The Motive

What’s Your Motive? The Real Reason You Want to Lead

Do you really know why you want to be a leader?
Or have you just assumed that leadership is the next “logical” step?

I’ve met so many people in construction who move from doer to foreman to superintendent simply because that’s what everyone else does. But very few ever stop to ask themselves, “Do I even want to lead?”

That’s what this blog is about, your motive.

Most of what I’ll share comes from one of my favorite books, The Motive by Patrick Lencioni. It completely changed the way I view leadership, and I highly recommend it to anyone serious about becoming a better leader or building stronger teams.

There’s a quote I love:

“Leaders do the things that no one else can do or will do.”

That line shaped my entire career. Because the truth is, leadership isn’t about being in charge, it’s about taking responsibility for the hard stuff.

The Shift from Doing to Leading

When I transitioned from assistant superintendent to project superintendent, I learned one of the biggest lessons of my career: leadership is not about doing more, it’s about helping others do better.

I used to spend my days buried in technical details schedules, drawings, daily reports, and execution. But when I truly stepped into leadership, my time shifted to mentoring, guiding, and developing people. I went from doing to leading.

When I led my first $80 million project, I put almost all of my focus on building my team. The results were incredible, not because I worked harder, but because I empowered others to rise higher.

The Two Motives Behind Leadership

Patrick Lencioni explains that there are two main motives for becoming a leader:

1. To Serve Others (Servant Leadership)

These leaders focus on people developing, mentoring, and guiding.

2. To Be Rewarded (Reward-Centered Leadership)

These leaders chase the title, the money, the praise, or the control.

Here’s the problem: when leadership becomes about the reward, it stops being about responsibility. Reward-centered leaders spend their time doing what’s comfortable instead of what’s necessary, and their teams suffer for it.

True leaders, on the other hand, focus on people. They build culture, hold others accountable, and make the hard calls no one else will.

The Five Things Leaders Often Avoid

In The Motive, Lencioni outlines five critical areas that many leaders neglect. Every one of them is uncomfortable, which is why most people skip them.

1. Developing the Leadership Team

Your team’s success is your success. Build them before you build anything else.

2. Managing Direct Reports

Management isn’t micromanagement it’s accountability. Every person needs to be led, guided, and supported.

3. Having Difficult Conversations

Whether it’s poor behavior, performance, or communication, real leaders don’t avoid discomfort. They address it with respect and care.

4. Running Great Meetings

Meetings are the heartbeat of a healthy team. If they’re boring, unfocused, or chaotic, that’s a leadership issue, not a scheduling one.

5. Communicating Constantly

Whether you’re introverted or extroverted, you have to communicate relentlessly. Everyone should know their purpose, goals, and how to win every day.

Leadership Isn’t Glamorous, It’s Gritty

Most people imagine leadership as prestige, freedom, or authority. In reality, it’s often uncomfortable, exhausting, and full of accountability. You’ll debate, argue, make tough calls, and push through resistance daily.

But here’s the truth: it’s also one of the most fulfilling paths you can take if your motive is right.

Leadership isn’t for everyone, and that’s okay. There’s nothing wrong with being a world-class expert or doer. The real failure is putting someone in a leadership position who doesn’t want to lead and watching them make others miserable in the process.

Remember this:

“Success without fulfillment is the ultimate failure.” – Tony Robbins

So, Ask Yourself These Questions

Before stepping into leadership, take a moment to reflect:

• Am I willing to develop my team before doing the work myself?
• Am I ready to stop “doing” and start “leading”?
• Can I have the hard conversations no one else will?
• Will I manage, mentor, and hold others accountable?
• Will I run effective, engaging meetings?
• Will I communicate constantly, even when it’s uncomfortable?

   

If you can honestly answer yes, then you’re ready to lead.

But if not, that’s okay too. The construction industry needs great doers just as much as it needs great leaders. What matters most is fulfillment, not the title.

A Final Thought

Since I committed to reading one book a week, my life and career have completely changed. The growth, insight, and perspective it brings are worth far more than the effort.

I challenge you to start with The Motive by Patrick Lencioni. Read it, reflect on it, and let it reshape how you see leadership. Because when we lead for the right reasons not reward, but responsibility we elevate not just ourselves, but our entire industry.

And that’s what this is all about.

Leaders do the things that no one else can do or will do.

Key Takeaway

True leadership isn’t about power, title, or reward, it’s about responsibility. The best leaders serve others, face discomfort head-on, and do the hard things no one else will. If your motive for leading is to help people grow, you’ll elevate not only your team but your entire industry.