How do you motivate your team when you don’t feel motivated? 

Days get long and hard, especially when working in a tough healthcare environment. 

Sometimes you lose your motivation.  

We like to pretend that we can have our motor running 100% of the time. 

But even the best of us lose our motivation at some point. 

Losing your motivation can be devastating to you and to your team. 

When you lose your motivation, you become less sharp for your team. 

You don’t pay attention to as many details that you should. 

You start to check out and try to find other things to put your energy into. 

It can reduce the productivity of your team. 

It can affect the culture of your team. 

You need to get your motivation back. 

As a leader, it’s important that you find a way to keep your head in the game. 

Here are a few things that I do to keep myself in the game when I don’t feel motivated. 

1. Find Meaningful Relationships 

Find the meaningful relationships in your life and connect with them. 

Maybe it’s your children.  

Maybe you haven’t talked to them in a while. 

Learn what’s going on in their lives. 

If you want to get your motivation back, ask your children what’s good in their lives.  

Maybe it’s your spouse. 

Find out what was good in their day. 

You’ve got to find the silver lining in everything going on when you don’t feel motivated. 

There’s always goodness somewhere. 

It’s up to you to figure out where it is; particularly when you don’t have it in your heart at the moment.  

2. Find Good Music 

I’m a huge old-school hip-hop head. 

The reason I love it so much is because it takes me back to when I was a preteen; when life was good. 

I didn’t have any bills. 

My responsibilities were just a few chores. 

Other than that, it was about being a kid. 

I remember how the music made me feel. 

Music is a way that I get my motivation back.  

Maybe it could be for you as well. 

Try to connect with music from your youth. 

Your favorite album from high school or college. 

It’s a great way to get yourself motivated.  

3. Remember Your Why 

Why did you get in your profession? 

You didn’t to get rich. 

You didn’t to be in charge. 

You went into your profession to make a difference for patients and families, and to improve health outcomes for people.  

When you don’t feel motivated, focus on the reason you got into your profession. 

This is how you motivate yourself.  

This is what you have to do before you can motivate your team.  

Bring these same tips to your organization to motivate your team.  

Ask your team what’s going on with their families. 

Have them tell you a good story about their children, their spouse or their parents. 

Ask them what’s their favorite album of all time.  

Or who’s their favorite musician of all time. 

Find a way to play that music in the office or on the unit.  

This is how you can motivate your team.  

When they don’t feel motivated, focus on family and good music.  

Remind them and yourself why you got into this work. 

If you do this, you’ll get your mojo back.