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Apollo 13 Lessons for When Things Break | Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson, Ep. 13
In this episode, I use the real Apollo 13 mission and the 1995 movie to look at what helps people respond when a plan falls apart. The mission changed from landing on the Moon to bringing three people home, but the larger purpose stayed clear. I walk through five lessons about crisis, constraints, teamwork, honesty, and the danger hidden inside the phrase "failure is not an option." The practical question is simple: when things go wrong, what is true now, what must not fail, and what still needs to be completed?
Read the complete show notes →Read the moment
The first question is a clue.
Motivation changes with context. Notice the question that arrives first, then give the person—or yourself—the kind of support the moment actually needs.
How?
We need capability, choice, and visible progress. Clarify the guardrails, then make room to act.
Why?
We need meaning and connection. Show who the work serves and why the result is worth pursuing.
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Apollo 13 Lessons for When Things Break | Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson, Ep. 13
In this episode, I use the real Apollo 13 mission and the 1995 movie to look at what helps people respond when a plan falls apart. The mission changed from landing on the Moon to bringing three people home, but the larger purpose stayed clear. I walk through five lessons about crisis, constraints, teamwork, honesty, and the danger hidden inside the phrase "failure is not an option." The practical question is simple: when things go wrong, what is true now, what must not fail, and what still needs to be completed?
Listen and read show notes →
When Goals Reward the Wrong Behavior | Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson, Ep. 12
In this episode, I look at a problem hiding in plain sight: organizations say they want teamwork, judgment, innovation, quality, and long-term performance—and then reward something else. I connect lessons from *Start With Why*, *Leadership and Self-Deception*, *Goals Gone Wild*, and Steven Kerr’s classic reward-systems paper to show why many apparent motivation problems are really system-design problems. I also revisit the empty boat theory, the Hawthorne lighting story, and examples from Wells Fargo and Enron to make the consequences concrete. The practical challenge is simple: before you blame the people, audit what your goals, recognition, and incentives are actually teaching them to do.
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Five Books That Change and Deepen Motivation — Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson, Ep. 11
I have recommended and given away these five books for years because each one opened another part of the motivation puzzle for me. In this episode, I connect *Drive*, *The Three Signs of a Miserable Job*, *Influencer*, *Crucial Conversations*, and *Leadership and Self-Deception* to the same question: what if the person we call unmotivated is responding rationally to an environment we helped create? I show how choice, progress, purpose, safety, relationships, measurement, and the way we see people shape what happens next. My goal is to help you stop trying to push motivation into people and start creating conditions where engagement can emerge.
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Your First Question Reveals Your Motivation, Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson Ep 10
In this episode, I ask you to notice the first question that shows up when something changes: **what, how, or why?** I use examples of child who ate a worm, a frog in a well, and a few familiar psychology ideas to show how our questions reveal whether we are surviving, succeeding, or searching for purpose. I explain why beginners need facts and progress, experienced people focus on choices, and people who know the territory start asking what it all means. My goal is to help you read your own reactions, find the motivational input you need, and move through change without panicking when the stage shifts.
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Can Politics Solve Problems Again? — Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson, Ep. 10.5
I recorded this one because election day in Wisconsin left me frustrated and unwilling to accept politics as usual. I use my why, how, what lens to ask what government is for, how the Constitution guides it, and why problem-solving matters more than followers, power, or a single issue. I also challenge myself—and you—to step back from offense, look toward the greater good, and judge leaders by how they arbitrate, negotiate, and navigate dissent. This is not about picking a side; it is about finding a better way to move forward together.
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Powerful Goals - Motivational IQ with Andy Thompson Ep 9
In this episode, I unpack why an exciting goal can still burn you out—and why “the easy resonates with a hollow why.” I show you how the right mix of autonomy, mastery, and purpose changes as you move from starting something to getting good at it. We look at why beginners need traction before inspiration, how to turn a distant goal into something you can see and act on, and why adaptability is what keeps consistency alive. My goal is to help you build goals with a clear what, real choices in the how, and a why strong enough to last.
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This week’s conversation starterBefore calling someone unmotivated, what condition around their work would you inspect first?
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Andy Thompson is a leader, teacher, consultant, entrepreneur, coach, and systems thinker. His work sits where motivation, leadership, project delivery, organizational change, and practical execution meet.
Motivational IQ turns those connections into memorable questions and usable frameworks—so leaders can restore momentum, re-engage teams, and help people do work that matters.
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