*It does depend on the context-desperation, greed, hubris are temporary motivators

If you motivate people with money you are going to have to keep making more money to keep motivating people…and at some point the money then becomes the most important thing for the company. Make more money. Make more money. Heard that song before? It is so loud we can hardly hear any other song…like…create really beautiful awe inspiring products or service…

Science has shown again and again that motivating with money doesn’t work. It has even shown that people who get paid the most actually do not perform the best. And the highest paid CEO’s are not performing. But we keep paying them obscene amounts…and then they throw tantrums if their bonus drops. Ahh the age of entitlement is not confined to the lower class….the top 1% are the embodiment of entitlement in so many instances.

What motivates people…the internal rewards….autonomy, purpose, creativity, service, mastery, love, adventure, beauty…

Create an organisation that is crystal clear about its purpose and then backs that purpose with action in every single domain and people will come work for the purpose….and stay for the purpose…and the more service oriented the purpose the more people will come…(Read Reinventing Organisations)

 

Photo credit: Romain Drapri via Compfight