A defeated atmosphere fills the locker room. The team is down big at halftime on their home court. Then the coach walks in, fiddling with his clipboard. He begins quietly, reminding the team of all they’ve gone through to get to this point. He gains steam and reminds them of the goals they set at the beginning of the season, and how are they’ve worked to achieve them. By the end of his speech the entire team rouses to their feet for one loud huddle break before storming the court with new found passion for the game.

We’re all familiar with the dynamics of the halftime speech. If you’re in the business of creating content you’re passionate about, then chances are, somewhere along the line you’re gonna find yourself leading some sort of team. This also means that at some point you and your team will find yourselves in a tough spot, down big at halftime. It may be a group of fifty employees, it may your kid brother and his burnout friends. Regardless, in order to get the best results, and to persevere through the adversity, it is imperative to know how to motivate your team when they’re down for the count.

The lie most leaders get caught believing in this situation is that they won’t have the exact right words to say. In reality though, the words don’t really matter. What matters is the level respect in the relationship between you and your team.

You cannot conjure motivation by choosing the right combination of words. Rather, motivation most often comes from watching someone live out their passion on a consistent basis. Motivational speeches are nice, but they are most effective when coming from a leader who the team has watched passionately and authentically pursue organizational goals day in and day out from the beginning. Talking the motivational talk in tough times is most effective when you’ve been walking the motivational walk everyday.

It’s simple, work with authenticity and hustle, and people will be dying to work for you.