The Truth About Better Decision-Making (Collection), 2/e

Truth 4. It’s not money that motivates

Don’t get the wrong idea. This truth doesn’t let you off the hook for fairly compensating your employees for the work they do. (Anxiety and growing resentment that come from being broke can be very distracting.) You can adequately—even lavishly—pay your employees, but if you overlook one most essential engagement tool, this is what you’ll get: Ho-hum workers driving around in expensive cars wondering how they can fill this odd, empty feeling inside.

People yearn for purpose—for doing something that’s important, something that engages their full potential in a way that’s meaningful beyond their personal bank accounts. And that makes your job as their manager a little harder. You may not have as much control ...