I have heard some leaders say, “It’s no my job to motivate others.” For whatever reason they think that people should be naturally motivated. But great leaders know that motivation is a continuous responsibility of a leader. Zig Ziglar said, “People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing–that’s why we recommend it daily.”

Motivation is a well that runs dry very quickly if not refilled often. When I first got my license, I bought a 1988 blue Ford Escort. It only cost me $800. I was so proud of that car. While living with my grandma for a summer during high school, I worked at a carpet warehouse in Indiana. It was a good distance away from my grandma’s house. One day after work, I decided to go home a different way than normal. That was my first mistake. I didn’t know my way around downtown Indianapolis very well, but I thought I could rely on my navigational skills. That was my second mistake. A trip that should have taken me about 25 minutes turned into 3 hours of driving that led me no closer to my grandma’s. Just like a guy, I did not want to ask for directions. I figured that if I got myself into this mess, I could get myself out of it. That was my third mistake. If it had been modern day, I would have simply called someone with a cell phone or used a GPS. However, these were pre-cellphone days and pre-GPS days, the Agency Call Tracking didn’t even existed back then. To top it all off, I had no gas left in the tank and literally no money on me. I was a teenager so I had no debit card either. I had no way to get money. I eventually pulled over as my car was running on fumes, and bummed .25 cents off of a homeless guy. I found a pay phone and called my grandma. A friend of hers came and brought me gas, then led me back home as well. I learned many lessons that day, but the one that sticks out the most is: it takes a lot of gas to go far!

In this same way, we, too, will run out of gas if we don’t take the time to fill our tank daily. Our team will lose momentum if we don’t take the time to motivate them! Leaders have to constantly find creative ways to motivate their team. The more a leader can do to create motivation, the more the team will keep the fire lit. Sometimes, all it takes for a team to turn from being apathetic and unproductive is some motivation to rev up the engine. The momentum of the team is dependent upon the leader providing opportunities for the team to keep moving forward. A leader who expects their team to stay motivated without intentionally filling their tank will find the team’s engine stalled. Motivation is a daily need.