A project manager’s motivation level will of course affect the team he/she manages. Lazy project managers beget lazy project teams, aggressive/motivated project managers beget aggressive/motivated project teams. Of course, individual personality has a great deal of influence beyond just the project manager, but their influence is felt nonetheless. However, it should be noted that motivation is fine when it is focused and well directed. My project manager is very motivated, but he is spread across so many different projects that his team is subsequently spread too thin. Every team member has a large number of projects to work on with varying degrees of criticality. Motivation alone isn’t enough for the team to succeed.

My personal motivational style would involve keeping members of my team abreast of the big picture. Why are we doing what we are doing. Also, I would make an effort to know each individual and the challenges they are facing in their individual tasks, so they do not feel like they are facing them alone.