Motivation is Not a Unicorn - You Can Actually Catch It
Some days, work feels less like a thrilling mission and more like trudging through treacle in soggy socks. Maybe you’re a manager staring at a team that’s flatter than a pancake on a paperweight, or you're an employee doing your best not to Google “How long can I stare out the window before someone notices?”
We’ve all been there. But before you reach for another cat poster with "Hang in there!" written in Comic Sans, take a breath. Here’s what actually helps (spoiler: no unicorns involved).
What Actually Motivates Us at Work?
Forget what the glittery Instagram posts say real motivation isn’t about raw passion or constantly “crushing it”. It's more often found in three surprisingly ordinary things:
Autonomy - Having a bit of control over how you get things done. No one likes being micromanaged into oblivion.
Progress - Even small wins release the good brain juice (dopamine, not espresso).
Purpose - Feeling like your work matters to someone, somewhere. Doesn’t have to be world-changing, but if it’s utterly meaningless? Yeah, no one’s thriving.
Motivation lives in the little moments where people feel trusted, effective, and like they’re not just another cog in the hamster wheel.
Why ‘Just Pushing Through’ is Overrated
The British approach to motivation has long been a charming cocktail of stoicism and sarcasm. “Keep calm and carry on.” Lovely in theory. In practice? It’s often just emotional suppression with better branding.
Constantly pushing through without checking in on energy levels, workload balance, or-God forbid-emotions, doesn’t make people resilient. It makes them resentful. Or exhausted. Or both.
Being tired isn’t a character flaw. It’s usually just biology reminding you that you’re not a robot. And if your team is dragging their feet, it’s not always laziness, it might be a signal worth listening to.
Small Tweaks That Bring Big Energy (and Less Eye-Rolling)
Let’s skip the team-building trapeze retreat and talk real-life, low-cringe motivation hacks:
Start with “what’s getting in the way?” instead of “try harder”
Blockers kill momentum. Remove one, and energy often returns on its own.Switch up the scenery
Hybrid working? Encourage a change of pace. Different space, different brain energy.Recognise actual effort
Not just results. A “thanks for slogging through that beast of a report” can go miles.Let people solve things their own way
You hired capable humans. Trust them. The control-freak reflex is motivation kryptonite.Micro-goals = micro-wins = motivation fuel
Break the monolith task down. Celebrate finishing Act I, not just the Oscar-worthy finale.
Motivation isn’t some magical state you either have or you don’t, it’s a moving target that responds to how we’re led, how we work, and how we treat each other.
Whether you’re managing a team or managing your own morale, the trick isn’t to shout louder or soldier on, it’s to create an environment where motivation is more likely to show up, have a cup of tea, and stay a while.
So next time your team’s in a slump, resist the urge to slap up a poster of a kitten in a tree. Instead, tweak the system, check the vibes, and remember: motivation isn’t a unicorn. It’s just a bit elusive…and allergic to micromanagement.
