Meaningful Motivation for Leaders in 2025

You may know Alice Coachman as the first Black woman to win an Olympic medal. She won the high jump title in 1948. The story behind her triumph is a perfect example of what meaningful motivation really means.

Coachman was the fifth of 10 children in a family from Albany, Georgia. Although she showed athletic talent at an early age, she was denied access to sports facilities or professional training because of the color of her skin. Despite these obstacles, Alice trained by running barefoot on dirt paths and practicing high jumps with materials she found at home.

She eventually received an athletic scholarship in high school, but the terms required her to work while training and studying. She had to take turns training, cleaning the sports facilities, and mending uniforms.

Why did she never give up? Because she knew why she did what she did.

At this time of year, we often think about how we can start fresh and motivated to achieve our personal goals and resolutions for the new year. If one of your goals is to become a more effective leader for your team, it’s important to understand the motivations of individual team members, which change over time.

In this column, I will share some key concepts (and an exercise) to help you do just that.

The Power of the Golden Circle

Simon Sinek’s Golden Circle is a simple but profound concept that challenges leaders to think differently about motivation. It consists of three levels:

Why: The purpose or belief that drives an organization or individual.

How: The processes or values that make the purpose achievable.

What: The tangible results of action, such as products, services, or outcomes.

While many leaders start with the “what,” Sinek emphasizes the importance of starting with the “why." When leaders articulate a compelling purpose, they create a sense of belonging and engagement that goes beyond routine tasks. In 2025, as employees prioritize meaningful work and alignment with company values, it’s more important than ever to start with the “why."

It is equally important to understand the "why" of our team members, the goal that drives them to get out of bed every day. This refers to intrinsic motivation: the desire to do something for its own sake, or the sheer joy of it. We also need to distinguish this from extrinsic motivation, which refers to the need to perform tasks in order to receive something in return, such as income, rewards, or recognition.

Strategies for Motivating Teams in 2025

We often use Jurgen Appelo’s Moving Motivators to understand what moves us – both individually and as a team. Moving Motivators uses a deck of 10 cards, each representing an intrinsic motivator connected to work, called CHAMPFROGS:

● Curiosity: I have plenty of things to investigate and to think about

● Honor: I feel proud that my values are reflected in how I work.

● Acceptance: The people around me approve of what I do and who I am.

● Mastery: My work challenges my competence but it is still within my abilities.

● Power: There’s enough room for me to influence what happens around me.

● Freedom: I am independent of others with my work and my responsibilities.

● Relatedness: I have good social contacts with the people in my work.

● Order: There are enough rules and policies for a stable environment.

● Goal: My purpose in life is reflected in the work that I do.

● Status: My position is good, and recognized by the people who work with me.

In this exercise, it’s important to understand not just the one-word description, but the complete description. For example, it’s very different to think of “power” as “there’s enough room for me to influence what happens around me,” rather than power being telling others what to do. There are many ways to approach the exercise, but often, we ask people to start by putting the cards in the order that is correct for them, with the most important motivators on the right and the least important on the left. Then, we ask them to eliminate some of the motivators. Sometimes, the interesting result of this is that it’s not only the ones on the right that they keep as important.

One of the key things for teams is to talk about their most important and least important motivators, and to talk about the why behind their choices. It’s important not to judge these motivators, particularly since the why behind each selection tends to be very different, even if it’s the same motivator.

You can apply this same exercise with your team. It should be a recurring activity, as our motivators often change over time, as we have new experiences at work and as our personal lives evolve. This exercise can give you a clear and valuable insight into what your team members need from you and the company in order to be satisfied and motivated with their work.

Looking ahead to 2025 and the challenges that leaders will face, I think there are other factors that we need to consider to motivate people.

● Cultivate a growth orientation: Encourage continuous learning and offer opportunities for further training. Celebrate not only successes, but also efforts and lessons learned from failures.

● Use technology wisely: Use AI and data analytics to personalize motivational strategies. For example, platforms that track employee engagement can help identify areas where support is needed.

● Promote inclusion and belonging: Diverse teams perform better than homogeneous ones, but only if every member feels valued. Create spaces where different perspectives are heard and valued.

● Prioritize well-being: As remote and hybrid work models continue to evolve, prioritize mental health initiatives, flexible work arrangements and stress management resources.

● Recognize and reward contributions: Regularly recognize individual and team achievements. Whether through public recognition or tailored incentives, appreciation builds morale and loyalty.

In a year where technology will be a key player in most workplace trends, it is our responsibility as leaders to nurture and promote the human skills that make businesses successful.