Susan Fowler - Why Motivating People Doesn’t Work . . . and What Does: The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging

More Praise for Why Motivating People Doesnt WorkAnd What Does

I encourage leaders to read this bookbut with a warning. They may get more than they expect. I learned as much about my own motivation as I did about the motivation of those I lead.

M. Paula Daoust, PhD, Director, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas

If you believe, as I do, that people are learners who long to grow, enjoy their work, be productive, make positive contributions, and build lasting relationships, then you must read this book. Susan presents tools you can use to create a company sure to unleash everyones full potential.

Dick Lyles, CEO, Origin Entertainment

We all want help to motivate the people we lead, to help them develop and grow in a productive working environment. Susan Fowlers technique shows you the right approach, leading to both the best performance and employee commitment.

Agnes Jeanbart, Facilities Manager, Gulf, Unilever

If you read only one book this year, read this one!

Robert L. Lorber, PhD, President, The Lorber Kamai Consulting Group

Susan reveals that the recipe for motivation does not consist of carrots and sticks. Her formula has helped me lead my patients, my employees, and myself in the joyful pursuit of healthier outcomes. I would prescribe her book to everyone!

Laura Lee Copeland, MD, MBA, FACEP, emergency physician and Director of Medical Informatics, Humber River Hospital, Toronto, Canada

One of the greatest opportunities for leaders is to help their people create meaning. Susans book shows us how.

Mine Sadi, EEMEA Training Development Manager, Roche, Istanbul, Turkey

Ever wonder what makes your consumers, clients, business partners, and employees keep coming back? Susan opens your eyes to why they do and how you can make the choice to return easy.

Tom Porter, Director, HR and Administration, Kawasaki Motors Corp., USA

This book helps leaders reflect on what keeps them going and help others feel comfortable doing the same. It is critical to make what Susan writes in her book into a habit.

Marios Loucaides, CEO, Cyprus Trading Corporation Plc, Nicosia, Cyprus

No motivational buttons, no inspiring speeches, no carrots, and no sticks; instead, Susan proposes developing a greater awareness of ourselves, practicing mindfulness, and learning to align values and purpose. We should listen instead of talking and search for the right questions instead of the right answers.

Marius Tanase, Executive Director, Farmexpert

Some ideas are way ahead of their time; Optimal Motivation is one of them and will shock you out of old methods of motivating people. It is the most revolutionary theory of motivation in decades.

Andrei Foisor, Country Manager, Roche Diabetes Care, Romania

Susans book is provocative and pragmatic at the same time. She has successfully tapped into a longing I have had as a leader: how can I help people do what I think they naturally want to dogrow, develop, and fulfill their potential? Susans propositions are surefire and easy to put into action.

Dr. Santrupt B. Misra, CEO, Carbon Black Business, and Director, Group Human Resources, Aditya Birla Group

Why Motivating People Doesnt Work and What Does

The New Science of Leading, Energizing, and Engaging

Susan Fowler

Why Motivating People Doesnt Work and What Does

Copyright 2014 by Susan Fowler

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First Edition
Hardcover print edition ISBN 978-1-62656-182-3
PDF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-183-0
IDPF e-book ISBN 978-1-62656-184-7

2014-1

Interior Illustration by Gary Onstad

Book design and production by Beverly Butterfield

Author photo by Ryan Talbot

Copyediting by PeopleSpeak

Indexing by Rachel Rice

For Drea

by Ken Blanchard

by Ken Blanchard

I am a fan of cutting-edge leadership. Over thirty years ago, we introduced Situational Leadership II (SLII), which revolutionized the way managers lead. In this book, Susan Fowler introduces the Spectrum of Motivation, a model that will revolutionize the way leaders think about motivation and evolve their leadership.

I am proud of the quality of thinking in this book. Susan has pursued the study and application of motivation science for almost twenty years. Together with David Facer and Drea Zigarmi, she developed the innovative Optimal Motivation training experience with the Ken Blanchard Companies and then field-tested it with trailblazing leaders and thousands of people from business, government, and nonprofit organizations around the world. What really excites me are the real-world stories and examples that show how this groundbreaking approach to motivation works.

I think you will be as excited about these ideas as I am, so I need to warn you about something we learned years ago. In the early years of teaching SLII, leaders would leave the training session eager to put their new skills to work. We were surprised by how they immediately applied the concepts without conversations with their employees to explain what they were doing. They followed the SLII model, backing off on direction and support for the self-reliant achiever, leaving her alone to do her thing. They provided direction and close supervision to an employee who was an inexperienced enthusiastic beginner. But when the two employees got together in the lunchroom, the experienced employee commented on how she had not seen her manager for weeks. The inexperienced employee said, No wonderhes constantly in my office. I dont know what I did wrong.