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Many employees don't actually understand what drives them, and chase achievements at the expense of their core needs, a leadership coach says.

"Being motivated is at the core of who we are," says Catherine Stothart in her new book Motivation: The ultimate guide to leading your team. Motivation affects all employees, "but few people really understand it", which makes it difficult for them to fulfil their potential, she says.

While employees are often driven by a desire to achieve something, Stothart says the bigger question is why they want to achieve it. "At the heart of motivation is intrinsic motivation," she says.

This relates to an employee's "inner sense of personal purpose", or to meeting four psychological needs – freedom, belonging, competence and potential – the relative importance of which differs for everyone...