What is the difference between “motivating others” and “self-motivation”?
When managers and leaders talk about motivating others they typically refer to two types of motivation the “carrot” and the “stick”. The carrot approach can be summarized in six words: Do this and you’ll get that. We dangle all types of goodies (from candy, to dinners, to shows, to trips, etc) to get them “to move”. The stick approach is often used when the carrot approach does not produce results. The stick approach threatens employees with discipline, harsh words, termination, etc. You will learn why both these approaches have limited value when used as the sole source of motivation. Self-motivation, on the other hand, relies on the inner drive of each person to achieve results. The “battery is inside” with self-motivation. The personal energy level of the employee becomes the major source of motivation that drives them to achieve breakthrough results. Self-motivation depends on the wellspring of personal energy that resides within each of us that can be tapped by the right condition
