For those who have been around children know the one word question they ask the most, "Why?" "Why did the light bulb go out?" "Why do dogs bark?" "Why do people get mad?" And on and on it goes.

In working with executives and people through the years, a problem I'm asked to address often is, "How do I motivate my direct reports?" "What can I do to motivate my team?" Wrong questions to ask.

The correct question to ask them is...

"Why?"

That's it. "Why?" But before you ask them, ask yourself, "why?" Why is it important to do what you do ( and ask "why" 5 times to your answer to get to the real reason you do what you do)? If you know "why" you do what you do, then it's possible to motivate those you lead with the same question, "Why is it important to do what you do? 

Want some examples? Be the first nation to the moon. It wasn't what or how that encouraged the U.S. to be first  but "why?" Martin Luther King. He didn't tell people what to believe or how to believe as much as he instilled within them "why" it was important to believe what they believed.  

No matter the circumstance, situation whether it be vocational, physical, spiritual or otherwise, the question to answer is "why?" If you know why you want to do something you tie together a healthy tension of mind (knowledge) and spirit (emotion).

Leaders who motivate have inspired in others a healthy tension to believe something about themselves that gets at the very heart of "why?" I guess you can say "why" is really getting at PURPOSE.

"He who has a why to live for can bear with almost any how." Friedrich Nietzsche

        "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

If you have 10 minutes, this is a great animated video presentation by Daniel Pink author of DRIVE on motivation.