Alastair WallaceCEO. Lead Consultant. Trainer. Coach, Brainfood Ltd · Leadership & Management Training for Busy Managers. Helping senior leaders stop handholding | Brain-friendly, diary-friendly | Save 5+ hours a week | 23,500 managers trained | 200% ROI guaranteed. TED

3 simple questions to UNLOCK your team's MOTIVATION!

19 Nov 2023 · 2 min

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2:01

In this short management talk, Alastair Wallace explains why relying on extrinsic rewards like cash and bonuses is insufficient for sustained employee engagement. He outlines the three core intrinsic motivators—autonomy, mastery, and relatedness—derived from basic psychological needs. To help managers tap into these drivers, Wallace proposes a simple three‑question framework: (1) list three things you like about your job, (2) list three things you dislike, and (3) list three actions the boss should do more or less. He emphasizes that the wording should stay unchanged, that the questions be asked at an appropriate time, and that even small adjustments based on the answers can boost motivation and demonstrate care. The video ends with a call for viewers to share their experiences in the comments.

Chapters

People often ask me, how do I motivate my team? They complain they can't give them more money or bonuses, so their hands are tied. Not true. Cash, things, and stuff are extrinsic motivators and need to be continually renewed and made bigger to keep them working and having the same influence on our brains. Salary makes people show up for work at 9 and stay till 5, but it doesn't necessarily make people work hard or feel engaged. Demotivated team members will be less productive and give you way more headaches than engaged team members. We all know that. There are countless research studies about employee motivation. I'm gonna make it real simple for you so you ain't gotta read them. Once their basic needs are met, people want a sense of choice. They want to feel like they're doing a good job, And they want to feel like they belong. Autonomy, mastery, and relatedness, if you like the official terms. So, here are 3 question hacks to play with and help you lock those intrinsic motivators that drive your people. Question 1: Describe 3 things you like about your job. Question 2: Describe 3 things you dislike about your job. Question 3: Describe 3 things you would like me, as your boss, to do more or less of. The trick here is not to change the wording. It works, I promise you. You might be surprised by their responses. Find an appropriate time and method to ask these questions. You're not going to be able to change everything, but even making 1 or 2 small adaptations to how you work will yield results. And it shows you care. Let me know how you get on in the comments.