Everyone has their strategies, their teachings, and their methodologies for leading their teams. Many of these come from experience, influences, and education, all to assist with the process of success. However, the situation can frequently arise when it’s just not enough when motivation feels like a task that you, as a business leader, simply cannot find the right words for.
If this is the case, you are not alone. Many entrepreneurs struggle with the same motivational duress. Sometimes the best way to remedy the problem is to utilize someone else’s words to motivate not only your team but yourself as well. Here are a few wise words entrepreneurs love to utilize in motivating their teams.
“Starting a company extracts so much energy and conviction that not having a clear-cut goal and meaningful mission can hamper your success.” –Sami Inkinen, Co-Founder of Virta Health.
“I love this quote because its focus is on being goal oriented. If we as leaders don’t pour everything into our project with a definitive purpose, success can be hard to quantify, and motivation can be incredibly difficult to find. When utilizing this quote to motivate others, it helps us to remember that we have a communal goal, and if we embark on it together, with our ‘meaningful mission’ in mind, then we can reach success together.” -Karim Hachem, VP of eCommerce at Sunshine 79
“Don’t get distracted. Never tell yourself that you need to be the biggest brand in the whole world. Start by working on what you need at the present moment and then what you need to do tomorrow. So, set yourself manageable targets.” -Jas Bagniewski, Co-Founder of Eve Sleep
“Workplaces can easily find themselves in the pursuit of busy. We end up trying to become the biggest thing out there. The most successful, the best in our business, or even the busiest in our business. While of course being the best you can be at something is important, this has to be a more personal and internal focus. If we forget to be present in the workday and are only focused on what we are not achieving, we will quickly lose sight of the goal, and our work may begin to crumble. This quote is an excellent reminder to stay focused on the present when the present needs it.” -Anamika Goyal, Head of Architecture and Design at Cottage
“My advice is to focus on the importance of forging a long-term relationship, whether with colleagues, partners, or customers. It is often easy to get caught up in short-term decisions.” -Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder of care.com
“Product is important, of course, but if we lose sight of relationships, we lose sight of the reason we work. This quote from Sheila Marcelo is a reminder to me that the reason I do what I do is because of how it affects others, and because of the relations I get to build while doing it. Sometimes it is important to remind our teams of the same truth. Of course, we need to be work-oriented, but if we forget about the relationships within our workplace, and through our workplace, our job can become banal, and we can quickly forget our mission and joy of work. Keeping a consistent reminder of our community involvement, not only as a workplace but as a greater people, can be the best motivation for a team.” -Alex Chavarry, Managing Member of Cool Links
“Some days you’re smiling and thinking you’re going to make this thing rock. Then the next day a pipe breaks and your costs look too high. You have to learn to keep your eyes on an ultimate goal. If you lose sight of that goal, you have to get out.” –Hamdi Ulukaya, Founder and CEO of Chobani
“Every business has a reason they do what they do. Whether it’s a product, a service, or a greater global goal, we have to stay fixated on the purpose behind our efforts. This quote always serves as a reminder to me that pitfalls are a part of the process, but are not the end. When we maintain focus on the endgame, we can remember the “why” of our work. The ability to bring this to my team as well helps me remind them that when things go wrong it isn’t the end-all. We have to regularly remind our employees of why we are here in hopes that they too can remember why they took this job. Their passion and their foresight is our greatest asset.” -Caleb Ulffers, CEO of Haven Athletic
“If you start thinking you are good at something, that’s often the day you stop trying to be better and open the back door for someone to come after you. That’s why we always aim higher. We never feel like we’re done.” –Drew Houston, Co-Founder, and CEO of Dropbox
“A workplace without humility simply does not work. When you gather a large group of people who can’t be in pursuit of growth together, your business gets stuck, and struggles. This quote serves as a truth to me of the power of humility and striving for more, but sometimes can help to motivate a team as well. We are good at what we do. We love what we do. But ALL of us are still in the active stages of learning. As we continue to progress together, we continue to aim higher. This prevents the workplace from becoming static and keeps all of us excited about the prospects of what’s to come.” -Sean Byrne, Founder, and CEO of Sweetkick
“There is something artificial when everyone is agreeing with each other. It’s useful to indulge people who don’t agree, and see their viewpoint or force yourself to explain things better.” –David Sack, founder of Yammer
“Disagreement is a natural part of the community. When we challenge one another we provide ourselves with room to grow, and with humility. I love this quote because as we motivate our teams it is important to remind them that disagreement is okay. It is the process of coming together as a community to find, and test the best solutions.” -Mark Sider, CEO and Co-Founder of Greater Than.
