Training

It is not enough to 'believe in it': because technical skills outweigh motivation and aptitude

Motivation is not enough for success: only rigorous training and constant practice guarantee concrete and sustainable results over time

by Luca Brambilla* and Carlo Facheris**

21 January 2026

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

4' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

The stage is lit. A man in a tailored jacket walks with a bowed microphone. His voice, emphatic, chants: 'If you can dream it, you can do it! All you need is to believe it!". The crowd applauds. Everyone leaves the room feeling invincible, but two weeks later, none of them has managed to achieve any concrete benefits. Not the guru, however, who collected EUR 500 per person for that evening.

Although it turns over billions of Euros every year, the market for motivational courses rarely brings results to those who take them, often generating a halo effect that also risks tarnishing the reputation of quality training.

Why the motivational marketplace works

There are three main reasons why this business model is profitable.

First of all, it has a very pronounced structural advantage, namely selling an attractive, illusion-laden product. Immediate success is promised at low effort where motivation outweighs competence: you just have to believe in it and possess the right aptitude. A chimera that clashes overwhelmingly with reality, since to achieve goals requires hours of study, deliberate practice and implementation of feedback that is often difficult to digest.

Secondly, the model addresses a very precise target group, which can be described as 'those who do not know that they do not know': individuals with limited technical skills who contextually underestimate the real difficulty of the set goals. David Dunning and Justin Kruger published a now classic study in cognitive psychology in 1999. They subjected Cornell University students to tests on logic, grammar and humour and asked them to self-assess their performance. The results showed that the students with the lowest scores rated themselves among the best. There is thus a psychological effect of overestimating one's preparation and knowledge in fields where one has only superficial knowledge.

Finally, the market for illusions is based on statements that cannot be falsified. "Believe it more" or "have the right motivation" are infinitely elastic variables, therefore not measurable. If the advice works, it is thanks to the guru; vice versa, the fault lies with the disciple who did not believe in it enough. On the contrary, structured training courses based on concrete methodologies and techniques are verifiable, and thus negatively assessable in the absence of tangible results.

Science disproves the myth

Motivation and aptitude are relevant factors in achieving challenging results that cannot be achieved without solid technical competence. This is confirmed by countless scientific studies.

One example is the work of psychologist Anders Ericsson, published in 1993 and based on an analysis of students at the Berlin Conservatory of Music. The study showed that the difference between violinists destined for international elite careers and those who would become teachers was not determined by innate talent or passion for music, but by a simple number: 10,000 hours of practice versus 5,000. A practice made up of structured, sometimes tedious exercises, punctuated by feedback aimed at meticulous error correction.

In the competition between technical competence and attitude, it is always the former that wins out. A Harvard Business Review study of 344 managers in 40 countries measured both the correlation between technical competence and results (0.67) and the correlation between positive attitude and results (0.23). Analysing the data, technical competence predicts success three times more than motivation.

This realisation was also internalised by a visionary company like Google, for years faithful to the mantra 'Hire for attitude, train for skill', which from 2008 to 2012 conducted 'Project Oxygen' analysing internal data to understand what makes an excellent manager. The survey revealed that technical skills predicted managerial success far better than aptitude or raw intelligence, leading the giant to place massive weight on concrete skills assessments. A course correction that produced a 28% improvement in team performance.

Competence is not only about hard skills, but also about soft skills

This principle is not only true in highly technical fields, such as music or technology, but also in more relational areas such as sales, where the myth of motivation is even more entrenched and results in empty slogans such as 'Great salesmen are born, not made' or 'You have to believe in the product'.

But, again, methodological rigour outweighs attitude. Starting in 2019, for two consecutive years, Richardson Sales Performance analysed 1,200 salespeople. The best performers were not the most motivated or passionate, but those who had a technical mastery of sales methodologies: structured questions, objection management with specific patterns, closing techniques based on psychological triggers.

Sustainable sales results are obtained by methodically taking care of each stage of the sales process, creating matrices, scripts and documents capable of customising and formalising it. Therefore, not the occasional performance of naturally gifted salespeople, but teams of people trained over time, able to learn from past mistakes and pool their successes.

A change of perspective

At first glance, the truth is uncomfortable. Having a shortcut, a trick or a secret would be reassuring, especially in today's complex and difficult environment. Real growth is exhausting, frustrating and, at times, humiliating. It requires a lot of questioning and ego management. Experience in the field shows that the 'Number Ones' are united by a pattern: the ambition to achieve excellence accompanied by the humility to constantly improve.

Although this awareness may initially frighten, observed with a critical eye it should encourage. For while aptitude is largely innate and therefore difficult to develop, competence can grow over time, provided effort and dedication are invested in it.

It is precisely in this possibility of growth that the most optimistic aspect lies: success is not reserved for the 'gifted' few, but for anyone who consciously chooses to embark on a solid and continuous training path. Because it is only through knowledge and constant practice that ambition can be transformed into concrete and lasting results.

* Director Strategic Communication Academy

** Carlo Facheris, Senior Associate Academy of Strategic Communication