Leadership strategy is about moving people from point A to B.

The challenge is how to motivate people to stay active in reaching the destination.

It would serve us well to first determine what we mean by unmotivated.

As well, we should consider the questions we need to be asking as leaders. Here are a few ideas to consider the next time we think others are unmotivated.

Do people know what they are supposed to do and do they know how? We often assume, incorrectly, others know what and how to do the job, when they do not.

When was the last time we reminded them? At times, just a simple reminder moves people forward.

Have we made it clear why this is valuable? The benefits and/or consequences need to be clearly identified.

Are there regular times of evaluation? We climb an insurmountable hill without evaluating our progress.

We should also appeal to self-interests. Nothing motivates more than areas of need and personal benefit.

When we carefully establish a few simple ideas, we begin to see changes in those we want to motivate.