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Basic Principles of Motivation

May 9, 2006

1.      People can motivate only themselves.

2.      True motivation arises from a sense of pride, honor, self-esteem, and self-worth.

3.      The sense of pride can be enhanced through love.

4.      People are motivated when they are noticed and heard.

5.      Acknowledgement must truly mean something.

6.      Compensation, in the business culture, is a sign of realistic acknowledgement.

7.      A powerful motivational tool is faith in one's subordinates.

8.      You must develop your people, give them added value, make them better human beings, and make them more marketable.

9.      You must model, in every way, the authentic leader and worker in yourself.

10. There is a hard side to motivation: limits and expectations are inflexible.

11. Greed is never an authentic source of motivation.

12. Security is not a legitimate motivator, for it diminishes life.

13. Growth is a legitimate source of motivation, for growth is the nature of life itself.

14. You must announce that you will always distinguish clearly and sharply between good work and bad, and you must not be afraid to make decisions accordingly (Koestenbaum, 2002, p. 161-163).'

Reference:  Koestenbaum, P. (2002).  Leadership: the inner side of greatness: a philosophy for leaders.  San Francisco:  Jossey-Bass.

Leadership: The Inner Side of Greatness is available on loan from the Ohio State University Leadership Center.  To borrow this resource or any other resource, please go to the resource search page http://164.107.48.88/winnebago/index.asp?lib=???

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Created: 2008-04-01, Updated: 2009-04-10