Sparked Vol. 079 - Spark your Team by Getting Curious About Their Why

This edition of Sparked was published and delivered on January 2, 2026.

We deliver Sparked every other week, written for leaders who are ready to get intentional about bringing their team together, building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation to build high-performing teams that drive remarkable results.

Not subscribed? Subscribe for free here.

Spark your Team by Getting Curious About Their Why

Connection to purpose is foundational in building engagement, earning buy-in, and driving motivation from team members.

There is a very real reason why the first edition of Sparked focuses on the power of an inspiring purpose.

And while this newsletter has explored the role that organizational and team purpose play in driving engagement, today’s newsletter is all about getting curious around what really drives each team member you lead at an individual level.

Every individual has a why.

And each individual’s why is unique to them.

Some know their why.

Others don’t.

Their why is the reason they show up every day. It’s the reason they care.

Unfortunately, leaders don’t take the time to understand the whys for their team members at an individual level. It might come up once during onboarding. It might get glossed over during a stale annual performance review.

Ask yourself if you truly know what motivates and drives each and every team member that reports to you.

Understanding the why for each of your team members is important work that isn’t traditionally classified as urgent. And because of that, getting curious about it gets put to the back burner.

But for leaders who can connect their organizational why and team-level why to an individual’s why, the root of intrinsic motivation appears.

Looking for ways to fire up your team members and build a high-performing team?

Get curious about their why.

Why Getting Curious About Their Why Builds Engagement

Team members make the active choice to engage when they can connect the day-in and day-out work to their why.

And as we turn the page to 2026, many find themselves reflecting on the year past and dreaming of what the new year can bring.

As leaders take the time to get curious, ask the right questions, share their care in helping individual team members set, and ultimately, reach their personal why, engagement grows.

Your curiosity can spark that.

When leaders take time to understand what drives each person, they can create alignment between the work and the individual.

And in doing so, team members feel seen, heard, and valued.

When leaders ask thoughtful questions and genuinely listen, people feel valued beyond their daily output.

Conversations deepen and connection grows.

Engagement, motivation, and performance from individual team members and collective teams build when team members see, feel, and understand the connection between the daily work and their personal goals, aspirations, and motivators.

Start Taking Action and Get Curious About Their Why

Ready to drive change? Here’s how to take action on discovering their why:

Create the Space: Meaningful conversations typically don’t happen around the office spontaneously. Make time for the conversation. Put it on the calendar proactively. If you don’t, a topic like this usually gets pushed down the priority list during a typical 1:1. Show your team members that this is important to you.

Ask: Curiosity starts with questions. What motivates you? What is important for you to get out of working here? Why do you do what you do? What’s important to you in this season of your career? Questions to get you started. Then dig deeper to build a full understanding.

Make it Recurring: Avoid the annual conversation about this. This shouldn’t be a weekly conversation, but find the right cadence to check back in. Start with quarterly. Someone’s why will change along the way. And continuing to show your investment is important as a leader.

Connect Their Work to Their Why: Identify connection points along the way when your team members are living, breathing, and fulfilling their why. Many folks struggle to notice progress as it’s happening. The more you can do to show them that they are fulfilling (or at least making progress) on their why, the more buy-in grows.