You’re Inspiring Your Team the Wrong Way 

Forget about the grandiose mission statements.  

Are you teams really and truly going to be inspired by that?  

Teams more inspired by understanding who their work helps.  

When people can clearly see the human impact of what they do, their motivation will naturally rise. 

People will be inspired by relevance, not the bold flashy words that they probably don’t understand.   

This was the exact challenge faced by KPMG, as described in the Ted Talk:  A Simple Way to Inspire Your Team by David Burkus.  

What he found was that despite pay increases, flexibility, and career opportunities, morale stayed low, it just wouldn’t shift.  

I’ve found this pattern shows up constantly in leadership coaching and workplace mediation. When work becomes relentless, technical, or emotionally demanding, people disengage. It’s not because they don’t care. They disengage because the meaning has disappeared or been forgotten. 

Why don’t mission statements motivate people at work? 

Mission statements don’t work because they answer the wrong question. Most people are not inspired by intellectual “why” statements that are hard to relate to daily work. They are motivated when they can see who benefits directly from their hard work, especially when that impact is specific and personal. 

David Burkus points out something leaders often don’t like hearing. Mission statements are usually don’t show up in practice. Emails get skimmed because people are over the lyrical chest beating.  

Posters blend into the wall.  

And….behaviour doesn’t change. 

Under pressure, the brain doesn’t connect with the abstract and obscure. It connects with people. Real faces. Real outcomes. Real consequences. Meaning needs to be tangible to stick. 

What actually motivates people in demanding or repetitive jobs? 

People are motivated by pro-social purpose, the feeling that their work helps others. Even in repetitive or thankless roles, motivation increases when people can see the human impact of their work. A brief, authentic connection to that impact can often mean more and do more that generic incentives or training. 

In the TED Talk, David Burkus shares research involving university call-centre workers. Turnover was extreme. Morale was low. The work was draining. 

Instead of offering bonuses or new scripts, researchers allowed some workers to meet a student whose scholarship existed because of their calls. Just one short conversation. 

A month later, performance had doubled. Calls increased. Donations jumped dramatically. Nothing else changed. That’s how powerful meaning is. 

How does understanding “who you serve” improve engagement? 

Knowing who you serve through your work makes effort feel worthwhile. It stops you from feeling like work is a draining drag of obligation (in exchange for a wage) to being rewarded for making a valuable contribution. When people can link their daily actions to real people they engage more.  They also bounce better, becoming more resilient (or more motivated to adapt).  The work feels far less draining and a little more stimulating during high stress periods.  

This is where KPMG’s approach shifted. After an initial storytelling campaign about historic achievements, leaders asked employees to share how their own work made a difference right now. 

They expected 10,000 stories. They received 42,000. 

That response wasn’t about branding. It was about identity. People want to know that what they do matters to someone. 

What does this mean for leaders managing pressure, conflict, and change? 

Leaders inspire teams by making meaning visible or tangible not by pushing. 

This means regularly sharing real stories of impact, creating opportunities for acknowledging contributions. They also help the team connect their role to outcomes that feel like they matter. In pressured situations, this approach really helps encourage engagement, psychological safety, and sustained performance. 

In mediation, one of the most common frustrations I hear is, “No one sees what I deal with,” or “It doesn’t matter anyway.” This says that they are more than capable, the technical or behavioural competency is there.  What’s lacking is sense of meaning or purpose in their work. 

Try it.  If you’re a leader, focus on consistently highlighting who benefits from the team’s work.  You might be surprised to find that defensiveness drops. People become more grounded, less reactive, and more willing to stay in constructive conversations. 

Work that feels meaningless always feels heavier. 

How can leaders use storytelling without it feeling fake? 

Effective storytelling is specific, human, and grounded in real experiences. It focuses on actual clients, colleagues, or communities.   

 Authentic stories reflect everyday impact and are shared regularly, not saved for campaigns or presentations. 

David Burkus describes this as the role of a chief storytelling officer; however he affirms that it doesn’t require charisma or polish. 

It requires noticing. 

A client who felt supported. 
A colleague who avoided a bigger issue. 
A quiet decision that protected someone’s dignity. 

Those stories are already happening. Leaders just need to surface them. 

How does this approach support psychological safety? 

When people feel their work matters to others, they are more likely to speak up. They will also contribute ideas and stay engaged. Connecting work to real human outcomes reinforces ideas of respect and belonging, two foundations of psychological safety.  This is particularly important for teams navigating pressure or change. 

Psychological safety works better with recognition. 

Helping someone articulate who their work serves sends a clear signal. You’re seen. You’re valued. You belong. That changes how people show up. 

What can I do if I’m not in leadership roles? 

You can boost your own motivation by capturing moments where your work helps others. Save positive feedback, client outcomes, or small wins. This creates a personal reminder of impact that supports resilience and your confidence. This is particularly good when you’re feeling low and will help sustain you through tough times. 

You don’t need permission from others to notice meaning in the work you do. In fact, you probably should make more of an effort to stop and take notice.  

Keep a folder, a note, or a message thread where you collect proof that your work matters. On hard days, that evidence helps regulate stress and reset perspective. 

That’s not self-indulgent. It’s protective. 

Frequently Asked Questions 

Does purpose really improve performance at work? 

Yes. Research referenced by David Burkus shows that even brief exposure to the people benefiting from one’s work can significantly improve performance, persistence, and engagement, without changing pay or workload. 

Is this relevant outside corporate workplaces? 

Very much so. This approach is particularly effective in frontline services, government, education, health, and community organisations where emotional labour is high and recognition is often low. 

How often should leaders reinforce “who we serve”? 

Often, but informally. Short stories shared in meetings or one-to-one conversations are far more effective than annual campaigns or polished statements. 

What if the work feels far removed from end users? 

That’s when this matters most. Leaders need to actively trace the line between behind-the-scenes work and real-world outcomes so people aren’t left guessing whether their effort counts. 

Final reflection 

David Burkus ends his talk with a question that cuts through the noise: 

Who is served by the work that you do? 

When leaders help people answer that, motivation stops being something you chase. It becomes something that shows up naturally. 

Source 
Burkus, D. (2016). A Simple Way to Inspire Your Team. TED Talk. 

Check out our upcoming free MASTERCLASSES that focus on how to Feel Good at Work, how to work Better Together, Talk Smart (communication techniques), Mission Control (leadership techniques), Essential Human Skills, and how to Tame Your Time. 

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