Introduction
Getting the best from people, achieving results through individuals
and teams, maintaining consistent high performance, inspiring
oneself and others into action – all depend on the skills of motivation.
Self-motivation can be as difficult as motivating others and you
cannot have one without the other.
Understanding what moves an individual to action is crucial in a
manager being able to engage the will to act. Motives (which
operate the will which leads to action) are inner needs or desires
and these can be conscious, semi-conscious or unconscious. Motives
can be mixed, with several clustered around a primary motive.
156 The John Adair Handbook of Management and Leadership
Adair’s
eight rules in
motivating
people
1 Be motivated yourself
2 Select people who are
highly motivated
3 Treat each person as an
individual
4 Set realistic and
challenging targets
5 Remember that progress
motivates
6 Create a motivating
environment
7 Provide fair rewards
8 Give recognition