The Basics of MotivationUniversity of La VerneMotivating others, especially employees who work for you, is often the hardest thing you have to do as a manager. There are many myths and misconceptions about what motivates employees. Does money motivate? Is recognition motivating? And fear? Is anyone motivated by something just because you might be? The answer to all of these questions may vary depending on the employee. First I'm going to dispel some motivation myths. The first myth is that a manager fully motivates an employee. This is absolutely false. One can be influenced or directed in a certain direction, but essentially the employee must have a certain inner motivation and take action himself. Therefore, some aspects of personal motivation must rely on the individual you are seeking to motivate. As a manager, it is your job to find out what motivates that employee and provide that atmosphere or environment for that person. Another myth is that money motivates employees. Money is definitely something that everyone desires. However, money simply keeps employees from being less motivated. Fear is also not a good motivator. Fear may temporarily give you what you want, but it does not motivate an employee to be motivated. So what motivates employees? I have attended many motivational seminars, some good and some bad. Most of the good courses I attended focused on the primary key to motivation, starting with the manager and their attitude. As a manager, you are key to demonstrating enthusiasm as well as great professional knowledge which, in turn, motivates employees. Enthusiasm is contagious. I really believe it. Have you ever seen an enthusiastic manager...... middle of paper...... ive incentive. For the first quarter of perfect attendance, the employee receives a $25 gift card to one of 5 different stores of their choice. For the second quarter in a row, they invested $50 in stores. The third earns $125. And finally for the fourth quarter and perfect attendance they will receive $250 towards one of the stores of their choice. That's a total of $450 for the year. The year before this program was implemented, our perfect participation was less than 5%. Motivation is an extremely difficult aspect of being a manager. You must be able to motivate your employees if you want to succeed as a manager. There are many myths about what motivates employees. Beware of these myths and focus on the many proven factors that motivate employees, such as an enthusiastic manager, responsibilities and buy-in, and rewards and incentives..