The Motive by Patrick M. Lencioni Summary

The Motive explores why leaders lead, arguing that true leadership stems from responsibility to others rather than personal reward. Through a fictional story of rival CEOs Shay Davis and Liam Alcott, Lencioni reveals how misplaced motives harm teams and organizations. The book identifies five critical leadership responsibilities often neglected by self-serving leaders and provides actionable steps for aligning motives with service-oriented leadership.

Current and aspiring CEOs, managers, and leadership development professionals will benefit most. The book is particularly valuable for leaders struggling with high turnover, low team engagement, or burnout, as it addresses root causes tied to leadership motives. Lencioni’s fable format also makes it accessible for those new to leadership literature.

Yes—it’s concise (192 pages) yet impactful, with a 4.9:1 page-to-insight ratio based on reader analysis. Over 90% of Amazon reviews praise its paradigm-shifting approach to leadership. Critics of Lencioni’s fable style may prefer more data-driven books, but the actionable self-assessment tools make it uniquely practical.

1. Reward-Centered Motive: Leading for status, perks, or avoidance of hands-on work.
2. Responsibility-Centered Motive: Leading to serve others through difficult, often unglamorous tasks.

Lencioni argues the latter is essential for sustainable organizational success and employee well-being.

Leaders with the right motive prioritize:

1. Developing their leadership team
2. Managing subordinates directly (not delegating oversight)
3. Having awkward/uncomfortable conversations
4. Running disciplined meetings
5. Communicating repeatedly about core values/business fundamentals

Neglecting these accelerates organizational decline.

Initially a reward-motivated CEO struggling at Golden Gate Alarm, Shay undergoes a mentorship-driven transformation. Through tough conversations with rival Liam Alcott, he realizes his self-serving motives and commits to servant leadership. This fictional arc models how leaders can confront uncomfortable truths about their motivations.

While The Ideal Team Player focuses on hiring traits (hungry, humble, smart), The Motive examines why leaders lead. Both use fables, but The Motive targets executive-level introspection rather than team dynamics. Readers often pair them for holistic leadership development.

Lencioni recommends:

• Conducting a “motive audit” using 10 diagnostic questions
• Scheduling weekly blocks for uncomfortable conversations
• Personally coaching direct reports rather than delegating feedback
• Leading quarterly “team health” meetings

These steps combat the tendency to prioritize convenience over responsibility.

With 72% of leaders reporting increased burnout in hybrid settings (per McKinsey 2024), the book’s emphasis on intentional communication and hands-on oversight addresses modern pain points. Its lessons on avoiding “Zoom delegation” (outsourcing accountability to virtual tools) are particularly timely.

Some argue:

• The binary “good vs bad motive” framework oversimplifies complex human motivations
• Fictional CEO dialogues feel unrealistic in high-stakes corporate scenarios
• Lacks empirical data compared to research-based leadership books

However, most agree its simplicity makes concepts more actionable.

Success is measured by long-term team/organizational health, not short-term metrics. A key indicator: whether the organization thrives after the leader’s departure. This contrasts with reward-motivated leaders who prioritize immediate results for personal acclaim.

“Leadership isn’t about getting things done for yourself—it’s about being inconvenienced for others.” This line from Liam Alcott summarizes the book’s call to embrace the burdens of leadership as a service.