What’s Beneath the Behavior? The Role of Motivation in Leadership Development

Key Takeaway: Behavioral feedback can show leaders what they may need to change. Understanding motivation adds another layer, helping them recognize what gives them energy, what may require more effort, and how they can approach development in a way that works for them.

A leader can know exactly what they need to change and still struggle to change it.

Become more strategic. Listen more. Delegate more. Be more persuasive. Show greater restraint.

Knowing what to change is important. But it leaves a critical question unanswered:

How can this particular person make that change in a way that works for them?

That’s where understanding motivation can add an important dimension to leadership development.

Behavioral feedback gives us insight into how a leader is showing up and how others experience them. Motivation takes us underneath those behaviors to explore something different: what naturally gives that person energy, what draws them in, and what may require more effort.

When we understand both, development becomes much more individualized.

Behavior and motivation are not the same thing

At MRG, we see this distinction through two different assessments. The Leadership Effectiveness Analysis™ (LEA™) measures the frequency with which a leader uses 22 leadership behaviors. The Individual Directions Inventory™ (IDI™) measures 17 dimensions of motivation, providing insight into the experiences and circumstances that are more or less emotionally energizing for an individual.

There are relationships between motivation and behavior, but they are not interchangeable. The IDI explores what a person is intrinsically drawn toward, while the LEA looks at how frequently they use particular behaviors.

Someone who gets tremendous energy from analyzing information and exploring ideas, for example, will not necessarily demonstrate highly strategic leadership behavior. And someone with relatively little intrinsic energy for taking charge can still learn to step forward and lead decisively when a situation requires it.

Motivation does not tell us what someone can or cannot do. It helps us understand what the experience of doing it may be like for them.

That distinction can make an enormous difference in development.

Same goal, different path

Consider two leaders who receive feedback that they need to involve others more in decision-making.

One gets a great deal of energy from connecting with people and making others feel valued. For that leader, we might ask: How could seeking others’ perspectives help the people around you feel heard and included?

Another leader may be less energized by interpersonal connection but highly energized by analyzing information. The developmental conversation might sound different: How could seeking more perspectives give you better information and improve the quality of your decisions?

Same behavioral goal. Different motivational path.

Neither approach is better. The point is to find a path that makes sense for the individual.

Development doesn’t have to mean becoming someone else

Understanding motivation becomes especially valuable when a needed leadership behavior does not align naturally with a person’s energy.

Suppose a leader needs to step forward more often, provide clearer direction, and take a more active leadership role. But that person gets relatively little energy from being in charge or influencing others.

We could simply say, “You need to take charge more.”

But how sustainable is that?

Instead, we can get more specific. In which situations is taking the lead most important? Which meetings require clearer direction? What would the desired behavior actually look like in those moments?

The goal isn’t to turn that leader into someone who suddenly loves being in charge. It’s to help them access a needed behavior when it matters.

That may mean stretching beyond what comes naturally. Effective leadership requires that at times. But understanding motivation helps us recognize when a change may require a bigger energetic lift and where a leader may have other sources of energy they can draw upon.

A richer development conversation

Effective leadership requires both internal and external self-awareness: understanding ourselves and understanding how we’re experienced by others.

When leaders understand their behavior but not their motivation, they may know what needs to change without understanding why that change feels difficult.

When they understand their motivation but not their behavior, they may have insight into themselves without understanding their impact on others.

Put the two together, and a richer picture emerges.

For coaches and leadership development practitioners, that richer picture can move the conversation beyond “Here’s what you need to work on” toward a much more useful question:

“Given how you are motivated, how can you become more effective?”

And once we ask that question, we open up many more possibilities for development.

In Part 2, we’ll explore how coaches can use motivational insight to identify those possibilities — tapping into existing sources of energy, finding alternative paths, and helping leaders stretch in ways that are both intentional and sustainable.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between leadership behavior and motivation?
Leadership behavior describes what a leader does and how they show up to others. Motivation provides insight into what naturally gives a person energy, what draws them in, and what may require more effort. Understanding both can provide a more complete picture of a leader.

Why does motivation matter in leadership development?
Two leaders may need to develop the same behavior but require very different paths to get there. Understanding motivation can help identify approaches that draw on each leader’s existing sources of energy while recognizing where change may require more intentional effort.

How can understanding motivation make leadership development more effective?
Motivational insight can help coaches and leaders move beyond simply identifying what needs to change. It can help them determine how to approach that change in a way that fits the individual, while still stretching toward the behaviors needed for greater effectiveness.

Christine Chassé, M.Ed., PCC is a Senior Executive Coach at MRG Assessments.  She helps leaders drive authentic, sustainable change while achieving high performance without burnout. With 20+ years’ experience across education, technology, and leadership development, she has worked with various organizations including Johns Hopkins, the United Nations, Pearl Meyer, and Wright Ryan Construction. She is valued for her ability to foster meaningful shifts in how leaders think, communicate, and show up—individually and within their organizations. She holds an M.Ed. from UVA and a B.A. from Syracuse and serves on the Board of the Epilepsy Foundation of New England.