There are two necessary elements for motivating people.

1. High expectations

2. Personal recognition with encouragement

Both are necessary.

High expectations with no personal recognition result in an oppressive environment of high-demand and inflexibility. There may be submission to expectations for a time. A few loyalists will stick it out for a while but people will burn out. Sooner and later.

In environments where expectations are low and personal recognition with encouragement is high, people are unchallenged. Bored. This job is dead to me. Human nature is meant to be challenged and, with the exception of the lazy, these folks will tire of encouragement and positivity. They will seek a place with higher expectations.

People are motivated when leaders provide high levels of both expectation and personal recognition with encouragement.

Of course, low expectations with no encouragement will leave people in a place to motivate themselves.

Human nature also won’t allow anyone to live there for long.

You can’t lead people this way because, at that point, they are leading you.