Motivating

Weird, wonderful corporate musicals

May 9, 2019
“He’s a Penney Man,” “Tires to Sell,” “An Exxon Dealer’s Wife” … all of these are song titles from professionally produced Industrials.

Focus on potential too

February 27, 2019
The most successful leaders see the potential in their employees—and they have a plan to help them realize that potential, says David Deacon, author of The Self-Determined Manager. He recommends you spend time answering these questions for each employee.

Deliver feedback that gets results

October 11, 2018
To maximize the impact of your input, prepare before you speak. Here are some guidelines.

You cannot beat this motivational line

August 9, 2018
People really do know it when a leader shows up. Such was the case for Capt. Benjamin Tupper of the Army National Guard, who found himself surrounded by the Taliban in Afghanistan, in a firefight and just about at the end of his rope.

The limits of what money can buy

August 9, 2018
Sure, you can initially attract people with the promise of financial reward. But to retain and motivate the best people, you must tap into how they feel about the work itself.

Avoiding the quiet trap of ‘appreciation depletion’

August 3, 2018
When we watch a puppy push its head forward eagerly at the promise of being scratched by a caring hand, guess what? We’re watching ourselves. Walking around in a $400 suit doesn’t make us want that gentle head scratch any less.

3 ways fear drives success

July 12, 2018
Sometimes, we all need a little fear to remind us of what is truly important. There are three things we must remember about fear.

Psychological theories of motivation

May 10, 2018
David M. Kreps, a Stanford economist, explains the different approaches of getting people going.

8 movies for the bold and ambitious

May 2, 2018
One leadership motivation tool that never gets dull is the movie that documents the true story of someone who overcame brutal challenges to become a legend. Here are a few of our favorites.

Motivation razzle-dazzle: What could go wrong?

April 16, 2018

Q. My efforts to motivate people are not doing so great, and I have a feeling what would work better is a bit of showy exuberance, or a fiery display of some kind to break the calm around here. How can something like this backfire?