Motivational Management: Inspiring Your People for Maximum Performance

Chapter 10. Appealing to Individual Motives

The magazine Sales and Marketing Management recently reported an alarming finding: Most managers don't have any idea what motivates their employees. Why not? Because they don't realize their employees might have unique motives. They just assume their employees must want the same incentives that they themselves want. This is an interesting insight and one that most managers do not fully appreciate. As a manager, it is easy to fall into the trap of giving your people the incentives that you would want—only to find many of your employees do not seem to be very motivated.