Gone are the days when motivation was all about top-down pressure and rigid targets. For Mike San Diego, Certified Financial Consultant and CFO of EON Group, the key to motivating teams today lies in a deeper, more human approach: understanding and empathy.
“If they are happy, then they are well motivated,” San Diego told Financial Adviser PH.
San Diego has seen firsthand how motivation has evolved over the years. “Motivating your team nowadays is a lot different from motivating them like 10 years ago,” he says. Today’s professionals, especially younger generations, are driven not just by goals or compensation, but by how seen, heard, and supported they feel at work.
That’s why he puts a strong emphasis on individualized leadership. Rather than treat performance management as a one-size-fits-all process, San Diego takes time to understand each team member’s strengths, weaknesses, and motivations.
“If you understand your people and you appreciate both their strengths and weaknesses, you’ll be in a better position to help them achieve their individual KPIs,” he explains. “Once each person is performing well, you can be assured that the team and group KPIs will follow.”
It’s a strategy built on trust—not micromanagement. While San Diego is still detail- and results-oriented, he believes in enabling rather than controlling. His leadership style involves equipping people with clear expectations, guidance, and the support they need to grow—then stepping back to let them own their results.
Well-being, he adds, plays a central role in high performance. When employees feel respected, supported, and fulfilled, productivity becomes a natural outcome. “A motivated team is a happy team. A happy team delivers,” he says.
San Diego’s leadership philosophy is a reminder to business leaders: KPIs are important, but they’re not the starting point—people are. And if you want the numbers to follow, start by creating an environment where individuals thrive.
