Lead with Belief: The Secret to Motivating Others
“People don’t need you to motivate them, they need to be seen”
— The Uncharted Leader
Most leaders I meet share one common struggle:
“How do I motivate my team?”
You set clear expectations, give constructive feedback and track progress - and yet, something feels off. Performance isn’t improving. Engagement is flat. Energy is low.
If it sounds familiar, you are not alone.
According to Gallup’s 2024 Global Workplace Report, only 23% of employees (worldwide) are actively engaged. And here’s the surprising part: the single strongest driver of engagement isn’t pay, perks or even workload - it’s whether people believe their leader believes in them.
The real problem isn’t whether people are motivated, or not.
The truth is: everyone is motivated.
The real question is: what is motivating them?
Every person you lead is motivated by something - meaning, recognition, belonging, autonomy, fear, security, growth.
Instead of asking yourself: “How do I motivate my team?”
Consider asking your people: “What is motivating to you?”
In bottom line: Motivation isn’t something you give, it’s something they connect with.
“Employees report stronger engagement and commitment when they perceive their leaders as believing in their potential, even before results are achieved.”
motivation: why old rules don’t work
We’ve been taught that motivation is something we can give to others - a tool to apply, a system to manage, a lever to pull.
This mindset is rooted in traditional hierarchical ‘control and command’ environments - in business (leadership) and in life (parenting) - where authority flows from the top down and productivity is measured in compliance: do as I say, do as your told.
This worked in the industrial era, when managers directed largely uneducated employees to follow a set of instructions. In this system, the leader drove performance through rewards, rules and repercussions.
When people didn’t perform, the solution was to push harder, offer incentives, enforce accountability, hold team meeting to brainstorm “motivation strategies” - or failing that, move them into performance management.
This approach assumes people need to be driven - that motivation happens to them, not within them. It ignores the truth that humans are naturally drawn to meaning.
In this environment, motivation becomes transactional, even manipulative: “Do this, get X” or “Don’t do this, get Y” … employees know it!
While this model prizes control over connection, and behaviour over belief, today’s workforce is different.
We are more educated, more informed and more connected than ever. Knowledge is no longer reserved for a select few - its available to anyone, anytime, anywhere with a few clicks.
And as our understanding of the human brain evolves, one thing is clear: the old rules of motivation no longer apply.
the price we pay when we see what’s wrong.
In reality, motivation isn’t something we impose, it’s something we ignite.
When a leader is driven to fix a “lack of motivation”, its usually because they’re focussed on fixing a problem - looking at what people aren’t doing, where they’re falling short, and what needs to be corrected or improved.
But the impact runs deeper than a simple performance issue.
Neuroscience shows that this deficit lens activates the brain’s amygdala - the threat response centre. The moment we sense criticism or judgement, the brain releases cortisol, narrowing our attention, reducing creativity and shutting down the prefrontal cortex - the part responsible for problem solving and higher-order thinking.
As a result, people become less open, less curious, and less courageous - and, not surprisingly, more cautious, more defensive and more reactive.
They play safe. They do just enough to avoid failure - but not enough to be great.
The neuroscience of belief: the power of leadership
When a leaders express belief in someone’s potential, something extraordinary happens in the brain.
It triggers dopamine - the neurotransmitter associated with motivation, focus, and learning.
It increases oxytocin - the chemical of trust and connection.
People become more open, more engaged, and (believe it or not) more motivated.
Psychologists call this the Pygmalion Effect - the phenomenon where people rise (or fall) to the level of expectation we hold of them.
In simple terms: The story you believe about someone becomes the story they begin to live (and believe to be true)
Not surprisingly, when asked what makes the biggest difference to their motivation, employees consistently point to one thing: “My leader believes in me.”
leaders go first.
The paradox: You can’t truly believe in others if you don’t believe in yourself.
If you are constantly measuring yourself against what’s missing - the goal you didn’t hit, the mistake you made, the gap between where you are and where you “should be” - you are conditioning the brain to look for what’s missing.
That lens doesn’t switch off when you walk into a team meeting - you project it.
You lead from scarcity rather than strength.
When you acknowledge your own growth - when you see yourself as succeeding, not in deficit - you’re not only rewiring your brain for what’s possible, you’re creating an environment where others step up and do the same.
In that moment leadership becomes transformational.
You start leading from belief, not blame.
There was a time when one of my team kept missing deadlines.
I could feel the frustration, “They know what’s expected, why aren’t they doing something about it?It would’ve been easy to stay there, focused on what wasn’t working, convinced the issue was commitment or competence. But something told me to pause. Instead of asking, “Why aren’t they performing?” I asked, “What do they need?”
When I sat down with them, what I heard stopped me in my tracks.
They weren’t disengaged. They were drowning, overwhelmed, unsure and afraid to disappoint. Their silence wasn’t resistance (or capability) it was fear.That conversation changed everything. Within weeks, the same person who had been struggling, appearing to be lacking in motivation, began showing up with ideas, initiative, and confidence.
All that changed was my focus, from what they lacked to what they were capable of.
In that moment, I was reminded of one of leadership’s greatest truths:
People don’t rise because of pressure.
They rise because someone believes they can.
moving from insight to impact.
Belief doesn’t mean ignoring the facts. It means grounding accountability in trust rather than control.
When we focus on potential, we ask better questions:
What’s one good thing this person has done well recently?
What strength am I overlooking because I’m focused on the problem?
What belief could I hold that would help them rise to the next level?
This shift in focus changes the energy in every interaction.
Instead of subliminal,What’s wrong with you? the message becomes I see something in you.
And when people feel seen, they find their own motivation.
A few years ago, I worked with a leader who lost all confidence in their ability to lead.
They received tough feedback, their team was disengaged, they were overlooked for a promotion and they’d started to believe maybe leadership just “wasn’t for them”.
When we began working together, I could see their capability, but they couldn’t. Instead of starting with strategies or performance plans, I focused on belief. I reminded them of the moments they’d led with courage, the times their team rallied behind them, the impact they’d already made.
Little by little, that belief started to take hold. Within months, they weren’t just leading again, they were mentoring others, reigniting purpose in their own team and a promotion, well that suddenly came out of nowhere and that role they never thought they’d get, they got.
“Motivation isn’t telling someone what to do, it’s helping them remember who they are.”
a reflective Leadership Practice
In the end, leadership isn’t about managing performance, it’s about amplifying belief.
Belief doesn’t just inspire, it transforms the neural chemistry of motivation, trust and growth.
It starts with you.
Am I leading from frustration or belief?
What story am I telling about my team (what story are they believing because of it)?
Where can I begin seeing potential before I see proof?
When you believe in your potential, you see it in others.
When you see it in others, others see it in themselves.
When others see it in themselves, performance takes care of itself.
That’s the power of belief. That’s art of leadership.
The breakthrough happens...
When you get out of the weeds, trying to fix and solve problems, stuck on what isn't working, what needs to be improved, nothing changes.
The breakthrough happens when you climb up on top of the mountain and zero in on the customer - what is real reason why you are here, what is your purpose, what is the organisations purpose?
When you are obsessed with the impact you have on others- EVERYTHING CHANGES - inspiration arises and motivations skyrockets!
This article has been written in the context of 20 years lived-experience in leadership and developing high-performing leaders as a coach, mentor and facilitator, together with my commitment to bridging the gap between modern science and ancient wisdom.
Reference Material:
In a survey of over 1,000 employees, McKinsey & Company found that one of the most important drivers of motivation was the feeling of being listened to and supported by leadership. McKinsey & Company
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) evidence review on work motivation highlights that supervisory support and the perception that one’s role is valued and trusted are key antecedents of motivation. CIPD
A 2025 editorial in Frontiers in Organisational Psychology emphasises that a leader’s motivational style, particularly when it stems from belief in people’s growth and capacity, has a strong link to employee engagement and performance.
