Book

Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work...and What Does

The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging

Susan Fowler

Berrett-Koehler, 2017

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Editorial Rating

Qualities

Comprehensive
Applicable
Well Structured

Recommendation

Drawing on years of extensive motivational research, consultant Susan Fowler explains how managers can unleash the employees’ maximum potential without resorting to a mindless carrot-and-stick approach that creates more problems than it solves. When it comes to motivation, she explains, conventional approaches don’t work. She offers an optimum motivation approach you can use to help your employees reach higher levels of satisfaction and performance. getAbstract recommends Fowler’s iconoclastic ideas to leaders, small business owners and start-up entrepreneurs who are ready to move beyond traditional motivational techniques.

Take-Aways

Leaders have a “motivation dilemma”: Companies expect them to motivate their employees, which is impossible. People must motivate themselves.
What matters is determining which factors motivate people and building the quality of each person’s motivation.
Leaders should positively influence the employee performance appraisal process so that employees will motivate themselves.

About the Author

Susan Fowler, the lead developer of The Ken Blanchard Company’s optimal motivation program, has more than 30 years’ experience as a leadership researcher, consultant and coach in more than 30 countries.

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R. F. 7 months ago

New (to me at least) perspective on motivation. Very interesting spin on the topic of motivation indeed, worth a read.
F. A. 5 years ago

Great book. Managing people aren't easy and this helps
B. K. 6 years ago

this is a game changer

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