Why motivating employees doesn’t work and what to do instead

Leaders often ask us: “How do I motivate my people to perform better?”

The honest answer is you don’t need to. Most employees already come to work wanting to do a good job. They want to feel proud of their work, make an impact, and contribute to the organization’s success. The real problem isn’t a lack of motivation; it’s the barriers in their way.

The Problem with Motivation

When leaders focus on motivation campaigns - speeches, rewards, training, and surveys - they often miss the real source of disengagement. Employees don’t lose interest because they’re lazy. They lose interest because their environment makes it impossible to succeed. They run into broken processes, unclear priorities, or meetings that never lead to action.

This creates a cycle of frustration: motivated people try, get blocked, and slowly disengage.

The Solution: Remove Barriers, Don’t Add Pressure

The real work of leadership isn’t about pumping people up. It’s about systematically removing the barriers that prevent them from performing at their best. That means:

• Clarifying expectations so no one wonders what success looks like.

• Making sure meetings end with clear ownership and accountability.

• Aligning metrics with strategy so people see their work’s impact.

• Fixing broken processes that frustrate frontline teams.

When leaders focus on removing barriers, motivation tends to take care of itself. Employees don’t need to be reminded to care; they just need the ability to succeed.

A Practical Example

We once worked with a manufacturing leader who believed his team lacked motivation. Turnover was high, and productivity was falling. Instead of another training session or recognition program, he asked his supervisors to list out the barriers his team faced daily. Within weeks, they discovered that equipment downtime, unclear production targets, and meeting overload were the real issues. By addressing those three things, output increased by double digits, without any new “motivation” effort.

The Takeaway

Stop trying to light a fire under your people. Remove the wet blankets that smother their energy. When employees have clarity, accountability, and working systems, motivation isn’t a problem; it’s the natural result.