following its release, "motivation" debuted on the "billboard" hot 100 at number fifty-five, rowland's highest hot 100 debut as a solo artist. it reached number seventeen, rowland's highest hot 100 peak as a solo artist, and best chart position since "dilemma" (by nelly featuring kelly rowland −2002), which reached number one. additionally, it is the first single from rowland to chart on the hot 100 since her 2009 feature on david guetta's "when love takes over", which reached number seventy-six. the previous two lead singles, "grown woman" (2010) and "rose colored glasses" (2010), from "here i am," failed to enter the hot 100, though the latter peaked at number fifty-one on the hot r&b/hip-hop songs chart. the producer of "motivation", jim jonsin, said he was proud and confident of the song's success. "i’m really happy that things are going well for her on this record. a real concern for us was to get that smash for her... she’s a friend of ours as well, so to see her win is huge."