Motivation - Lisa D. Foster, Leadership Coaching & Training

Motivate your team with self-esteem, which makes them feel better, and self-actualization, which encourages them to try harder.

A Leadership Framework for Leadership Skills, Motivation and a Culture of Performance

Why Leadership Feels Harder Than It Should — and Leadership Skills that Actually Help

December 22, 2025

Motivation and a Culture of Performance

A Leadership Skills Framework that Works as a System to Improve Results without Force or Pressure Leadership skills work together as a system to achieve the results your organization needs, and that every leader needs to be more effective. These skills build on one another and create a system for improving motivation, engagement, and performance. If one of your leadership skills is undeveloped, the whole system weakens. Leadership rarely fails because people don’t care or aren’t trying hard enough. More…

Trust in leadership improves team performance through open communication and collaboration.

Why Trust in Leadership Is the Fastest Way to Improve Team Performance

December 16, 2025

Trust and Building Teams

Trust isn’t a “nice to have” in leadership. It is one of the fastest and most reliable ways to improve team performance. When leaders focus on trust in leadership, work moves faster. Conversations become more honest. Problems surface earlier, when they are still small and solvable. Teams spend less time protecting themselves and more time actually doing the work. That is not idealism. It’s efficiency, and it’s based on years of science proving that trust is the essential element of…

service based leader listening building respect and motivation

Why Service-Based Leadership Is One of the Most Effective Leadership Skills

December 15, 2025

Trust and Building Teams

Service-based leadership is about making work easier, clearer, and more human for the people around you. Service-based leaders inspire the most effort, loyalty, and follow-through.They aren’t the loudest or most dominant. They’re the ones who consistently remove friction for their teams — who listen, anticipate obstacles, and step in to help without making it about themselves. That kind of leadership doesn’t just feel good.It works. Key Takeaways Why service-based leadership gets results Why Service Inspires People to Do Their Best…

Confident leader in naval uniform standing at attention, embodying calm, steady leadership presence.

How Leadership Presence Brings Your Values to Life — Especially on the Hard Days

December 12, 2025

Trust and Building Teams

Leadership presence is tested when pressure rises, emotions run high, and people look to you for steadiness. Key Takeaways When things are calm, leadership presence is easy. Most leaders show up as their best selves. Values feel clear. Decisions feel rational. Teams feel steady. But leadership isn’t measured by the easy days. Who you are as a leader—and how others see you and respond—is defined by how you handle the hard stuff. Leadership presence is what allows you to live…

employee engagement vs employee satisfaction at work

Employee Engagement vs Employee Satisfaction: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters for Your Business

December 5, 2025

Motivation and a Culture of Performance

When comparing employee engagement vs employee satisfaction, which should you measure? If your company is still relying on employee satisfaction surveys, it may be time to shift toward measuring employee engagement — the metric most strongly linked to performance, retention, and profitability. For more than a century, researchers have tried to understand what helps employees thrive and what drives productivity. Today, most organizations focus on employee engagement, not satisfaction, because engagement is what truly predicts effort, innovation, and long-term value.…

How to Get Promoted: 5 Traps That Hold High Performers Back

December 2, 2025

Motivation and a Culture of Performance

Thinking about how to get promoted often brings out our best instincts — ambition, motivation, and the desire to grow. But for high performers, it can also activate habits that quietly work against promotion. Many people assume advancement comes from working harder or speaking up more. In reality, leaders are promoted for how they make others feel: respected, trusted, aligned, and supported. If you’re aiming for your next step up, here are five promotion traps to avoid — and what…