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What Really Motivates High-Performing Teams · The Science of Leading

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  Hey everyone-welcome back to The Science of Leading.
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  I'm Claire Monroe, and as always,
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  I'm here with Edwin Carrington.
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  Edwin, you ready to dig into what really makes high-performing teams...
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  well, perform?
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  Always.
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  Glad to be here.
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  Motivation's one of those topics I've seen misunderstood more times than
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  I can count.
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  People throw around "engagement" like it explains everything-but honestly,
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  it's just the tip of the iceberg.
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  Totally.
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  And, like...
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  I didn't get that at first, either.
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  Early on, if someone looked busy,
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  I just assumed they were motivated.
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  But, you know, showing up on time and hitting KPIs-doesn't always mean
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  someone's invested.
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  Exactly.
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  Engagement is what we see-attendance,
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  participation, activity.
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  Motivation is the deeper engine.
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  It's what drives someone to care-to go beyond the minimum,
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  to stay curious, to push through when no one's watching.
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  And often, the signs of fading motivation show up way before any data
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  catches it.
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  Yeah...
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  that hits.
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  My first job out of college?
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  Everyone hit quota, but half of us were secretly job hunting during lunch.
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  There was this one woman-super reliable,
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  hit every meeting, always nodded along.
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  But she'd been interviewing for months.
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  Looked engaged.
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  But the motivation?
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  Already gone.
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  That's the trap.
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  A team can look fine on paper-until suddenly,
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  people start quitting or performance tanks,
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  and leaders are blindsided.
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  But if you step back, the cues were there.
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  What we see at OAD-and what the best research backs up-is that truly
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  motivated teams bring a different kind of energy.
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  Ownership.
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  Proactive problem-solving.
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  The stuff that actually moves the needle.
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  So where's that spark come from?
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  Like-is it mostly about money?
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  Or are we talking something deeper?
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  It's layered.
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  Psychologists distinguish between intrinsic motivation-doing something
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  because it feels meaningful-and extrinsic motivation,
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  which is driven by external rewards: money,
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  praise, status.
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  Maslow's hierarchy is one lens-people move from basic needs to wanting
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  growth, connection, purpose.
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  Then there's expectancy theory: people are motivated when they believe
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  their effort leads to success, that success leads to real rewards,
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  and those rewards actually matter to them.
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  Break that chain at any point,
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  and the whole thing crumbles.
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  That tracks.
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  I've been on teams with good pay and even bonuses,
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  but if the work felt pointless-or like no one really cared what I did-I
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  checked out.
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  But other times, just having room to make decisions or see the impact
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  of what I was doing?
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  That alone kept me in it.
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  Exactly.
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  Autonomy, mastery, purpose-those are powerful internal drivers.
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  But here's the nuance: motivation lives in context.
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  You can have the best intentions,
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  but if the role doesn't fit, the culture sends mixed signals,
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  or leadership undermines trust-motivation will leak away.
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  Slowly, and often invisibly.
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  Okay,
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  let's zoom in.
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  You've coached so many teams-what actually builds motivation on the ground?
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  Like, real-world, not just theory.
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  Leadership.
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  Without a doubt.
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  The consistency of communication,
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  the clarity of expectations, and the credibility of what's promised-that's
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  what builds psychological safety.
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  And that safety isn't fluff.
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  It's the bedrock of risk-taking,
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  learning, creativity.
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  Without it, people play defense.
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  They shut down.
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  And culture, right?
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  Like, not what's in the handbook-but what actually happens.
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  Who gets promoted.
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  What gets swept under the rug.
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  I've seen places where the stated values were all about "integrity,"
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  but then someone who cut corners kept getting bonuses.
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  Exactly.
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  Culture isn't aspirational-it's observable.
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  When behavior and outcomes don't match the slogans,
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  trust erodes.
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  Fast.
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  And that hits motivation hard.
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  People don't just want fairness-they need it to stay invested.
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  And then there's job design.
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  If someone's role is a mess-unclear scope,
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  mismatched skills, overlapping responsibilities-that confusion becomes
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  demotivating.
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  Even well-meaning performance bonuses can backfire if they reward the
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  wrong behaviors.
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  Wait, this is reminding me of that story you told-about
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  the manufacturing plant supervisor?
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  The one who fixed a quality issue before it became a fire drill?
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  Ah,
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  yes.
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  That one always stuck with me.
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  He noticed a subtle trend-small defects creeping into production.
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  Nothing formal had been flagged yet.
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  But instead of waiting, he quietly redesigned the shift-change checklist.
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  No big meeting.
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  No directive.
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  Just initiative.
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  Within weeks, quality improved and waste dropped-before senior leadership
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  even knew what had changed.
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  That's motivation.
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  That's ownership without needing a nudge.
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  That kind of action-you can't
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  fake it.
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  And you definitely can't buy it with,
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  like, pizza parties and inspirational posters.
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  It's built over time.
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  Through the right kind of leadership,
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  culture, and, honestly-just being allowed to do your job well without
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  unnecessary friction.
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  Exactly.
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  It's not one big thing-it's the alignment of many small ones.
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  And when that alignment breaks?
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  Motivation starts to fade.
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  Quietly, then all at once.
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  Okay,
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  practical brain on-what can leaders actually do to support motivation?
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  Not the flashy stuff, but the real levers.
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  First-clarify the win.
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  Make sure people know what success looks like,
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  why it matters, and how they contribute.
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  Vague goals or constantly shifting priorities are demotivating.
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  Then, build a habit of regular feedback.
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  Not just once a year-weekly check-ins,
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  real-time praise, honest conversations.
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  And give people some breathing
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  room.
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  I mean-actual trust.
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  Not just "you own this," but backing them when they take initiative or
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  hit a snag.
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  That kind of autonomy?
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  It fuels motivation like nothing else.
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  Exactly.
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  And add enrichment-stretch projects,
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  learning opportunities, chances to grow.
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  Retention isn't just about keeping people happy-it's about keeping them
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  challenged.
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  And look, motivation evolves.
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  That's why regular assessments and feedback loops matter.
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  You need visibility into what's really going on-beyond gut feel.
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  I've
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  seen that firsthand.
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  Some folks need structure to thrive.
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  Others want full autonomy.
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  One-size-fits-all just...
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  doesn't work.
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  That's why data matters, right?
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  Exactly.
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  That's where tools like OAD can help.
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  Behavioral assessments give you visibility into what actually drives
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  people-across the team.
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  So instead of guessing, you can support and structure roles with intention.
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  So,
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  just to land the plane: get clear,
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  stay connected, design roles with care-and listen to what people actually
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  need.
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  What do organizations still get wrong here?
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  They go straight to the surface.
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  Perks, slogans, quick wins-none of that lasts if the core is shaky.
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  Motivation isn't a side project.
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  It's a leadership discipline.
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  If your team lacks clarity, respect,
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  or meaningful feedback, the best perks in the world won't save you.
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  Get the basics right-and keep doing them.
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  Yeah-it's not something you
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  "check off." Motivation moves.
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  It's alive.
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  You've gotta track it, earn it,
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  and actually understand what's behind the behavior.
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  Right.
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  Treat it as strategic.
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  Because when you do?
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  You get better performance, stronger teams,
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  and people who care.
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  Really care.
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  So-if you're wondering how to put this into action...
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  you can test out OAD's tools-like behavioral assessments-for free at
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  o-a-d-dot-a-i.
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  It's a simple way to improve team fit and take the guesswork out of motivation.
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  Claire,
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  always a pleasure.
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  And to our listeners-thanks for joining us.
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  Motivation isn't easy, but the payoff?
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  It's real.
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  Couldn't agree more.
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  Stick with us-there's so much more ahead on The Science of Leading.
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  Until next time, Edwin-Thanks,
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  Claire.
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  Goodbye, everyone-take care and stay curious.