getty
The most successful business leaders hold themselves accountable for helping team members stay motivated. Before a leader can provide the most useful guidance and encouragement, however, they need to ask the right questions to learn each employee’s passions, goals and individual needs.
Below, 15 members of Forbes Coaches Council share their go-to questions for discovering what motivates an employee. Drawing upon these insightful lines of questioning in their interactions with team members, business leaders can learn exactly what people need to feel inspired and how to best foster a supportive culture that prioritizes open communication and healthy growth.
1. ‘What is important to you?’
Asking, “What is important to you?” and having real curiosity about the answer can reveal a wealth of information about individuals’ internal motivation—and be ready to be surprised by the answers! Understanding that what motivates one person might have little or less value to another can be a game-changing revelation, creating a clear and direct way to activate and galvanize team members. - Jessica Fox, Clear Path Executive Coaching
2. ‘What do you want to happen in the next three years?’
A go-to question that I have appreciated over the years because of the insight it gives is this: “If you and I were sitting down together three years from today, reflecting back on today’s conversation—what do you want to have had happen in your life over these next three years for you to feel accomplished personally, professionally and financially?” I follow that up with: “Tell me more about that.” - Dave Resseguie, The Resseguie Group
3. ‘Why is motivation needed? What has changed?’
Effective leaders should first ask themselves: “Why is motivation needed? What has successfully worked in the past? What has changed? What needs to be done differently?” Once you have answers to these questions, approach the team and ask the same questions. Gather the team’s feedback and discuss where there is divergence and agreement, then co-create a way forward that is measurable and meaningful. - Dennis Kight, it works! LLC
4. ‘What project would you jump at the chance to be on?’
Asking too directly what motivates someone often elicits a shallow answer. Approaching indirectly can yield amazing results. I ask questions such as, “If you had the option to be on a special project, what would you jump at the chance to be on?” “What is it about that kind of project that you find interesting or rewarding?” and, “Taking money out of the conversation, what would you find valuable about being here?” - Yvette Costa, Velocity Advisory Group
Forbes Coaches Council is an invitation-only community for leading business and career coaches. Do I qualify?
5. ‘Can you describe your best and worst managers?’
One question I ask is, “Can you describe the best and worst manager with whom you have worked?” This question will yield practical insights into the kinds of leadership behaviors each person will find motivating. - Julie Jungalwala, Academic Leadership Group, Inc.
6. ‘What do you love about your career?’
Eliciting someone’s passion is the best way to build their motivation. Teams require individual motivation plus a sense of common purpose. Ask each team member, “What do you love about your career?” “Where do you find the most satisfaction in your work?” and, “What do you believe we (as a group) can achieve through great teamwork?” Communicate the best responses to the group, then encourage planning and discussion. - Candice Gottlieb-Clark, Dynamic Team Solutions
7. ‘How can I help you?’
As a leader, one of the most important questions to ask team members is, “How can I help you?” Posing such a simple question empowers employees to respond with the things that matter the most to them while enabling them to share their priorities openly and honestly. It also shows employees that their leader has a human side, truly values them and respects their concerns. - Kathryn Lancioni, Presenting Perfection
8. ‘What truly matters to you, and why?’
The motivation for each person is unique to them. A great leader can only motivate others when they truly understand their goals, values and the driving forces behind each. Armed with these insights, leaders can craft a strategy that combines the organizational mission, needs and goals with each team member’s unique values and interests in ways that serve all. - Brian Houp, ReZone Coaching
9. ‘Why is it important for you to do your best work on this team?’
Motivation comes from the drive inside that gets activated when we are aligned with that which is meaningful and important to us. Therefore, the best way for a leader to motivate their people is to activate their “why factor” by asking them, “Why is it important for you to do your best work on this team?” Using this question is a powerful way for any leader to reconnect their people with their “why.” - Susan Hobson, Elite High Performance Inc.
10. ‘What if?’
I find one of the best, truly open questions leaders can ask their teams to get them unstuck or motivated is, “What if?” This simple approach has the ability to unlock real creativity and innovation. It is a positive frame that signals a leader’s curiosity and openness to fresh ideas and approaches—no judgment, only possibility! - Joanne Heyman, Heyman Partners
11. ‘How can we improve to help you do your job better?’
Keep it simple and ask, “What can we improve on as a team that can help you do your job better?” It is important to remember that mastery is one of the core sources of motivation for people everywhere. Asking people for ways to support their growth and advancement will always provide insights on how to motivate them! - Adewale Bello, Biz-Agility Consulting
12. ‘How can we make a more meaningful impact?’
Having a meaningful impact on something that matters is a basic human desire. People who believe this about their work are consistently more motivated. We all know the story of the janitor at NASA who believed he helped put men on the moon. Ask your employees, “How can we make a more meaningful impact on the meaningful impact our company is seeking to make?” Their motivation lies in the answer. - Maureen Cunningham, Up Until Now Inc.
13. ‘How are you feeling?’
Go deeper with them. Understand their energy level. You do that by asking for a stated feeling. Then, you are able to determine if they are in a performance, survival, burnout or recovery state. To motivate, you need to care. You do that by meeting them where they are and ensuring their readiness level if you’re going to move them to higher ground. - Andrew Deutscher, Regenerate
14. ‘What does success look like for you?’
Asking what success looks like for each team member can help connect their individual goals to the goals of the project or organization. This gives a leader an opportunity to get alignment across the team on what they will do to move toward that vision of success together. - Katie Anderson, Katie Anderson Consulting
15. ‘What gets you out of bed and coming to work each day?’
The point of asking team members what gets them out of bed each day is to learn what prevents a “case of the Mondays”—meaning they dread going into work the next day. More important than asking the question is what you do with the information once it is shared. If nothing is done with the information, or it’s a one-time conversation, employees will be hesitant to share in the future. - Kristy Busija, Next Conversation Coaching, LLC
