Why Motivating People Doesn't Work

No one can motivate someone else; this is basically what this book says. Real motivation can only come from within the person concerned. In this context, the manager’s job should not be to motivate people, but to help people motivate themselves. Built around this idea, the book explains how to move from a state of externally-imposed motivation—i.e., “I have to do this because I’ve been asked to”—to an internally-generated state of motivation—i.e., “I am going to do this because it is relevant to the company and to myself.” Notably, it offers concrete ways to help employees be aware of their own motivational state and influence it.