Motivation is not a mood. It is a leadership practice.
Motivation drives people to act and holds teams together in adversity. Yet for many leaders it feels elusive, worn down by setbacks, burnout, and self-doubt. This book is a clear path to sustaining your own drive and kindling it in the people you lead.
For the long middle, when the crisis has become normal
The hardest stretch of leadership is rarely the emergency itself. It is the long period after it, when pressure is constant rather than acute and the question is no longer how to get through a week but how to sustain purpose for years.
The Motivated Leader begins with what truly drives human behavior, drawing on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and Self-Determination Theory. It names the barriers that drain motivation, in yourself and in your team, and then turns to the practices that make it last.
Leadership is not a title. It is a responsibility, an opportunity to inspire and influence.
Three parts, one journey
From understanding why people act, to the obstacles that stop them, to the daily practices that keep a team moving.
- Part 1The Principles of MotivationWhat drives human behavior, the science behind it, and its link to leadership.
- Part 2The Challenges of MotivationBurnout, self-doubt, disengagement, conflict, and how to overcome them.
- Part 3Practices in Motivational LeadershipBuilding personal drive, inspiring others, and making motivation sustainable.
Practices that last beyond the book
- Find and articulate the purpose that fuels your leadership
- Recognize burnout, self-doubt, and disengagement early, in yourself and others
- Build psychological safety and a culture where motivation can grow
- Practical assignments in every chapter, from habit formation to a motivational vision
- Managers leading teams through prolonged change
- Executives rebuilding energy after a crisis
- Leaders of volunteer and mission-driven organizations
- Anyone working to rekindle their own drive
Bring the conversation to your team
Gísli speaks and runs workshops for leadership teams on sustaining motivation and composure through prolonged disruption. Tell us about your team and the pressure it is under.
Your message goes to bookings@gislio.com and is answered personally.
Gísli Rafn Ólafsson
For three decades Gísli has worked where technology meets pressure: at Microsoft, leading emergency response for NetHope through the Ebola outbreak and the Syrian refugee crisis, leading Iceland’s urban search and rescue team in Haiti, as a member and Deputy Speaker of Iceland’s parliament, and as Secretary General of the Icelandic Red Cross.
He is CEO of Gridland Consulting and advises governments, enterprises, and non-profit organizations on artificial intelligence and leadership. He has led volunteers, field teams, and a national humanitarian institution through years of sustained pressure.
Press kit and review copies
The press kit contains the jacket copy, a print-resolution cover, author bios in three lengths, author photographs, and a one-page fact sheet. Review copies are available on request for credentialed reviewers, journalists, and podcast hosts.
