Why You Feel Your Teams Are Failing
By Woody Woodward
When a team stops performing, most leaders assume the problem is skill, discipline, or effort.
They think people need better scripts, more accountability, or stronger incentives. But the real issue often sits somewhere deeper.
It sits in what D.R.I.V.E.s people.
One of the most revealing examples of this comes from Pixar during the making of Toy Story 2. Today Pixar is known as a creative powerhouse, but at the time the studio was fighting for survival.
After the success of Toy Story, expectations were high for the sequel. Inside the studio, however, the early version of the film was a disaster. The story was weak. The emotional core was missing. When the team screened the first full cut, the room fell silent. Everyone knew something was wrong.
Moments like that break most organizations. People protect themselves. They avoid risk. They stop speaking honestly. The room fills with quiet tension, and progress stalls.
Pixar chose a different path.
Instead of blaming people, they changed the environment in which people worked. Ed Catmull and John Lasseter created a small group of trusted storytellers called the Brain Trust. Their job was not to judge people. Their job was to solve problems. The rule was simple. The film is the problem, not the person.
That shift created something powerful. Psychological safety.
In those meetings, directors and animators could challenge ideas openly. They paused scenes. They asked direct questions. They dismantled entire sequences without fear of punishment. What emerged was not just better storytelling. What emerged was a culture where people were willing to tell the truth.
One question during those sessions changed the entire movie. Jesse’s character felt flat and rushed. Someone asked, “Where did her fear come from?”
That single question opened the emotional heart of the film. The team rewrote her backstory and paired it with the song “When She Loved Me.” Suddenly the character had depth. The story had meaning.
And Toy Story 2 went on to become one of the most beloved animated films ever made.
What Pixar discovered in that crisis is something every leader eventually learns.
People do not perform because of pressure.
They perform because of what something means to them.
When leaders understand what drives each person on their team, they unlock a completely different level of performance. Some people are motivated by challenge and freedom. Others are energized by relationships and connection. Some seek clarity, structure, and understanding. Others want recognition, confidence, and trust.
When leaders learn to coach people in a way that aligns with their D.R.I.V.E., something remarkable happens. Resistance fades. Initiative rises. Conversations become honest. People stop protecting themselves and start contributing.
The Pixar turnaround was not about animation technology or creative talent. It was about creating an environment where people felt safe enough to bring their best thinking to the table.
That is what great coaching does.
When leaders understand what truly D.R.I.V.E.s their people and create the right emotional environment around that motivation, teams do not just improve.
They multiply their results.
And the leaders who understand this do not just manage performance.
They unlock it.
To discover you and your teams DRIVEs, visit DiscoverYourDRIVE.com — and make sure you come to the Six Figure Summit at ANMP 2026 and hear live from the founders of DRIVE.
About Woody Woodward
Woody Woodward is an authority in sales psychology, leadership dynamics, and culture transformation. He is the creator of the DRIVE System™, a behavioral framework used by leaders in 37 countries to decode human motivation, resolve friction, and lead with clarity. Woody is the author of 44 books published in 13 languages and has been featured by major media outlets including ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, and Forbes. His work focuses on a simple truth: people don’t buy with logic. They buy with identity. Through the DRIVE System, leaders learn how to connect, influence, and build teams that perform at a higher level.
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