How Do You Get a Dolphin to Jump Out of the Water

This was a recent question on our ScaleX™ Accelerator Programme by Steve Head, an expert in creating the right environment for people to thrive.

In the same way that dolphins are motivated to leap up through the surface of the water at speed to catch fish, leaders are often at a loss as to how to find that deep-seated desire that sparks the same impulsion in their people, rousing them to make that energising leap out of their comfort zone towards greatness.

What motivates us is often different from what motivates another and is also very different from what demotivates us. Could it be a preferred way of working? Or being invited to solve a complex problem? Or working to a deadline or a target? Igniting your whole team’s passion and sparking that fresh momentum to scale starts with engaging with each person in the moment and simply asking them what excites and energises them.