Why You Can’t Make Employees Care — What Really Works Instead

Many small business leaders wonder how to get employees to care. My employees just don’t have that much excitement. They’re doing the work, but they don’t take pride in it. I want them to feel excited to come to work—to feel like it’s more than just a place to collect a paycheck.

The young general manager I was coaching finished with a heavy sigh.

He’s not alone. Many of the owners and leaders I work with share this same frustration. And truthfully, this challenge isn’t limited to the workplace. We experience it at home too—trying to get a teenager to care about homework, or hoping our family doesn’t just show up for dinner, but actually wants to sit together and connect.

The universal challenge is this:

How do we get the people we lead—at work and in life—to truly care?

What Doesn’t Work: Employee Engagement Mistakes  

Most leaders try to solve this problem with money—bonuses, incentives, rewards. While these tools can temporarily change behavior, they don’t create lasting motivation. Studies consistently show that when the reward disappears, so does the performance.

Money can get people to comply, but it doesn’t inspire people to care. Without purpose, vitality, and passion, true engagement never takes hold. If you want people to care, you must invite them into purpose and meaning—not just incentives.

That sounds simple—but how do you actually do it?

Get Connected to Your BIG Why  

The general manager I was coaching was heading into his industry’s slow season. He came to our session with a list of creative promotional ideas tied to upcoming holidays. They were good ideas—but I asked him to pause.

“Before you figure out how to attract more customers,” I said, “ask yourself this instead:

What’s the bigger purpose behind attracting people to your business right now—beyond how it benefits you, your team, or your bottom line?”

After a moment, he said:

“I want our business to be the heart of the community during this season. A place where people gather, experience connection and joy, and don’t feel so isolated. I want people to form new friendships here.”

His eyes lit up. And that’s when I knew he’d found it.

I encouraged him to share this insight with his team—and to invite them into a conversation and exploration to uncover what touched, moved, and inspired them personally as individuals.

When a group of individuals connects to a big conversation—a bigger purpose—it changes everything. It creates connection, commitment, and action. Without it, leaders are left trying to push behavior for the sake of more money or more customers—and that small conversation alone rarely creates meaningful or lasting change.

Simple Reflection 

Before answering these questions, pause and picture the people you spend the most time leading or influencing.

Now ask yourself:

“Right now, what is the bigger purpose I want myself and this team to feel?”

Notice what comes to mind. If anything feels meaningful to share, feel free to hit reply—I’d genuinely love to hear from you.

• Are your employees just going through the motions? Or perhaps even more challenging—are you?

• Do you feel like your employees don’t care about the business as much as you do?

• What is a BIG Why that would touch, move, and inspire you—and the people you lead—right now?

Because when people connect to purpose, caring follows naturally.