How to Motivate Your Team During Challenging Times

Every leader will face seasons where the weight of responsibility feels heavier than usual. The energy in the room shifts, challenges pile up, and the team’s momentum slows. It’s in these moments that leadership is tested.

Anyone can guide a motivated team when things are going well. But what happens when motivation fades? When the team loses sight of the vision? When progress stalls, and people start questioning whether their efforts even matter?

This is where leadership steps in—not with force, but with inspiration.

Motivation Starts with You: The Power of Self-Motivation

A leader’s energy is contagious. When you bring enthusiasm and clarity, your team picks up on it. When you bring discouragement or hesitation, they pick up on that too.

Waiting for motivation to strike is like waiting for the weather to be perfect before you step outside. If you allow circumstances to dictate your mindset, you’ll always be reacting instead of leading. The best way to inspire your team is to become self-motivated. Read more about Sources of Self-Motivation. 

John Maxwell often shares the story of successful leaders who take full ownership of their motivation. They don’t wait for inspiration. They cultivate it by anchoring themselves in purpose, discipline, and personal growth.

When leaders embody this kind of motivation, it transforms the workplace. Teams respond not just to what is said but to how it is lived out. If you want a motivated team, start with yourself.

For deeper insights on how leaders inspire effort, listen to John Maxwell’s podcast episode, Motivation – How Leaders Inspire Effort.

How to Motivate Your Team as a Leader 

Motivation is not about pushing people forward. It’s about helping them find their own reasons to move. When leaders understand what fuels their team, they create an environment where people stay engaged—not because they have to, but because they want to.

1. Perspective: Understand What Truly Drives Your Team

Many leaders make the mistake of assuming their team is motivated by the same things that motivate them. But people are wired differently. Some are driven by achievement, while others seek purpose. Some need recognition, while others thrive on autonomy.

John Maxwell explains it this way: You don’t lead a horse to water—you make the horse thirsty. People take action when they have their own reason to do so. The role of a leader is to help them uncover what fuels their motivation.

One of the most powerful ways to understand your team is through questions.

Ask them:

• What do you cry about? What challenges or setbacks affect them deeply?
• What do you sing about? What excites them and brings them fulfillment?
• What do you dream about? What long-term goals or aspirations do they have?

When leaders take the time to understand what truly matters to their people, motivation shifts from being an external push to an internal drive.

2. Perceptive: Adapt to Changing Motivations in Your Team

What motivates someone today may not be the same thing that motivated them last year. Life experiences, career progression, and personal values shift over time. A great leader recognizes these changes and adapts accordingly.

John Maxwell shares a common example. A high-achieving employee may start their career driven by financial incentives, but over time, they might become more focused on flexibility, personal growth, or work-life balance. A leader who doesn’t recognize this shift might continue using outdated motivational tactics, missing opportunities to keep that person engaged.

Practical ways to stay perceptive:

• Regularly check in with your team’s evolving goals
• Offer development opportunities that match their current aspirations
• Pay attention to changes in their engagement and adjust accordingly

3. Persistence: Encourage Your Team to Push Through Challenges

Success is often closer than it appears, but many people give up just before reaching it. John Maxwell reminds us that the last step of a race is what counts. Some of the best opportunities are missed simply because people quit too soon.

When challenges arise, teams need a leader who encourages them to keep going. Not through pressure, but through belief.

Ways to foster persistence in your team:

• Shift the focus from setbacks to progress
• Reinforce the difference between required effort (the minimum) and inspired effort (going beyond expectations)
• Recognize even small wins to keep momentum going

Great leaders don’t just tell their teams to keep going—they show them why it matters. When people feel their work has purpose, they are more willing to push through obstacles.

4. Persuasion: Motivate Your Team Through Influence, Not Control

People don’t want to be forced into action. They want to be inspired to take action on their own.

John Maxwell teaches that persuasion comes through relationships, not control. A leader who manipulates gets compliance, but a leader who persuades creates lasting impact.

The difference between manipulation and persuasion:

• Manipulation is about forcing an agenda that serves the leader.
• Persuasion is about helping people see how taking action benefits them.

Instead of saying, “You have to do this,” try asking, “How will this help you grow?” When people feel ownership over their work, motivation becomes internal rather than external.

Strengthen Your Leadership with Maxwell Leadership

Great leaders don’t push motivation. They cultivate an environment where people naturally feel inspired to take action. When leaders communicate with clarity, understand what drives their team, and lead with both persistence and influence, motivation follows organically.

Maxwell Leadership’s Leadership Communication Training gives leaders the tools to communicate effectively, inspire meaningful effort, and build a culture of collaboration. Through interactive workshops and coaching, you’ll gain the confidence to articulate your vision and lead with greater impact.

Ready to grow as a leader? Enroll in our Leadership Communication Training, explore our Executive Coaching Programs, and subscribe to the Maxwell Leadership Podcast for insights that will help you lead with purpose.