Motivation-driven Performance Metrics

Most sales organizations rely heavily on leaderboards. This creates a big problem: When you're constantly measuring yourself against others, you're either feeling inferior (if you're behind) or complacent (if you're ahead). Neither state drives optimal performance. A better approach? Still track the standard KPIs, but add a new metric: Personal Improvement Rate. Instead of showing a rep they're ranked 7th out of 12 on the team (which can be demotivating), show them they've improved their own conversion rate by 3% this week. Show them they made 5 more calls than their personal best. Show them they're making progress against their own benchmark. Tap into their desire to improve and grow, rather than extrinsic motivations like status or the avoidance of shame. Let them become better versions of themselves. It helps add purpose & meaning to every action. What personal best are you trying to beat this week?

As we step into 2025, goal-setting conversations are at their peak—be it personal resolutions or professional objectives. For Scrum Masters, the topic of goals is particularly intriguing because it sits at the crossroads of motivation, measurement, and team dynamics. But here's the kicker: poorly crafted goals can backfire. •The Competition Trap of Individual Goals
When individual goals overshadow team objectives, they can unintentionally foster a culture of competition, weakening the collaboration that teams rely on to succeed. Research shows that focusing too heavily on individual targets reduces discretionary behaviors, such as helping teammates, and ultimately drags down overall performance. Scrum Masters must prioritize creating a culture where team success is the ultimate goal. •Intentional Metrics for Continuous Improvement
Not all metrics are created equal, and certainly, not all are worth measuring. Remember, they're about enabling smarter decisions and refining goals over time. Scrum Masters should intentionally select metrics that systematically improve team performance while fostering learning and adaptation. Ask yourself: o What behaviors will this metric drive? o Could this behavior have unintended side effects? Remember, it's not about tracking outputs like story points or velocity—it's about creating sustainable value and ensuring continuous alignment with desired outcomes. •Metrics as a Foundation for Self-Managing Teams
 Self-management needs meaningful, accurate, up-to-date metrics. Without the correct data, retrospectives lose power, planning sessions lack focus, and decision-making becomes guesswork. Scrum Masters facilitating events with incomplete or outdated data, don't just miss opportunities—they undermine the team's ability to hold themselves accountable. •Intrinsic Motivation Drives Long-Term Success
Organizations often lean heavily on extrinsic incentives like bonuses & hikes, but intrinsic motivation is far more impactful. Teams thrive when their environment offers: o Freedom to make choices. o Opportunities to develop skills. o Work that feels meaningful. o A sense of connection with others. Scrum Masters are uniquely positioned to design and nurture an environment that supports these motivators, helping teams achieve their best. The Conclusion: The Goal - Compass Every goal or metric should be treated as a compass rather than a destination. It should guide your team in the right direction while avoiding unnecessary stress or competition. Some helpful tips when deciding the metrics: •Set team-centric, outcome-driven goals. •Choose metrics that inspire the right behaviors. •Ensure metrics provide a solid foundation for self-management. •Foster intrinsic motivation and meaningful connections. As we embrace the possibilities of 2025, let's ensure our goals drive performance and strengthen the Agile values we hold dear.

Reading Drive by Daniel H. Pink made me reflect regarding true motivation, which stems from autonomy, mastery, and purpose—not just external rewards. In 1949, Harry Harlow conducted a groundbreaking experiment with rhesus monkeys that reshaped our understanding of motivation. Presented with a mechanical puzzle, the monkeys engaged eagerly—solving it not for food or rewards, but for the sheer satisfaction of the task itself. Astonishingly, when Harlow introduced raisins as an external reward, their performance declined. The lesson? Intrinsic motivation—the drive to act for its own sake—can be disrupted by extrinsic incentives. Fast forward to today: many organizations still operate on the standard assumption that motivation hinges on external rewards like bonuses, promotions, or recognition. While these tactics may spark short-term gains, research—including Harlow’s work and later studies by Edward Deci and Richard Ryan—shows they often fail to sustain long-term engagement. Worse, they can undermine the natural desire to explore, learn, and master challenges. Yet, this extrinsic-heavy approach dominates corporate playbooks, rooted more in tradition than evidence. What does this mean for leadership? It’s time to rethink how we inspire performance. Leaders must move beyond the carrot-and-stick model and build environments that nurture intrinsic motivation. Here’s how: Empower Autonomy: Give people the freedom to shape how they work. When individuals feel trusted to take ownership, creativity and commitment soar. Support Mastery: Offer opportunities for skill growth and meaningful challenges. People thrive when they can see their progress and stretch their abilities. Connect to Purpose: Link daily tasks to a larger mission. A sense of meaning fuels passion and persistence. Rethink Rewards: Use extrinsic incentives sparingly—to celebrate, not dictate. Ensure they enhance, rather than replace, the joy of the work itself. The implication is clear: leaders who prioritize intrinsic motivation can unlock a culture where performance is driven by curiosity, pride, and purpose—not just the next paycheck. #Leadership #Motivation #IntrinsicMotivation #OrganizationalCulture

Just watched a sales leader lose 5 of his top reps after spending months perfecting a "winning" sales methodology that his team HATED. After 18 months of work, the CEO killed his career with six words: "Your team keeps missing their numbers." After analyzing 300+ sales teams and thousands of reps I've identified the exact leadership framework that separates 90%+ quota attainment from the industry average of 60%. The BIG missing piece that most sales leaders miss? Stop running meetings as status updates. And start treating them as PERFORMANCE ACCELERATION ENGINES. Here is the GOLDEN Leadership framework: GROWTH MINDSET: Start every meeting with these 3 strategic elements. → Team member shares industry insight or sales technique (creates learning culture) → Discuss application to current deals (makes learning actionable) → Rotate presenters weekly (builds leadership skills company-wide) This approach increased team knowledge retention by 72% across my client base. OPTIMIZATION SESSION: Have top performers demonstrate and teach these 4 specific skills. → Objection handling techniques (with exact language used) → Discovery questions that uncovered hidden needs → Email templates that generated 80%+ response rates → Closing language that accelerated decisions Use this exact script: "Jeff, you closed that impossible deal with [company]. Walk us through exactly how you handled their [specific objection] so the team can replicate it." LEADERBOARD ACCOUNTABILITY: Create what I call the "Performance Matrix" with columns for. → # of Booked Discovery Calls (activity metric) → New opportunities generated (pipeline metric) → Percentage to monthly target (results metric) → Weekly win or learning (growth metric) DATA & DEVELOPMENT: Each rep inputs and shares three critical elements. → KPIs for the week (leading indicators - 100% controllable) → Sales results (lagging indicators - what they actually sold) → Wins or learnings (development indicators) EXECUTION: Randomly select an AE to role play live. → Use a jar or spinning wheel to pick sales scenarios → Focus on objections, cold calls, or tough situations → Play the difficult prospect yourself → Provide immediate feedback and coaching This gets your team sharper before they jump into their day, and knowing they might be selected drives preparation. NEXT LEVEL MINDSET: End with motivation to conquer the week. → Short visionary speech or gratitude to the team → Positive reinforcement → Ensure they leave with the right mindset This is what they'll remember as they enter their next task or meeting. "REAL RESULTS from this framework: ✅ An IT services client increased sales by 37% in just 30 days ✅ Average rep retention improved from 18 months to 36+ months ✅ Team productivity increased 42% with the same headcount ✅ Top performers stopped taking recruiter calls Hey sales leaders… want a deep dive? Go here: https://lnkd.in/e2iZ7Rmv

We've been measuring the wrong things. For decades, performance reviews have obsessed over: ↳ Individual output ↳ Meeting deadlines ↳ Revenue generated ↳ Tasks completed But what if we measured what actually drives sustainable success? Imagine performance reviews that prioritized: 1. How many people you've mentored 2. Ways you've made others feel psychologically safe 3. Times you've lifted someone else up 4. Contributions to workplace culture 5. Leadership moments that inspired others The research is clear: → Firms with strong mentorship see 72% better retention → Psychological safety boosts innovation by 4x → Strong workplace cultures show 4x higher revenue We're optimizing for short-term metrics while ignoring the human elements that create long-term success. Want better mental health at work? Want higher productivity? Want sustained performance? Start measuring what matters. =============== ⁉️ What human metrics would you add to reviews? ♻️ Share if you believe in people-first leadership 👉 Follow me for more like this (Eric Arzubi, MD).