What Turns Energy On at Work
Have you ever wondered what actually creates energy at work?
I’ll never forget a company meeting in my Corporate Life where we were gathered for a big moment. The founders had called everyone together, and there was a buzz in the room. We assumed we were about to hear the strategy for the year ahead, or at least the story behind where the organization was going.
Instead, a single, large revenue number was presented on screen.
That was it…
I remember looking around the room. I was relatively new, but it didn’t take much reading between the lines to see what was happening. The most senior leaders were energized by that number. It clearly represented success and future rewards for them. For everyone else, there was a sense of confusion and flatness – not resistance as such, but a buzz-kill hanging in the air about what this actually meant.
I felt it too. A desire to contribute, mixed with uncertainty about why this goal should matter to us. I thought:
Why were we being asked to push so hard for “growth”?
What did that growth represent in terms of opportunity for us?
Why did it matter?
That moment has stayed with me because it highlights an opportunity that leaders are still navigating today.
How do you create motivation and engagement that people genuinely want to bring, rather than something they feel obliged to offer?
Many organizations put a great deal of effort into extrinsic motivation. Mission, vision, and values statements, benefits programs, ping-pong tables, free pizza. All of these have a role to play but what truly makes the difference is what’s driving them.
Intrinsic motivation comes from inside the individual. It’s about meaning, contribution, and connection. It’s about whether someone can see how their effort links to results, both to the organisation and to themselves. This is where passion starts to matter, not as enthusiasm for its own sake, but as a personal connection to the work. When that connection happens, motivation stops being something leaders have to manufacture.
Engagement works in a similar way, although it’s often misunderstood. It’s easy to think of engagement as something created in big moments; the town halls, kick-offs, or all-company meetings. Those moments need to happen, but they’re not where engagement is sparked and it rarely is where it’s sustained.
Instead, engagement is shaped by the experience of work itself. For example, how teams collaborate and how decisions are made, whether relationships feel trust-based, especially in a world where many people are working remotely. It’s felt just as much in the everyday actions as anywhere else.
One of the most powerful opportunities is when leaders make space to talk about what lights people up and then take that information seriously. Not as a side conversation, and not as a promise they can’t keep, but as an input into how work is shaped. That might mean adjusting responsibilities, creating opportunities to use particular strengths, or finding ways for people to contribute in areas they feel genuinely passionate about.
The key is that those conversations are matched with action. Motivation and engagement grow when people see that what matters to them is respected and reflected in how work gets done.
This doesn’t replace goals, accountability, or standards. In fact, it strengthens them. When people feel connected to their work, to one another, and to the parts of the job that spark their passion, energy increases, effort feels more sustainable, and performance becomes something people are proud to deliver.
That’s the opportunity!
Motivation and engagement aren’t programs to roll out or levers to pull. They’re built through the way work is designed, conversations are held, and people are supported to bring more of themselves into what they do.
When leaders focus there, performance follows.
I’m Laura Best, a motivational keynote speaker and bestselling author. I help organisations activate passion to drive energy, engagement, and performance through my Practical Inspiration® approach. If you’re thinking about how this conversation could support your leaders or teams, you can learn more about my keynote work here.