12.1. Motivation Through Reward

To motivate a person, you have to understand that individual's needs. What inspires you may or may not inspire someone else. This fact, which seems so obvious, is often overlooked. Money is the classic example. In every place that I have ever worked, the assumption has been that if you want people to work harder, offer them more money, and to keep them working hard, reward their hard work with a bonus (positive reinforcement). I have always believed this to be the case, because it works for me, but money is only one way to motivate your employees.

Managers have often found themselves puzzled when offering money results little, if any, effect on some people. If you take a moment to think about it, it may become obvious why this technique often fails. The technique works or fails on different people because people work for different reasons. Recognizing these reasons is important in knowing your employees and understanding how to motivate them. Work habits often reflect what is important to and what motivates a person.