7 Motivation Myths That Are Harming Your Team
- Kyle Brade-Waring
- Oct 17
- 10 min read
Updated: 6 days ago
Your well-intentioned efforts to motivate your team might be making things worse. One-size-fits-all strategies, from team-building days to company-wide incentives, often create more disengagement than they solve because they ignore a fundamental truth: motivation is personal.
As leaders, we invest time and resources trying to build happy, high-performing teams. Yet, we often see the same frustrating results: a lack of ownership, simmering tensions, and a general feeling that the team is capable of so much more. At Aspirin Business Solutions, there’s a model we rely on every day: the Performance Triangle. It shows that true performance is an outcome of three critical elements working together:
Direction | Does everyone know what they are supposed to be doing and, crucially, why it matters? |
|---|---|
Capability | Do they have the skills, resources, time, and support to do it well? |
Motivation | Do they have the energy and desire—the will—to do it in the first place? |
If any one of these is missing, achieving high performance becomes impossible.
While leaders often focus on providing Direction and building Capability, it’s Motivation that is most often misunderstood. The financial and human cost of this is staggering. Low employee engagement costs the global economy an estimated $8.9 trillion annually, and with only 23% of employees feeling engaged at work, it's clear our old methods aren't working. The problem isn't a lack of effort; it's that we are operating on a set of outdated and unhelpful common motivation myths.
In conversations with my fellow Motivational Maps Senior Practitioners, the same unhelpful beliefs come up time and again. Here are seven of the most common myths we all hear in our work with leadership teams, and how you can bust them to truly motivate your team.
What Are the Biggest Team Motivation Myths?
Myth 1: “One-Size-Fits-All” Motivation Works
The Myth: A great incentive, like a bonus or a team social, should motivate everyone equally.
The Reality: A strategy that excites one person can completely disengage another.
Motivation is deeply personal. A competitive bonus structure might thrill someone with a high ‘Builder’ motivator (driven by money), but a collaborative ‘Friend’ (driven by belonging) may find it individualistic and divisive. This misunderstanding is a key reason why managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement.
The Fix: Stop using blanket approaches and get curious about what makes each person tick. The first step in developing effective team motivation strategies is to acknowledge that every individual has a unique blend of drivers.
Myth 2: Money Is the Ultimate Motivator
The Myth: If you want to improve team performance, the answer is always more money.
The Reality: This is a myth many leaders apply to their teams, but rarely believe is true for themselves. Ask yourself: is money the only reason you show up every day? While fair compensation is crucial (and an amount perceived as “too little” certainly causes demotivation), it's rarely the primary driver of sustained engagement. In fact, research shows 79% of employees who quit cite a lack of appreciation as a key reason. In data-analysis of over 100,000 Motivational Maps, we consistently see that purpose (‘Searcher’), mastery (‘Expert’), or feeling secure (‘Defender’) rank far higher. Offering a financial-based reward to a team driven by purpose is not only less effective than a purpose-based incentive, but it can create friction and turn the noble cause of ‘making a difference’ into the transactional task of ‘making a bonus’.
The Fix: Look beyond the paycheque. Use a tool like Motivational Maps to offer rewards that align with your team’s deeper needs. And you can start by simply showing appreciation—this can motivate 81% of employees to work harder, making it one of the most cost-effective tools you have.
Myth 3: Low Motivation Is a Character Flaw
The Myth: If a team member isn't motivated, they are lazy, have a bad attitude, or simply aren't engaged with their work.
The Reality: More often than not, low motivation is a symptom of a mismatch between the person and their environment. This mismatch is a huge contributor to poor mental health, which costs UK employers an estimated £51 billion per year. A security-driven ‘Defender’ will struggle in a culture that changes fast and regularly, leading to stress and anxiety—not laziness.
The Fix: Reframe the issue. Instead of asking, "What's wrong with this person?" ask, "What is missing for this person in their environment?" Use your diagnostic leadership skills to investigate the mismatch before jumping to conclusions.
Myth 4: If They're Good at It, They Must Enjoy It
The Myth: We see someone excelling at a task and assume it energises them, so we give them more of it.
The Reality: People can be highly skilled in areas they find utterly draining. This is a fast track to burnout, a state which an all-time high of 82% of employees report feeling. During a team workshop, one participant’s Motivational Maps profile revealed he craved freedom (‘Spirit’) and innovation (‘Creator’). He was a brilliant project manager, but the rigid structure of his role, though a strength, was crushing his spirit. The moral is clear: when we reward high performance with more of the work that drains our people, we are inadvertently paving the road to burnout and presenteeism.
The Fix: Separate "what they can do" from "what gives them energy". Have honest conversations about which parts of the job feel energising versus draining. Aligning and adapting roles with natural motivators is the key to sustainable high performance.
Myth 5: You Can Just Ask People What Motivates Them
The Myth: A good, open conversation is all you need to uncover someone's core drivers.
The Reality: This is a huge assumption. Most people lack the specific language or self-awareness to accurately articulate their own motivators. They might give a socially acceptable answer ("I like helping people") or confuse motivators with current goals ("I want that promotion"). They aren't lying; they just don't have the tools to see their own inner wiring. When managers can't diagnose the real issue, they can't fix it—and the cost of replacing an employee who leaves as a result is around £30,000 on average in the UK.
The Fix: Use a validated tool like Motivational Maps to provide a shared, objective language. It moves the conversation beyond guesswork and gives you a clear, accurate picture of what really drives each person on your team.
Myth 6: High Performers Don't Need to Be Motivated
The Myth: As long as someone is delivering great results, we can assume their motivation is high and focus our attention elsewhere.
The Reality: Your top performers are often the most at risk of burnout. They frequently run on discipline and a fear of failure long after their motivational fuel tank has run dry. A low satisfaction score on their Motivational Map is the engine warning light you can’t afford to ignore. Losing a high performer is also the most expensive form of turnover, costing a business up to 200% of their annual salary to replace.
The Fix: Check in on the motivation of your stars just as much as you do your strugglers. Are their needs for a new challenge, greater autonomy, or more recognition being met? Don't assume good results equal high motivation.
Myth 7: Personality Tests Explain the 'Why'
The Myth: If you know someone's personality type (e.g., from Myers-Briggs or Insights), you know what motivates them.
The Reality: Personality profiles are brilliant at showing how a person tends to behave. Motivation diagnostics show why. The two are complementary, not interchangeable. Companies that only invest in behavioural training often wonder why it doesn't stick. With only 12% of employees applying new skills from training to their jobs, it's clear that understanding the 'why' is critical to making learning stick.
The Fix: Use both. Combine your understanding of someone's behavioural style with a clear picture of their motivational drivers. It’s the difference between seeing a car's colour and knowing what kind of fuel it needs to run.
Stop Guessing, Start Leading
Many of our instincts about motivation are wrong because we generalise what is deeply personal. The secret to building happy, high-performing teams isn't a silver-bullet solution; it's the leadership skill of understanding and responding to individuals. Companies with highly engaged workforces are 21% more profitable for a reason—they've stopped guessing.
When you have the clarity to understand what truly drives your team, you can stop wasting energy on ineffective employee engagement ideas and start building a culture of trust and performance.
Ready to bust these myths in your own team? A Motivational Maps workshop provides the insights and shared language to transform your team dynamics. It’s a fun, insightful, and practical first step to building a more motivated and cohesive team.
Frequently Asked Questions about Motivation at Work
1. What motivates employees at work?
Employees are motivated by a combination of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Research shows that purpose, autonomy, and mastery rank higher than money alone for sustained motivation. The most effective motivators include meaningful work aligned with personal values, recognition and appreciation (which 79% of employees who quit cite as lacking), opportunities for growth and development, feeling valued and heard, and clear career progression. While fair compensation is essential, studies consistently demonstrate that once basic financial needs are met, factors like connection to organisational purpose, sense of belonging, and opportunities to develop new skills become primary drivers of motivation.
2. Why are employees not motivated at work?
Employees lose motivation for several key reasons: feeling undervalued or unappreciated (cited by 79% of those who quit), lack of career development opportunities (63% cite this as a reason for leaving), poor leadership and management, unrealistic workloads leading to burnout (82% of employees report feeling burned out), misalignment between their role and their motivational drivers, and toxic work environments. Significantly, low motivation is often not a character flaw but a symptom of environmental mismatch. For example, a security-driven employee will struggle in a constantly changing environment, leading to stress and disengagement rather than laziness.
3. How can I improve employee motivation and engagement?
Improving motivation requires understanding individual drivers rather than applying one-size-fits-all solutions. Effective strategies include using diagnostic tools like Motivational Maps to identify what truly drives each person, offering recognition that aligns with individual preferences (not just financial rewards), providing clear goals with meaningful context about the "why" behind tasks, ensuring fair and transparent communication, creating opportunities for autonomy and growth, addressing workload balance to prevent burnout, and showing consistent appreciation (which motivates 81% of employees to work harder). Companies with highly engaged workforces are 21% more profitable, demonstrating the business impact of getting motivation right.
4. What is the difference between employee engagement and motivation?
Employee engagement and motivation are related but distinct concepts. Engagement is the emotional connection and commitment an employee feels toward their organisation and its goals—it's about how they feel. Motivation is the energy and drive that propels employees to take action—it's about what they do. You can have an engaged employee who isn't motivated (they feel loyal but lack drive to contribute) or a motivated employee who isn't engaged (they produce results but won't stay long-term). The most effective organisations address both: building emotional connection through values alignment and culture, while also activating energy through appropriate recognition, challenge, and growth opportunities.
5. Why do high performers leave their jobs?
High performers often leave quietly when their needs aren't met, with 40% of employees indicating they're likely to leave within 3-6 months. Top reasons include: carrying excessive workloads while covering for underperforming colleagues (leading to burnout), lack of recognition (their excellence becomes expected rather than celebrated), no consequences for poor performers (creating resentment when they clean up others' work), limited career control and unclear advancement paths despite results, and feeling unchallenged or bored in their roles. Losing a high performer costs businesses up to 200% of their annual salary to replace, making retention of top talent critical for organisational success.
6. What are the signs of employee burnout?
Burnout manifests through physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms. Key warning signs include: emotional and physical exhaustion (feeling drained before the workday begins), disengagement and withdrawal from previously enjoyed activities, increased absenteeism or using sick days to avoid stress, isolation from colleagues and reduced participation in meetings, heightened sensitivity to feedback and criticism, physical symptoms like headaches, sleep problems, and weight changes, and decreased productivity with difficulty concentrating. Importantly, 82% of employees now report feeling burned out, making this a widespread issue. Managers should watch for changes in previously high-performing employees, as burnout often develops gradually and affected individuals may not recognise it themselves.
7. How effective are team building activities for motivation?
Team building activities can boost motivation when they serve a genuine purpose beyond forced fun. Effective activities promote trust, improve communication, encourage collaboration, provide opportunities for colleagues to connect authentically, and help team members understand each other's working styles. However, one-size-fits-all team building days often create more disengagement than they solve because they ignore individual motivational drivers. For example, a competitive team challenge might energise someone driven by achievement but alienate someone motivated by belonging and harmony. The most effective approach combines targeted team activities with individual understanding of what motivates each person, ensuring that team building efforts complement rather than replace personalised motivation strategies.
8. Does money motivate employees more than purpose?
Research consistently shows that while money matters, it's not the ultimate motivator once basic financial needs are met. Studies indicate that 79% of employees who quit cite lack of appreciation rather than compensation, and intrinsic motivators are three times more likely to spur employee engagement than external rewards like money. In Motivational Maps data analysis of over 100,000 profiles, purpose (Searcher), mastery (Expert), and security (Defender) consistently rank higher than money (Builder). However, fair compensation remains crucial—it's a "hygiene factor" that causes dissatisfaction when perceived as too low. Beyond fairness, money's motivational power comes from what it represents: recognition of value and achievement rather than the amount itself.
9. What are employee recognition programs and do they work?
Employee recognition and reward programs, like those implemented by Cordoba Rewards, are structured approaches to acknowledge and reward employees for contributions, achievements, and behaviours aligned with organisational goals. They work exceptionally well when implemented authentically: recognised employees are 63% more likely to stay for 3-6 months, 80% of employees say they'd work harder if appreciated, and 92% would repeat positive actions if properly recognised. Effective programs include peer-to-peer recognition (often most meaningful because it comes from those with firsthand experience), leader-to-employee appreciation, achievement and milestone awards, and timely, specific acknowledgment. The key is moving beyond annual events to embed recognition into workplace culture, as immediate recognition increases intrinsic motivation by linking activities directly to goals.
10. What are the signs of a toxic workplace culture?
A toxic workplace exhibits several red flags: communication breakdown with information silos and lack of transparency, a culture of blame where mistakes lead to finger-pointing rather than learning, unrealistic expectations and poor work-life boundaries (normalizing evening and weekend work), lack of trust and excessive micromanagement, no room for mistakes creating a fear-based environment, high employee turnover (turnover costs related to toxic culture exceeded $223 billion over five years), exclusion and cliques among staff, and widespread demotivation and low morale. Working in toxic environments significantly impacts mental health, costing UK employers an estimated £51 billion annually. If you notice these patterns, it's crucial to address the underlying cultural issues rather than blame individual employees for lack of motivation.
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