Could you tell me about a time when you noticed a drop in motivation in your most experienced employee?

Everyone struggles with motivation. Especially after holidays. sigh
But it’s not always the case of a too-long vacation.

Is it not?

Employees may feel down because of unmanageable work-life balance, outside blockers to meet deadlines, or being exposed to stress for a long time.
That’s when you come in and help solve the problem. Either because you noticed their struggles, or the team trust you enough to come to you when they feel stuck.

RIGHT
My teammate was building an external microsite for the supply chain department. There were tons of meetings to understand the product portfolio. But, unfortunately for her, the supply chain lead had changed in the middle of the project. And they had a completely different vision for the site. They asked my teammate to forget all the ideas she’d worked on and start anew. I noticed her drop in motivation immediately because it affected the quality of her work. She started accepting all ideas without thinking them through. She wanted to get the job done fast. I decided to speak to her to boost her confidence and reassure her of her skills. I knew she’d negotiate better terms with the stakeholders. As a result, she scheduled an ad-hoc presentation, including the supply chain lead’s suggestions, with what should stay and go. My team member met with heads nodding in agreement. And the end product received very positive feedback from external users.