What Motivates People To Work Harder?

Entrepreneur Book Review On Rewarding Employees

What motivates you to work harder, go for the big account, and accomplish your business goals?  Think about that for just a moment.  Now think about your employees.  What do you think motivates them to work harder, use their time more efficiently, and give their best for your company's needs and goals, day after day, year after year?

It can be too easy to remain so focused on all the needs and demands of the business on a daily basis, that the employees can get overlooked, in terms of what is important for their success, which has a direct effect on the success of the business.

In a recent post by Marketing Consultant Randy Kirk, he reviews the book called "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" by Bob Nelson.  Randy Kirk goes on to share his own personal experiences with motivating employees, and further encourages business owners to use this book as a reference for creative ideas in not only telling your employees how much you appreciate their incredible work, but especially by showing your appreciation.

One way that employees can feel really fantastic about themselves is through rewards, praise, and public recognition.  "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" by Bob Nelson, is a great reference book to help you consider low cost or free ways to build your people up.  You can spend 20 or 30 minutes just skipping around through the text and you'll be stimulated to come up with your own variations.  It is like brainstorming, but with a book instead of a room full of people.

The ideas have been gleaned from 100's of interviews conducted with owners and managers of businesses, large and small.  Many won't apply to your situation at all.  Others will have you slapping your forehead wondering why you didn't already think of that.

Under the theory of the shoemaker whose children had no shoes, you might find this book helpful in motivating your own staffs and sales teams. A book that is well worth your attention.

You'll definitely want to check out this business book review on "To Sell Is Human."

{Book #4} Required Entrepreneur Reading: Greatest Salesman in the World

What Do Habits and Thought Patterns Have To Do With Business Success Anyway?

Jim Rohn, motivational author and speaker, said it best.  "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune."  What does this mean for the business person?  

Each person is pursuing something in life, but the differentiating factor is this:  Are you pursuing a particular goal, a certain dream and that is the basis of your daily decisions?  Or do you keep your goals and dreams in your back pocket, while you aimlessly pursue those things in life that are distracting you from what you really desire out of life?  If asked directly, most people don't have their life goals written out, in order to intertwine them with how they live out their life each day.  

Which leads to the next point of self-education.  Once you have made the decision to put your lifelong achievement goals onto paper, then you must commit yourself to taking all necessary steps to get there. With perfection in mind?  Hardly.  The reality is that you are more likely to achieve what you desire when it is at the forefront of your mind and decision making process.  

Thus, one of the best ways to fill our minds with thoughts that strengthen our resolve to continue in our endeavors and to think outside of the box is through books.  Which is why this blog series is so important: every person from every walk of life has been influenced in one way or another by a book.   

In our current exploration of the most influential books for everyday entrepreneurs, we are moving steadily down the list.

{Book #4}: Greatest Salesman in the World by Og Mandino

If you're looking for a book that will tell you how to make a lot of money by following 10 simple steps,  then this is probably not the book for you.  Written over four decades ago, Og Mandino's book has sold more than 3 million copies.  What is it that has drawn millions to read it?  Put very simply, Mandino wrote this to inspire you to train yourself to motivate and guide your life down the path you desire.  It will challenge you to look at how you think, the habits you are employing, and simple ways to assess the path you are taking.  It is a small, easy book to read.  Be prepared that while you will be able to apply the principles to your business life, this is a book that will explore the more complex issues that make you a unique individual.  

There have been mixed reviews on this book - have you ever read it?  What are your thoughts?