From the Management Module of Ziggets

People are motivated out of fear, no doubt about that. They fear losing their jobs, getting griped out, being punished in some way, and getting their paychecks docked, or losing a bonus.

You certainly can scare motivation into people--but if you do, you should be aware of the limitations. It's a very short-term success. It will work some of the time, but not all of the time. However, people who work in an atmosphere of fear will eventually become callused and lose motivation or simply find another job.

To motivate with better results, try incentives. Offer commissions and prizes or bonuses for certain levels of work. However, incentives don't work for everyone, either. After a while, the same incentive tends to lose meaning and people lose some of their motivation. Not all people are motivated by the same incentives, and that presents a bit of a problem, too. Plus, there's a limit to how much a company can give and remain profitable.

If you want to motivate for long-term success, try growth. It's the best form of motivation by far! It's also the most complex. Growth motivation is what the name implies. Growth opportunities motivate people. A wise manager will find what areas of personal growth his or her people need and want and then strategize ways to help them get those opportunities.

One person may want to go to college while another may want to learn a new skill. The company that helps the employee achieve these growth opportunities will most likely motivate the employee and keep the employee productively employed for a long time.

Growth opportunities can include training on attitude, self-esteem, goal setting, parenting, and many other areas.