You’re Not Lazy, You’re Just Unmotivated (Here’s Why)
The drive in you.
What Drives You?
A Note to Early Professionals (And Those Who Lead Them)
Hello, readers—
Every week, I write short reflections—bite-sized notes meant to capture real moments and meaningful truths from work and life. These notes often stem from what I’ve seen, felt, or fumbled through—as a teammate, a leader, and simply as a human navigating modern work.
Sometimes you’ll catch them as they drop. Other times, you might miss a few. That’s totally fine—life gets busy. So today, I’m bringing you a few of my favorites from recent weeks. Why? Because together, they tell a story we don’t talk about enough—especially early in our careers.
What Actually Drives Us?
When you’re early in your career, it’s easy to get swept up by titles, expectations, and what success is supposed to look like. But real, lasting growth starts with one simple question:
What makes me come alive in the work I do?
This note is a deeper dive into that question. We’ll start with a few short reflections, Here’s a gist from the notes I’ve written recently resonating on the drive.
Keep Showing Up
Some days, you’ll lead meetings that spark real change. Other days, you’ll raise your hand and feel invisible. That’s okay. The real game is consistency.
Showing up—even when no one notices—builds a deeper kind of trust. It shapes your identity. It influences how others see you, but more importantly, how you see yourself. And over time, that quiet persistence becomes something powerful: reputation.
Know Your Worth. Deliver Anyway.
Let’s be honest: sometimes your paycheck won’t reflect the effort you put in. Sometimes your best work won’t even get a mention at the all-hands. That stings.
But the people who go far? They don’t tie their output to applause. They deliver because it’s who they are. Because they take pride in the work, not just the reward.
Leadership Happens Off the Calendar
1:1s are great—but they can become rituals. Real connection often happens outside scheduled meetings. It shows up when we step away from the formal and lean into the human.
Some of the most revealing conversations I’ve had with teammates happened during a walk, over a coffee, or in an unplanned moment when I simply asked, “How are you really doing?” That’s when people open up. That’s when you hear what actually drives them.
The Science Behind Motivation
Back in the 1970s, psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan started asking an important question:
Why do some people work harder even when no one’s watching? Why do others slow down—even when incentives are high?
Their answer became one of psychology’s most respected frameworks: Self-Determination Theory. It says humans have three core psychological needs that fuel us:
Autonomy – The need to feel in control of our choices and actions.
Competence – The need to feel capable and continuously improve.
Relatedness – The need to feel connected to others in meaningful ways.
When these needs are fulfilled, something remarkable happens: people begin to show up not because they have to, but because they want to. They aren’t just compliant—they’re committed. They’re not just present—they’re engaged.
That’s the power of intrinsic motivation—the kind that’s driven from within.
Contrast that with extrinsic motivation—the kind that comes from pay, praise, or fear of failure. These external drivers can move people, yes—but they often bring baggage: stress, burnout, dependency, and the need for constant validation.
In fact, Deci’s research found that too many rewards can actually reduce intrinsic motivation over time.
The Takeaway (Especially If You’re Just Starting Out)
Don’t wait for someone else to define what drives you. Start figuring it out for yourself.
What lights you up when no one’s watching? What would you still do even if no one paid you—or noticed?
The earlier you start tuning in to those signals, the more grounded and empowered you’ll feel as you grow.
A Book That Changed How I Think: Drive by Daniel H. Pink
If you’re curious to dig deeper, Daniel Pink’s Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us is a must-read.
He makes decades of research on motivation relatable and practical for modern work and life. His argument? The old “carrot and stick” model—bonuses and threats—doesn’t work anymore. Not for jobs that demand creativity, initiative, and collaboration.
Pink breaks motivation into three pillars:
Autonomy – Freedom over what we do, when, and how.
Mastery – The urge to improve at something that matters.
Purpose – The desire to contribute to something bigger than ourselves.
He shares compelling examples—like Atlassian’s “FedEx Days,” where engineers get 24 hours to work on anything they want, as long as they present it the next day. Some of their best ideas came out of this. No micromanagement. Just autonomy, mastery, and purpose in action.
Why read Drive? Because it flips the question from “How do I get people to do this?” to “How do I help people want to do this?”
It’s a game-changing mindset shift—for leaders and individual contributors alike.
What Great Managers Do: Understand What Drives Each Person
If you lead a team—or want to someday—know this:
What drives you isn’t necessarily what drives them.
One of the most important (and overlooked) responsibilities of a manager is to uncover what motivates each individual—not just what they do, but why they do it.
One model I’ve found incredibly helpful is Gallup’s Strengths-Based Leadership approach. Their research shows that when people use their strengths every day, they’re:
6x more likely to be engaged at work
3x more likely to report excellent quality of life
How to Apply This as a Manager:
Have real conversations. Don’t just ask, “How’s it going?” Try:
“What kind of work gives you energy?”
“What accomplishment are you most proud of lately?”
“When do you feel most useful or valued on this team?”
Spot the patterns. Who thrives in group settings vs. solo work? Who needs structure? Who craves exploration?
Align tasks with drivers. You don’t need to rewrite their job. Small shifts—matching strengths to responsibilities—can unlock surprising performance gains.
Celebrate growth, not just wins. Recognize not just what they achieved, but how they grew doing it.
Stay curious. People change. Their drivers shift. Life stages, burnout, and evolving goals all play a part. Keep checking in.
Think of yourself less as a task master, and more like a motivation detective.
The best managers aren’t the loudest or busiest. They’re the ones who know what makes their people tick—and create the space for it to shine.
If you’re early in your career, start asking questions. Not just, “What do I want to do?” but “Why do I want to do it?”
What excites you? What challenges you in the best kind of way? What work stays on your mind—not because it has to, but because you love it?
If you lead others, remember: management isn’t just about tasks and status updates.
It’s about people.
What drives them.
What blocks them.
And what helps them grow.
Motivation is personal. But it’s also something we can nurture—together.
Until next time,