MQ · MOTIVATION INTELLIGENCE FOR LEADERS
Turn your managers
into the reason
people stay.
A leadership development program that measurably lifts manager-driven engagement, performance and retention, using neuroscience-based diagnostics, targeted training and coaching.
7,000+
executives in our benchmark database
27
countries where the program has run
23
delivery languages
80+
certified trainers in 16 countries
Trusted by leading organisations worldwide
- Pfizer
- Red Bull
- KFC
- ING
- Takeda
- Campofrío
- G4S
- McDonald's
- Al Karam Group
- Olympia Group
- Satori Group
- LeTech
- Styled by Experts
- CMVM
Most turnover starts with a manager who can't see what moves their people.
Managers are promoted for being great at the work, not for understanding motivation. So they push everyone the same way, engagement slips, and good people quietly leave.
MQ gives every manager a clear picture of their own motivation profile and their team's, and the practical skills to lead each person in the way that actually works for them.
The engagement crisis · Gallup 2026
Only 1 in 5 employees is engaged at work. The manager makes the difference.
of employees worldwide are engaged at work, the lowest level since 2020.
of the variance in team engagement comes down to one person: the manager.
less likely to be job hunting when employees are engaged.
Fix the manager, and you fix engagement.
Sources: Gallup, State of the Global Workplace: 2026 Report; Gallup employee engagement research.
HOW THE PROGRAM WORKS
A blended program for visible change.
01
Assess
Each manager takes the neuroscience-based Motivation Buttons Assessment and receives a personal motivation profile, benchmarked against 7,000+ executives
02
Coach
A certified coach reviews the report with each manager and builds a personal development plan together with them.
03
Train
Self-paced online training: 6 modules and 24 short videos, with the coach tracking progress along the way.
04
Certify
The coach assesses each manager's progress and, on successful completion, awards the MQ certificate.
Curriculum
Six modules. One new way to lead.
Short, practical videos your managers take at their own pace, with a certified coach tracking their progress at every step.
- 6 modules
- 24 short videos
- 1 personal coach
- MQ certificate
The Engagement Imperative
- The 20% ProblemThe scale of the engagement gap, and why it's a business issue, not a mood.
- What Engaged Teams Actually DoThe eight visible behaviours that let you read engagement without guessing.
- The Top 8 Reasons People DisengageThe unmet needs behind disengagement, most of them within your control.
- The Cost of the Engagement GapThe hard cost of low engagement, and how to discuss it with senior leaders.
The Science of Motivation
- McClelland's Three ProfilesThe three core drivers, and how each one looks on a good day and under pressure.
- The Three Drivers in ActionHow to reach each driver with feedback, plus a technique for people who see the world differently.
- The Plane with Three EnginesWhy the strongest leaders develop all three drivers, and how to audit your own.
- The 16 Motivation ButtonsThe precise language beneath the drivers, for reading exactly what drives a person.
Motivational Intelligence
- Your Own MotivationAnchor yourself first, because you can't charge others from a flat battery.
- The Art of Reading the RoomThe eight signals that reveal a person's drivers in real time.
- Convincing the UnconvincedReframing your argument to fit their emotions, not yours.
- Taking Control of Your Own DriversFinding the right balance beneath your own buttons.
Motivation Coaching
- From Mentoring to CoachingWhy drawing out someone's thinking beats handing them the answer.
- The 5-Step Motivation Coaching FrameworkA repeatable structure for any coaching session, from start to finish.
- Powerful Coaching QuestionsThe questions that unlock insight, and the silence that lets them work.
- Trust in CoachingThe foundation that decides whether you ever get past the surface answer.
Inspiring Language
- Aligning Your Language to Motivation ButtonsThe same message, tailored so it lands with each different driver.
- Conveying the Right EmotionChoosing the emotion the moment needs, and delivering it sincerely.
- No Acting, PleaseGenuine delivery through emotional memory, with your voice as a tool.
- Motivation DrainersThe silent behavioural traps that quietly kill a team's motivation.
Bringing It All Together
- Making the Change StickThe review habit that stops new skills from quietly slipping away.
- Your First Real Coaching ConversationPreparing to run the five steps for real, with one of your own people.
- Bringing Your Team InA presentation that invites your whole team into the framework.
- The Before and AfterMeasuring, in real numbers, what has changed since Module 1.
Case study · Quick-service restaurants
Staff turnover down by a third in 10 months.
A leading international quick-service restaurant brand · hundreds of restaurants · thousands of employees
The challenge
With 58% annual turnover among restaurant staff, the brand was constantly recruiting and retraining, putting pressure on service quality and on restaurant managers, while planning ambitious growth.
Every restaurant manager trained
All restaurant managers and their deputies completed the MQ program: assessment, coaching and training to lead each team member by what really motivates them.
The profile of people who stay
We mapped the motivation profiles of employees who stayed longest. One finding: delivery staff driven mainly by recognition tended to leave early.
Hiring for the right motivation
The ideal motivation profile for each role became part of recruitment, so new hires fit the job from day one.
Could your teams achieve the same?
Book a 30-min call