craft relevant, authentic and human based conversations like the one above, in order to individually align the company’s goals with the personal values of its employees.

The Outcome

The results were profound:

• Increased Motivation: Employees began to show greater enthusiasm and a renewed commitment to their work. They were no longer just fulfilling tasks; they were actively contributing to the company’s mission.
• Higher Retention: When employees felt that their personal goals were recognized and supported, they were more likely to remain with the company.
• Improved Performance: With inspiration at the forefront, employees were more engaged and proactive, leading to measurable improvements in overall performance.

You can find thousands of case studies like this online. When companies take the time to understand what inspires their people, the benefits extend beyond individual satisfaction to include enhanced organizational performance collaboration innovation and better results as a natural byproduct.

What Triggers Inspiration?

If you want to cultivate a motivated and high-performing team, it is essential to identify and understand what triggers inspiration in your employees. Here are three critical areas:

1. Values

People are deeply influenced by their core values. When an employee’s personal beliefs align with the company’s mission, they are more likely to invest themselves fully in their work.

• Statistic: Research indicates that 76% of employees are more likely to remain with a company that supports their personal growth and aligns with their values (NectarHR).

• Coaching Questions:
  • What are the core values that guide you and your decisions that you live by to make your very best life?
  • How can we ensure that your role reflects what is most important to you?
  • What makes you happy?
  • What are your core values you refuse to compromise?
  • Which parts of your role expresses and are aligned with your values?

2. Personal Goals

While organizational goals are important they must be aligned with personal goals, which are what truly drive intrinsic, heart based, behavior. Employees are motivated when they see a clear connection between their day-to-day tasks and their long-term aspirations. When these two things are aligned, people are now focused on a shared goal, a north star that everyone can rally around.

• Statistic: A study by Teachfloor found that 93% of employees prefer to work for a company that helps them achieve their personal goals.

• Coaching Questions:
  • What is a personal goal you are currently working toward?
  • In what ways can your work here support your personal ambitions?
  • How do you like to be rewarded / acknowledged for a job well done?
  • Where do you want to be one year from today?
  • What’s the one reminder that will always ignite your motivation and performance?

3. Hobbies and Interests

The activities that employees engage in outside of work can offer valuable insights into what energizes them. These hobbies and interests can often be linked to professional skills and passions.

• Example: An employee who enjoys coaching youth sports may be naturally inclined toward leadership and mentoring. Similarly, someone with a passion for creative pursuits may thrive in roles that require innovative thinking.

• Coaching Questions:
  • What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
  • How can we incorporate more elements of your passions into your work?
  • If you didn’t have to work, what would you do with your time?
  • What would you like to spend more time doing (home/work)?
  • What would make your job even more enjoyable and fulfilling?

Understanding these elements help managers create an environment where inspiration is not an afterthought but a foundational element of every interaction and conversation that allows their values to shine.

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What an Inspiring Conversation Looks Like

The conversations you have with your team create their reality and are crucial in uncovering what drives them. Rather than issuing directives that focus solely on numbers or business objectives, these discussions should be designed to understand individual motivations and align them with organizational objectives.

Examples of Effective Manager-Employee Conversations

Scenario 1: Discussing Personal Goals

• Less Effective – Directive
  “You need to meet your quota this month.”
• More Effective – Coaching
  “I understand that one of your personal goals is to buy a house. Let’s explore how we can work together to help you reach that goal while also meeting our targets.”
• How can I partner with you to ensure you achieve this?

Scenario 2: Addressing Change – A Specific Behavior or Observation

• Less Effective – Directive
  “You need to increase your prospecting efforts. You’re not going to hit your number if you don’t make more outbound calls.”
• More Effective – Coaching
  “I know you have a competitive spirit. How might we turn prospecting into a personal challenge that aligns with your passion for competition?”
• What benefits do you see in prospecting more?
• If you do/don’t make this more of a habit, how might this impact your end of year goals?
• What, if anything, is getting in the way of prospecting more consistently?
• What would need to change to make your more comfortable at prospecting?

Scenario 3: Improving Overall Work Habits

• Less Effective – Directive
  “You need to work harder.”
• More Effective – Coaching
  “What aspects of your work make you feel most engaged and productive? Let’s collaborate around how we can incorporate more of those experiences and activities into your days, while uncovering and removing anything that may be getting in the way of achieving your goals.”

By taking the time to step back, be present, coach and ask the right questions that stimulate deeper personal, and caring conversations, managers can discover the unique drivers, strengths and gaps behind each employee’s performance, without feeling any push-back or resistance.

This approach not only improves engagement but also fosters a sense of ownership and a personal commitment to the company’s success they choose, rather than it be forced upon.

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Final Thoughts: Inspiration Ignites Education

Education, training, coaching, accountability, meaning and motivation remain vital components of professional development that leads to a fulfilled life, thriving career and top performing culture.

However, their effectiveness is greatly diminished when employees do not have a genuine desire to learn because the willingness and natural innate desire to learn, to grow, and to innovate is rooted in inspiration. Now, you have the tools and strategy to have these conversations that will shift the dynamic of your culture for the better.

When individuals are inspired, they:

• Bring increased motivation: They work with more energy and enthusiasm when people see what benefits they will realize.
• Exhibit higher productivity: They push beyond expectations, especially beyond what they though they could achieve, removing personally imposed limitations.
• Solve problems more effectively: Their creative thinking flourishes; critical thinking becomes the norm.
• Drive greater innovation: They contribute ideas and improvements, rather than merely following instructions. This also inspires others to want to contribute what they now see is a safe zone that the manager created for their team.
• Demonstrate stronger retention: They stay with an organization where they feel a deep connection.

It is essential for leaders to recognize that taking the time to uncover each person’s inspiration is not an option but the foundation upon which effective education and learning cultures are built.

The best teams are not composed solely of well-trained individuals; they are made up of people who are genuinely inspired by their work. They have a learning and growth mindset, enabling them to become more effective critical thinkers.

In many organizations, the focus remains on achieving numbers, not on people, and this emphasis on quantitative outcomes often overshadows the need to understand and nurture human needs and motivation.

Then companies wonder why they’re experiencing such a high degree of turnover.

You may have heard the expression. “People don’t leave the company. They leave the manager.” Consider this. “People don’t leave the company. They leave the culture.”

By prioritizing inspiration, you create an environment where learning becomes a natural, personal and transformative process.

Employees become more than just workers. They become passionate, creative, and committed partners in achieving both their own goals and those of the organization, as well as their peers and customers. In such an environment, success is not merely a target to be met, but a journey in which every individual is traveling on.

Ultimately, when you place inspiration as the ignition of the success formula for your people; education, development, and evolution are not imposed, or consistently, tirelessly pushed externally for the short term, but are embraced internally, for the long term.

Now, both the company vision and their personal vision are aligned. That is why inspiration and focusing on who your people are and what their goals are, rather than their role, quota or what they do, is the true driver of long term, healthy, sustainable success.