Teams like to be motivated.

It’s a situation in which they know what to do and have the support they need to act toward that objective.

And it is a situation in which there is trust in the team allowing members to act and feel comfortable enough with the results they expect their actions to lead to.

It’s the ideal state in which the leader shared responsibility in such a way that everyone is willing to take their share of it.

It requires courage.

The courage to accept the uncertainty of the result. Not knowing if the individuals will be able to do what is required to achieve the desired results. And do it in such a way that it correlates with the organization’s values and thus the desired way of proceeding. This is not entirely about professionalism; it is also a question of ethics and the understanding of the consequences deviating from it can have.

This courage is asked of leaders as well as of everyone on the team. Whenever courage is replaced by being reckless, or by being anxious, motivation becomes frail.

The leader’s task is not only to hand others a share of the available responsibility, it is also to verify if it has been taken. The first happens by letting go of anxiety, whereas the second serves against being reckless.