Even if your job offers great variety and you’re doing something different every day, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Lack of motivation can make you feel like a toddler having a fit in the grocery store … some days, you just want to stomp your feet, flail your arms and exclaim, “I don’t want to do ____________ anymore!”

Ambition leads to success, so keeping our fires lit is imperative to reaching our goals. However, it’s not always about self-motivation – depending on your role, you may have a team of people who you need to boost on the regular. And not surprisingly, the two are interconnected.

From birth, we’re conditioned to respect and model our behavior based on the authority figures around us, and the workplace is no different. Managers need to lead by example, so practice what you preach.

What happens if you’re not a naturally energetic person who rolls into the office every morning raring to go? Don’t fret if charisma isn’t your thing. A recent Michigan State University (MSU) study found that managers don’t need to possess genius-level smarts or outstanding personalities to be effective at motivating their teams. Instead, it is more important to manage with the right approach and mindset.

“Effective leadership may be based in part on a leader’s ability to recognize when a particular mental state is needed in their employees and to adapt their own mental state and their behaviors to elicit that mindset,” MSU Professor of Management Brent Scott, was quoted as saying.

“Part of the story here is that you don’t have to be Steve Jobs to be an effective leader. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to managing.”

The study’s authors identified two main managerial mindsets: the innovative mindset, or promotion focus, and the conservative mindset, or prevention focus. Those who adopt and manage with an innovative mindset are more likely to have a transformative effect in the workplace, while those focused on preventing mistakes via a conservative mindset may actually cause more in the long run.

“We found that the motivations of managers are contagious and ‘trickle down’ to their subordinates,” said Russell Johnson, research team leader and MSU associate professor. “Thus, if managers are unhappy with how their people are approaching work tasks, the managers might actually be the ones responsible for eliciting their motivation in the first place. Managers can modify their leadership behavior to trigger the appropriate motivation orientation in their employees to fit the situation.”

Whether you’re getting yourself moving, or motivating your team, here are five quick tips to help you motivate yourself and inspire those around you in the process.

1. Learn How to Impress Yourself
We’re all familiar with the old adage that dictates you must learn to love yourself before you can learn to love someone else. The same goes for motivation. Someone lacking motivation is going to do a poor job motivating others. If you can manage to impress yourself with your own work, your passion will be your primary motivator. Teach others to do the same.

2. Feel Good About It
Our emotions are powerful things, and harnessing them can help us feel more invested, which in turn motivates us. It’s not enough to know – our brains love to feel. Even the worst task is more pleasant when you’re performing it in a good mood. Do things to activate the pleasure center of your brain to make the task more tolerable, such as listening to your favorite song. Take the time to smile and laugh with your team. Have fun. You’ll get more done and it will feel less like work.

3. Turn Your Workday into a Training Session
No, we’re not talking about sitting in a classroom or hopping onto a webinar. Instead, think of it like a trip to the gym. Adopting the same habits as high-level athletes by arranging your daily schedule like an interval training workout can help keep your brain engaged. Short bursts of high-intensity activity, with less demanding tasks scheduled as breaks, will improve your productivity and reserve your energy. Plus, getting things done just feels good.

4. Be the Boss of Your Brain
There will always be bad days. The truth is, we’re often responsible for getting ourselves into a funk, which means it’s also our job to get ourselves out of it. Reframing a situation can go a long way to bring you back into a positive mindset and rekindle your motivation. Instead of asking what went wrong with a situation, ask yourself what went right. Avoid words like “have”, “must” or “should”, instead opting to use the word “choose”. Choosing your words carefully sounds simple, but can have a huge impact on your mind and mood.

5. Don’t Go at it Alone
Sometimes you’re just not feeling it, and that’s OK. Sometimes we need help. If you’re down in the dumps or uninspired, connect with a coworker who clicks. It could be their personality always lifts your mood, or their skill set complements your own. Let them help you, encourage you, mentor you, or whatever is needed to get you back on track. Never be afraid to reach out for a pick-me-up.