Leadership and motivation - John Adair

What motivates people is an important consideration for captains of industry, commerce and the public sector - in fact anyone who works with other people - since people are central to the success of organizations.

Leadership and Motivation explores the subject in depth. Leadership guru John Adair reassesses the theories of Herzberg and Maslow - still the major contributors to our understanding of motivation - in the context of Action-Centred Leadership - the concept pioneered and developed by the author.

Central to the book are the Fifty-Fifty Rule and the Eight Key Principles of Motivating Others. With the Fifty-Fifty Rule, Adair states that half of a person's motivation comes from within and half is due to their environment - especially the leadership they encounter there. His Eight Key Principles of Motivating Others are: 1. Be self-motivated; 2. Select people who are also self-motivated; 3. Treat everyone as an individual; 4. Set challenging yet realistic targets; 5. Remember that progress motivates; 6. Create a motivating environment; 7. Provide fair rewards; 8. Give recognition.