Are You a Motivator? Learn What Human Motivation Theories Are

In order to be a motivator, one must first be able to recognize and understand the nature of motivation. Motivation is a motivating force for certain actions, determination, and targets. These desires, needs or aims may be general or can be generally inherent. An individual's own motivation can be stimulated by themselves or by external factors.

The research of behavioral sciences has shown that some motivators are more commonly found than others. Most motivators are considered personal. They are such things as self-esteem, power, achievement, social affiliation, norms, and the like. Although most motivators are considered personal, some are not. These include traditional authority figures such as parents or employers, other people such as teachers, and even financial motivators such as bonuses or financial gain.

Traditional businesses use rewards as a form of motivation. Rewards may be in the form of a monetary reward, a tangible item, or an achievement (such as a new job or promotion). One of the most common ways that companies use motivation in the workplace is through the use of paid time off.

Paying employees for time off work can be a very powerful form of motivation. Employees will be more motivated to do their best for their employer if they know that they are not only going to get paid for it, but that they will also be getting some recognition for it. When managers effectively make this type of announcement to their employees, they can greatly increase employee motivation.

A relatively new way that many companies reward their employees is by providing them with basic needs. In many cases, basic needs are purchased by the employees. This can be a form of salary increases or promotions, but can also be something as simple as a day off for vacation. Giving employees basic necessities can be a great motivator, especially when the employees do not have to spend money on these items.

Other types of motivators might include medical benefits or other types of professional training opportunities. When a person is motivated by training opportunities, they will be willing to go beyond their job duties to fulfill their responsibilities. They might also go out of their way to seek extra training or additional knowledge so that they can take advantage of these training opportunities.

There are also other types of motivators. When people work at their jobs, they are using up a significant amount of their mental and physical resources. If they feel like they are being taken advantage of, they will feel less motivated to go to work. Sometimes, people need just a little push to get started on the right foot. A great motivator might be an increase in pay or advancement within the company. A person who has an extra large check coming in each pay period can use this as an excuse to work harder and increase their pay, which can eventually lead to increased self-esteem and improved performance.

When companies want to find new ways to motivate employees, they should use the carrot and stick approach. The carrot approach involves rewarding workers on a regular basis for their effort and productivity. The stick approach simply offers an incentive for employees to continue doing a good job. Both of these approaches can help to increase employee motivation. Learning how to motivate employees through the carrot and stick approach is a skill that many companies are missing out on because they are looking for quick fixes to low morale.

Many management theories exist to explain why some people are more motivated than others. Some managers believe that motivation can be genetic. If your parents or grandparents were highly productive, then you might have the same characteristics. While this might be true to some extent, it doesn't mean that you can't learn from your parents or grandparents. Sometimes a combination of both psychological theory and genetics exists which can result in better results.

Motivators aren't always based on hard figures or statistics. Some managers use the emotional, behavioral, or biological makeup of the employees to determine if they are motivated or not. One of the main motivational factors that managers commonly look at is related to the employees' social behaviors and interpersonal hygiene factors. These factors include such things as whether employees are cleanly dressed, have clean hands and exhibit a sense of professionalism.


There are many different human motivation theories out there that can be used to motivate an employee. The best thing to do when determining how to be a motivator is to be honest with yourself about your own personal qualities. If you know you are not as effective at getting people to work right away, then you need to change the way you think. Once you make these changes, you can become a more effective motivator for your team.