The Secret Behind Teams That Outperform Their Pay Grade

“People work for money but go the extra mile for recognition, praise, and trust.” — Dale Carnegie

As World Cup 2026 qualifying started to really take shape this last week, it is a reminder that every major tournament has an underdog story.  A team with no right to be there. No stars. No budget. No expectations. And yet, somehow, they outrun, outwork, and outfight teams full of global superstars.  Turkey at World Cup 2002, Morocco at World Cup 2022, Iceland at Euro 2016.  At next year’s World Cup nations as small as Curacao and Cape Verde have qualified for the very first time. They don’t have the salaries, the facilities, or the resources of the bigger, regularly qualifying nations. However, they may have something far more powerful: a cause.  A belief that they’re playing for something bigger than themselves, supported by a coach they’d run through walls for and wearing a shirt that represents their people.

When Morocco became the first country from Africa to reach the World Cup semi finals in 2022, after knocking out Belgium, Spain and Portugal on the way, their coach said: “Talent is nothing without heart… and our heart is our country.”  And because of that, they found an extra gear. They pressed harder. They tracked back faster. They stayed switched on for longer.  They weren’t playing for money; they were playing for recognition, pride, belonging, and trust.

The Company Equivalent of “Playing for the Shirt”

It works the same in business. Underdog teams overperform because they feel:

• valued
• trusted
• seen
• believed in
• connected
• part of the story

Employees overperform for the exact same reasons as sports stars.  This is how you recreate that “fighting for the cause” energy in a business, without having to immediately default to money:

Give people a mission worth caring about

Don’t go for a mission of increasing revenue or project deadline completion rates.  Go for something like:

• We help founders sleep at night
• We create simplicity in a noisy world.

Purpose fuels discretionary effort.

Recognise contribution publicly

Praise staff for their contribution in front of clients and via their peers in meetings and Slack.  Footballers run further when the crowd is cheering.  Teams work harder when their contributions are seen. Recognition is completely free of charge, but utterly priceless.

Build trust through autonomy

Micromanaged people don’t run for the cause, but empowered people do.  Let people own outcomes, not tasks.

Connect work to identity, not obligation

Morocco’s squad said it repeatedly: “We’re playing for our families.” At work, your equivalent is helping the team understand:

• how their role contributes
• how their work impacts clients
• why their excellence matters

Leaders who explain context create commitment.

Foster belonging

Create moments of shared experience:

• Wins celebrated together as a team
• Being transparent about the business
• Listening to the team’s inputs
• Showing that every role matters

When people feel part of the team, they play harder for it.

Treat people like adults, not assets

Have open and honest conversations, setting clear expectations and asking for early feedback. This will give shared accountability.  Professional respect leads to emotional commitment.

Closing Thought

Pay gets people in the building, but purpose, recognition and trust are what make people fight for the cause.

Next week I will speak of how to build this concept into your end of year pay and bonus review cycle, plus techniques to remove the emotion out of that decision making process.