How to Motivate Employees

I have just finished reading and enjoying Daniel Pink’s latest book, “Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.” It discusses what really motivates employees.  The ideas present in the book show us many of our traditional ways of rewarding employees is totally wrong and sometimes destructive.

What drives any of us to perform at our best? Is it money, fear of punishment, reward or is it something more than that?  Once I started reading “Drive”, I realized that Pink was on to something. It was time to upgrade my “Operating System” from one that has been too narrowly focused on reward and punishment to one that appealed to something bigger inside all of us; our intrinsic need for autonomy, mastery and purpose.

If you are a small business owner or in a position to manage others, this is a must read.  It will show you that money is quite often not what motivates employees but intrinsic motivations.  The book will discuss how to use this intrinsic motivation to create a great work environment and a happy work force.  The video below is a great talk Daniel Pink did at a TED conference a few years back.

How do you motivate your employees?  I’d love to hear your comments.

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Gary

CEO at 3Bug Media
Gary Shouldis is the founder of 3Bug Media, a web marketing company that helps businesses create 360 Marketing Strategies to dominate their market. His blog is read by over 20 thousand small business owners a month and has been featured in the N.Y. Times Small Business, Business Insider and Yahoo Small Business.
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