Give Your Team a Reason to Care
Originally shared February 20, 2025 in the Naked Sunday Newsletter. Adapted for the journal.
Ever feel like your team just doesn’t care?
A client came to me frustrated. One of her team members was phoning it in—inconsistent, disengaged, doing just enough to not get fired.
She thought he lacked motivation.
Turns out, she wasn’t giving him a reason to care.
She had been focused on getting him to be more consistent, but all he heard was “do more work.” No context. No connection. Just tasks.
So we shifted the conversation. Instead of pushing him toward the next promotion, we talked about what actually mattered to him. His bigger picture goals. What he wanted out of life beyond a title and paycheck.
And suddenly, everything changed.
At our next call, she told me not only had he stepped up—so had the rest of her team. They were more self-motivated, taking initiative, going beyond the bare minimum.
Why?
Because she gave them a reason to care. She made it clear that her expectations weren’t just about the company’s success—they were about preparing them for what they wanted long-term.
Most leaders are so focused on what needs to get done that they forget the person in front of them.
Especially if you were always the self-motivated one, the one who never needed anyone pushing you forward… you assume everyone operates like you.
They don’t.
Sometimes, people aren’t slacking—they’re afraid of failing in front of you. They don’t want to rock the boat, challenge themselves, or step up because they’re worried about disappointing you.
Your job as a leader isn’t to force performance. It’s to create alignment between the work and what actually matters to the person doing it.
Get that right, and people will push themselves—because now, they’re in it for something bigger than a paycheck.
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Until next time…
Love. Every. Body.
