As a leader, one of the most frustrating challenges you can face is a lack of buy-in from your sales or management team. Whether it’s an unwillingness to fully embrace a new direction or a lack of energy behind meeting goals, it can feel like you’re constantly pushing a boulder uphill. If you find yourself in this position, it’s time to evaluate the real reasons why your team isn’t fully on board. Here are three common reasons your team might not be fully engaged—and how to fix them.

One of the most common mistakes leaders make is trying to create desire where it simply doesn’t exist. Desire is an internal force—it’s not something you can impose on someone. Sure, you can inspire short-term enthusiasm, but real, sustained desire comes from within, and it’s often tied to personal circumstances that are beyond your control.

You might be able to temporarily motivate someone with a compelling pitch or by sharing your own passion, but unless that person has a true, personal desire driving them forward, that enthusiasm will fade. Tony Robbins talks about this at his events when he tells the audience, “You may feel pumped right now, but the real question is, how bad do you want to change when you get home?” The same principle applies in leadership. You can motivate and inspire in the short term, but you can’t force someone to want something they don’t.

In sales and management, desire often comes from external pressures—financial needs, career aspirations, or personal goals. But if those pressures aren’t present, it’s not your job to create them. Instead, your focus should be on working with the level of desire your team already has. Don’t waste time trying to manufacture motivation. Instead, help each team member reach their potential based on where they are now.

Actionable Tip: Focus on maximizing the desire that already exists within your team. Meet them where they are, and work to develop their potential based on their current level of motivation. Don’t try to create desire—it’s not sustainable.

Another major reason you may not be getting buy-in is that your team’s expectations are misaligned with reality. Sales Managers often love to talk about their top performer’s biggest paycheck to recruit new talent or motivate their existing team. But what they leave out is the hard truth behind those numbers—like the hours worked, the years of effort, and the sacrifices that person had to make to get there.

If you want your team to fully commit, you need to be transparent about what it takes to succeed. When a new hire or current team member asks, “How many hours did that top salesperson work to make that check?” don’t gloss over the answer. Instead, use it as an opportunity to set the right expectations. Tell them, “You can absolutely make that kind of money, but it’s going to require a serious commitment—especially at the beginning. “You’re going to need to eat, sleep, and breathe this business for at least the first 90 days—and really for the first 2-3 years.”

Setting these realistic expectations up front will prevent burnout and disengagement down the road. If your team knows what to expect, they’re less likely to feel blindsided when the reality of hard work sets in.

Actionable Tip: During interviews and team meetings, be honest about the level of commitment required for success. Share both the rewards and the reality. By setting clear expectations, you’ll attract and retain individuals who are truly ready to go all-in.

Sometimes, the disconnect between you and your team isn’t about effort or commitment—it’s about focus. As leaders, it’s easy to get caught up in short-term wins like hitting monthly targets or achieving a certain income level. But for many team members, what really matters in the long run are the skills and habits they’re developing, not just their paycheck.

In 10 years, your team won’t remember how much they made this month. What will matter are the skills they’ve acquired, the habits they’ve formed, and the professional growth they’ve achieved. Are you helping them recognize this? Are you reinforcing the idea that the real value of their work lies in the personal development that comes from it?

As a leader, you should constantly remind your team that their efforts today will shape their careers for years to come. Whether or not they plan to stay in the auto industry long-term, the skills they build now—like discipline, communication, and perseverance—will serve them in whatever they do next.

When someone on your team tells you they don’t plan to stay in the industry, don’t push back. Instead, help them see the bigger picture. Say something like, “That’s great. This is a fantastic place to develop your strength and character for wherever you’re headed next. But remember, however you act here is how you’ll act in your next job. The habits you build now will follow you into the future.”

Actionable Tip: Emphasize long-term personal development over short-term financial wins. Help your team see how the skills and habits they develop now will benefit them for the rest of their careers, whether they stay in the industry or move on to something else.

If you’re struggling to get buy-in from your sales or management team, it’s time to reassess your approach. Are you trying to create desire where it doesn’t exist? Are you setting realistic expectations about what it takes to succeed? And most importantly, are you focusing on what truly matters to your team—their long-term growth and development?

By addressing these core issues, you can build a more motivated, engaged, and committed team. And once your team is fully on board, you’ll see the kind of results you’ve been striving for all along.