Diary of a Leader: Unlocking Team Motivation with One Simple Question
- Lindsay Sheldrake
- Jan 10
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 20
Welcome to "Diary of a Leader" - Real Stories, Leadership Lessons, and Personal Growth
Ah, leadership. It’s messy, rewarding, and full of lessons you can only learn by doing.
Welcome to Diary of a Leader—a behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to lead high-performing teams and deliver results in project-based businesses.
Whether you’re scaling operations or managing creative chaos, this space is for leaders who want to grow with clarity, confidence, and impact.
If you lead a design firm, creative studio, or project-driven team, you’ve likely felt the tension—trying to maintain excellence while everything around you shifts.
As a Fractional COO and project leadership partner, I’m here to share the insights, tools, and real-world strategies that help teams work smarter, move faster, and build better.
And today, I’m serving up a leadership lesson on unlocking team motivation—with just one question.
Unlocking Team Motivation with a Simple Question
There’s one question I’ve returned to over and over again in my career:
“Why are you here?”
This isn’t about roles, job descriptions, or corporate objectives. It’s about purpose.
Asking your team this question opens the door to deeper motivation—the kind that drives ownership, commitment, and long-term success. It helps people reconnect with what they value, what they’re working toward, and how they want to show up.
And when people connect to why they’re here, everything else becomes easier to lead.
Why This Works in Creative Teams
In creative, fast-moving environments, it’s easy for people to lose sight of their purpose under the weight of deadlines, revisions, and client expectations.
Re-centering around motivation isn’t fluff—it’s foundational.
When team members articulate their own “why,” it:
Builds trust and empathy among teammates
Strengthens alignment between personal and company goals
Reignites commitment during challenging seasons
Increases intrinsic motivation
How to Use This Question Effectively
Here’s how I’ve successfully implemented this in teams:
1. Make It Safe
Don’t make it a performance conversation. Create space for honest answers. Some might say, "To grow," or "To build my portfolio." Others may say, "Because I care about the impact of our work." Every answer is valid.
2. Ask It Often
Motivation evolves. Revisit this question quarterly, during one-on-ones, or in project retros. Use it as a touchstone, not a one-time exercise.
3. Listen Without Judgment
This isn’t about giving feedback—it’s about learning what drives people.
4. Use It to Realign
When someone is off track, instead of jumping into tactics, start here: “Is the way we’re working right now still aligned with why you’re here?”
The Ripple Effect of Motivation
Once you create a culture where people are connected to their why:
Team meetings shift from reactive to intentional
People volunteer for work that lights them up
You spend less time chasing accountability and more time empowering
Client experience improves because your team shows up engaged
And perhaps most importantly? You get the opportunity to lead in a way that’s deeply human—and deeply effective.
Wrapping Up (Because Time is Precious)
Here’s the takeaway: unlocking team motivation doesn’t require a 10-step framework. It starts with a genuine question.
The next time your team feels stuck or disconnected, ask: “Why are you here?” Then listen.
That one question might just shift everything.
Catch you next time, fellow leaders-in-training—and remember, motivation isn’t something you manufacture. It’s something you invite.
Want support creating a more aligned and engaged team culture?
Book a free consultation to explore what that could look like in your business.
Stay tuned for more real-world lessons on leadership, operational clarity, and successful project delivery in the next installment of Diary of a Leader—because leading teams and managing projects isn’t about doing it all; it’s about doing what matters, exceptionally well.
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