Motivation Mechanics: How to Ignite Teams and Drive Results

Claire Monroe

Welcome back to The Science of Leading. I’m Claire Monroe—joined, as always, by Edwin Carrington.Today’s question seems simple on the surface, but it opens a whole can of worms:What really motivates people at work?And Edwin—I mean—it feels like this keeps popping up everywhere. Motivation just sneaks into everything, right?

Edwin Carrington

It really does, Claire. Motivation is the undercurrent for so much—productivity, retention, even just… how people show up for each other when things get hard.But here’s the irony: a lot of companies still treat motivation like a ‘soft’ HR topic. Something extra.In reality? It’s a performance lever. When it’s strong, teams outperform. When it’s weak, the slide is quiet—but costly.

Claire Monroe

And there’s so much confusion around it. I used to think if someone’s motivated, they’re obviously engaged too—like, those two things kind of mean the same thing?

Edwin Carrington

They sound interchangeable, but they’re not.Motivation is why someone wants to do great work. Engagement is how often they actually act on that drive.Picture a specialist who loves what they do—but they’re constantly rerouted, or never get clear feedback. Their motivation’s still intact—but their engagement? That starts to fade.Until something shifts—structure, clarity, leadership—it stays out of sync.

Claire Monroe

So if motivation and engagement aren’t always aligned… what does that mean for business outcomes?Like—why should leaders care?

Edwin Carrington

Because chasing engagement alone—activity levels, participation stats—you risk missing the bigger picture.You can have highly motivated people who start to disengage quietly when the system fails them.That’s why the focus needs to shift to what’s driving motivation underneath. Especially the intrinsic stuff.It’s not just about short-term effort—it’s about sustained performance over time.When you get that right, you see it across the board: better productivity, lower turnover, stronger customer outcomes.

Claire Monroe

Okay but can we pause on that—intrinsic motivation—because I still see so many leaders jump straight to perks.Like, hey! Free snacks! Bonus points!Even though, we know meaningful work and autonomy usually beat that stuff in the long run.

Edwin Carrington

It’s a classic pattern. Visible rewards are comfortable levers—bonuses, perks, flashy incentives.But I worked with a team once that had all of that.Great pay, solid benefits, even those trendy in-office perks.And still—morale was tanked.Turns out, there were no regular check-ins. No one understood how their work actually fit into the bigger mission.Once we tackled that—gave feedback structure, reconnected people to purpose—motivation started to bounce back.And none of it had to do with the money.

Claire Monroe

That’s such a good reminder.Because if you're just watching the dashboard—those metrics can totally miss the human undercurrent.So let’s go deeper here—how does intrinsic motivation actually work? Like what should leaders do if they want it to stick?

Edwin Carrington

Three things—alignment, autonomy, and belonging.Give people roles that actually connect to the mission—not just lip service.Offer autonomy with boundaries. Not chaos, but enough freedom to make smart choices.And then—foster real team identity.People go further when they feel like they’re part of something, not just delivering outputs.That’s why leadership clarity and culture matter way more than comp tweaks or pizza Fridays.

Claire Monroe

So—on one side, you’ve got meaning, trust, and autonomy.And on the other—you’ve got leaders setting the tone with real clarity.The fun perks? They’re just the cherry on top—if the cake isn’t hollow.And that brings us to the next layer:What’s actually going on inside effective leaders who manage to pull all of this together?

Claire Monroe

Let’s talk human side of leadership for a sec.I was reading this study about emotional intelligence—EI—and how leaders who lean into empathy and self-awareness just… have teams that crush it.It almost feels too obvious.But I keep seeing survey after survey—EI shows up as this, like, secret superpower.Why is that?

Edwin Carrington

Because it’s not actually a secret.EI is the glue.The research you’re referencing—it confirms what we see on the ground.Leaders with strong emotional intelligence—who can connect, listen, and lead with ethics—create trust.And trust unlocks everything: openness, resilience, better conflict resolution.We need to stop treating these as ‘nice-to-have’ traits.They are the engine for motivation and retention.

Claire Monroe

So EI isn’t just about being friendly or warm.It’s—what?—a kind of strategic emotional radar?

Edwin Carrington

Exactly.Some of the most effective leaders I’ve coached weren’t the technical stars.But they listened. They made their people feel seen.And you could feel the shift—tension dropped, collaboration rose, people stayed longer.Ethical leadership—being fair, showing up with integrity—it’s not just moral. It’s motivational.

Claire Monroe

That makes me think of this story a friend told me—her team was completely stuck until they got a new lead.He didn’t do anything flashy—he just listened, asked questions, followed through.Morale turned around in, like, a month.It’s wild that we don’t train every leader on this.

Edwin Carrington

Old management models die hard.We’ve clung to the myth that technical skill is all that matters.But now?We’ve got research, case studies, even neuroscience on our side.EI drives alignment, inspires performance, and builds the kind of culture that doesn’t crumble under pressure.And thankfully—we’re starting to see smart leadership programs lean into it.

Claire Monroe

It does feel like a shift.Like—finally—we’re realizing people aren’t just output machines.And I do wonder how we measure emotional intelligence with the same rigor as, say, revenue performance…But yeah—that’s probably a whole other episode.Because this gets even messier when you throw in tech, right?

Claire Monroe

Okay so—this is where things get tricky.A lot of companies are using digital tools now to track performance, automate feedback, set up gamified incentives…There’s this study from Switzerland showing companies that lean into tech also tend to crank up performance-based rewards.Which kind of makes sense, right? Easier to track = easier to pay for output.But like… does that actually help motivation?

Edwin Carrington

It can—but it can also backfire.That Swiss research showed that more tech equals more incentives—but also more fragility.If rewards become the only motivator, you get sharp spikes in output—then crashes.Especially when monitoring starts to feel invasive or punitive.We’ve seen it—employees disengage, burnout creeps in, top talent walks.

Claire Monroe

Yeah, it’s like… you can’t automate trust.And motivation isn’t a spreadsheet formula—it’s about feeling like a human being, not just a data point.I saw a stat recently—flexible work options are still one of the strongest predictors of motivation and loyalty.Which says a lot.

Edwin Carrington

It does.Work-life balance used to be framed as a perk.Now? It’s a strategy.That survey you’re referencing—flexible hours, remote options, real autonomy—they all correlate with higher satisfaction and stronger motivation.When people feel trusted, and not constantly tracked, they stay longer—and they give more.

Claire Monroe

So here’s the million-dollar question—how do companies walk that line?How do you use tech to boost performance without breaking trust?

Edwin Carrington

With discipline.I worked with a tech company that went all-in on digital tracking. Output soared—and so did turnover.Eventually, they backed off.Reintroduced boundaries, honored downtime, and gave teams breathing room.That’s when things stabilized.Technology can help—but only if it supports the fundamentals:Clear leadership. Healthy culture. Respect for people’s time.That’s a theme we’ve seen again and again in our work with OAD.

Claire Monroe

Honestly, it’s kind of comforting.Because it means motivation doesn’t live in some fancy tool—it lives in how leaders lead, and how cultures treat people.And if tech keeps evolving fast… maybe the real edge will be staying human, not just staying optimized.

Edwin Carrington

Well said.Motivation isn’t a one-and-done formula.It’s a leadership discipline.An everyday choice.And when you get it right, the ripple effects go far beyond performance metrics.

Claire Monroe

That’s a perfect note to end on.And hey—if you’re wondering how to actually apply some of this, you can test out OAD’s tools—like behavioral assessments—for free at o-a-d dot a-i.They’re designed to help you improve hiring, motivation, and team fit in a really practical way.

Edwin Carrington

Exactly. Tools are only as powerful as the conversations they spark—and the clarity they bring.Check them out.

Claire Monroe

Thanks for tuning in, everyone.