Motivation & Engagement

Do you support autonomy, build competence, and foster genuine connection? This assessment measures how well leaders create the conditions for intrinsic motivation, grounded in Self-Determination Theory. Available as a self-assessment or with multi-rater input from up to 5 observers.

What It Measures

Decades of research show that intrinsic motivation depends on three psychological needs. This assessment measures how well leaders support each one:

How It Works

Motivation & Engagement can be used as a self-assessment or as a multi-rater assessment. In self-assessment mode, the leader evaluates their own motivational practices. In multi-rater mode, the leader also invites up to 5 observers (direct reports, peers, or managers) to provide their perspective. Each respondent completes 30 paired-comparison items, indicating which of two leadership behaviors better describes the leader and how strongly.

Reports compare self-perception against observer ratings across all six factors, highlighting where motivational practices are strongest and where development will have the most impact.

Who Uses This

• Coaches: Help leaders understand why their team may be disengaged—and what to do about it
• Workshop facilitators: Run a focused session on motivation that goes beyond surface-level engagement tactics
• Retention initiatives: Address the root causes of turnover through better motivational leadership
• Leadership programs: Combine with other Achieving Leader assessments for comprehensive development

The Science

• Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan)—one of the most validated motivation frameworks in psychology
• 40+ years of cross-cultural validation research
• Thurstonian IRT scoring with percentile reporting
• Bilingual English/Spanish