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

Book summary

Susan Fowler is an expert in motivation and personal empowerment who has worked with clients like Google and Apple. She coauthored Self Leadership and the One Minute Manager and Leading at a Higher Level with Ken Blanchard. Based in San Diego, Fowler is also a university professor and a senior consulting partner at the Ken Blanchard Companies.

Motivation, often misunderstood as a fleeting emotion, is better approached as a skill that can be cultivated and integrated into life and work. By identifying personal motivators—such as ambition, responsibility, or passion—and aligning tasks and environments with these drivers, individuals can transform routine activities into purposeful endeavors. Leaders play a crucial role in fostering this by promoting autonomy, building meaningful connections, and encouraging growth, which address the core psychological needs of independence, relatedness, and proficiency. Moving beyond traditional reward-punishment systems, this approach emphasizes intrinsic motivation, creating a more engaged, fulfilled, and high-performing workforce.

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