Motivation 3.0 (Dopamine Loops)

Happy Thursday,

Old school motivation relied on carrots and sticks. It worked, for a while. Then we swung to purpose, values and intrinsic drive as millennials demanded meaning at work (we are in that age now). But something is shifting again. With newer generations, constant change and our workplace being reshaped by AI. We are entering a new phase of how we need to motivate our teams. This is not a rebrand. it is a rethink. So let’s give in.

🧠 LEARN something.

Motivation 1.0 ruled the 20th century. Transactional leadership traded rewards for output, built on behaviourism. Carrots, sticks, bonuses, targets and performance management. It treated people like inputs and outputs in a machine. It worked when output was measurable and repeatability mattered. But it also bred fear, short term thinking and dependence on external rewards. Then came Motivation 2.0, the purpose era. Voices like Simon Sinek and Daniel Pink popularised intrinsic motivation, although the foundations of Self Determination Theory had been around long before that. Leaders became more inspirational and motivational. Companies leaned into purpose, values and employer branding. The shift was healthy, but some leaders and companies overcorrected. Purpose became the “cure” for everything, culture decks ballooned, mission statements got poetical and this gave rise to an industry in itself.

Now that model is being tested. More high performers are leaving not because of reward, recognition or lack of purpose, but because of stalled progress. They disengage when they see no movement toward the outcomes they were hired to deliver, the stuff they are passionate about. Adding to these woes, AI agents are increasingly automating and removing many routine tasks that humans used to do. Those small wins that were part of those routines that once gave us small dopamine hits and fuelled momentum are disappearing. Teresa Amabile’s work on the Progress Principle gives similar insights, where making consistent, small forward progress in meaningful work is becoming the primary driver of employee motivation, positive emotions and high performance. Put simply, we are entering Motivation 3.0, built on progress and dopamine loops. The future of leadership is not more perks, better recognition or better purpose slogans, but instead, better engineered progress systems.

🤔 REFLECT on an idea.

Amabile's study of over 12,000 diary entries from 238 professionals spotlights the value of positive emotions that come through progress, no matter how small. When uncertainty and ambiguity stall even purpose-lit teams, this can help leaders wire steady micro-advances to reignite motivation.

😊 SMILE a little.

I love the modern motivation and self help industry. Apparently I’m just one webinar and a $29.95 online course away from unlocking my greatness and living a life of purpose and freedom!! 😂

✅ DO IT to get results.

For the next week, use your WhatsApp group, Slack channel (or whatever you use) and start a ritual of everyone finishing the day with one short post: "Today I moved X forward by doing Y." The rule is simple, because you are not focusing on “wins” (that can feel like pressure), but instead progress. By naming small steps in a shared space, you create micro-progress and wire a dopamine loop that quietly trains everyone’s brain to look for movement, not perfection. Commit for a couple of weeks, and see what shifts.

🌱 How we can support you and your team.

We provide strategic leadership solutions tailored to align with your business strategy, size, and budget. We can support your with:

• 1:1 Leadership and Performance Coaching

• Team Coaching, for high performing teams

• 1:1 Health & Lifestyle Coaching for busy stressed leaders.

• Workshops, offsites and team development.

• Or our flagship individual Leadership Coaching Programs.

Kia pai tō wiki

Kenny Bhosale

CEO & Founder, The Bridge Leaders