Why Employees Lose Their Motivation

Napoleon famously said, “Good morale is worth 50,000 men.” That’s another way of saying, in modern business parlance, motivation accounts for roughly 40% of a project’s success. Without motivation, you’re basically running at half-tank.

Why?

Because:

1. Values Mismatch. Your employees just don’t care enough for the project on a personal level.

2. Lack of self-efficacy i.e. when employees lack the self-belief that they can get the project done.

3. Disruptive emotions. Anger, anxiety, and depression.

4. Attribution errors. When employees either can’t identify what when wrong or blame it on reasons they can’t control. A lack of *ownership*, as it were.

The truth is, no employee is so talented that they can’t be made into a bad employee. In fact, it’s the easiest thing in the world to do. Just make them feel the wrong emotions for a couple of days and BAM! you’re well on your way.

I’m joking, of course. But I’m making a serious point here. Success in business comes down a lot to motivation, and motivation at scale is a culture issue, not an individual one.

So now you know.