“What do you need from me?” does more than another pep talk ever will.

Motivation is rarely the missing piece. Most of the time somebody is stuck on something small and specific, a missing tool, an unclear instruction, a decision they are not allowed to make, and no amount of encouragement reaches any of it. Asking what they need finds the actual obstruction and quietly says you are willing to go get it.

Swap one piece of encouragement this week for that question, then follow up on the answer. If somebody says nothing, ask again on a different day. It gets more honest the second time.