Motivation: Fear of Loss vs Inspiration

“Here’s something uncomfortable most leaders don’t want to admit: people are motivated more

by pain than pleasure.” Losing a hundred dollars hurts more than making a hundred dollars feels good.

That tells you everything you need to know about human behavior. If you want to motivate people,

you have to understand what actually moves them — not what should move them. I don’t like using

fear as a motivator. I avoid it whenever I can. But I also understand reality:

for many people, fear of loss works faster than inspiration alone. That doesn’t mean

threats. That doesn’t mean intimidation. It means clarity. Clear expectations.

Clear standards. Clear consequences. Not everyone is driven by passion or purpose — and