• Competence
• Recognition
• Involvement
• The work itself

      Competence: There is a direct and powerful link between people's skills and their motivation to do high-quality work.  Those who excel don't need to be motivated; they prod themselves to sustain excellence.  What's more, the act of striving is itself rewarding.  Look at the people in your organization who are really good writers, photographers or artists; you don't have to do much to motivate them.  Their competence is part of a self-motivating "virtuous cycle."

     Competence has another benefit: It fuels the need to achieve.  In some people –– the "self-starters" and "drivers" –– this achievement drive is built-in.  In others it needs to be cultivated, and building competence is the best way to do that.  As competence increases, so does satisfaction, which in turn builds the confidence that helps perpetuate the cycle.

     Recognizing and nurturing the drive to achieve is important because, of all the predictors of high performance, the achievement drive is the most reliable.  Competence is the engine propelling the achievement drive.

     Recognition: Another foundation of motivation is recognition.  Recent studies asked people to list the most important intangible benefits of their jobs.  Everyone from the boardroom to the shop floor put "Feeling appreciated" high on the list.

     To be effective, recognition has to be authentic and purposeful.  Superficial recognition, like casual praise or meaningless rewards, might stimulate short-term compliance, but it won't motivate anyone to deeper commitment and higher performance.  Quite the opposite; inauthentic recognition can actually retard motivation by breeding cynicism.

     Recognition has real purpose and power when linked to competence.  As performance improves, timely recognition can reinforce the gains.  Competence and recognition are like two poles in an electromagnetic system working in concert to keep energy in motion.

     Recognition has another purpose: To reinforce the mission and values of the organization.  The word recognition comes from Latin roots meaning "to know again."

   Involvement in decisions: Recognition and involvement are powerful motivators; the absence of one or both is an equally powerful disincentive.  People who put forth effort that is never recognized, or have no voice in the important decisions that affect their work and their life, are less motivated than those who are recognized and involved.  Involvement doesn't cede authority; it spreads accountability.  People who feel accountable to their colleagues and readers are more motivated to perform well.

   The work itself: It should be no surprise that people who find their work stimulating are motivated to do it better. Editors need to examine each job and ask: How stimulating and satisfying is it?  Does it offer a chance to learn and grow?

   What can managers do to boost self-motivation?

   Provide training. The more you help people improve their skills the more they will be motivated toward high performance.  There is simply no substitute for teaching people how to do something well and then recognizing them for doing so.

   Get rid of grunt work. Make a public display of vigorously trying to eliminate drudgery.  Even if the gains are modest, the effort will be appreciated.

   Be honest about involvement. All managers swear public allegiance to the idea of "involving people in decisions that affect their work."  The truth is most companies are still ruled by top-down, command-and-control hierarchies.  If people have an influential role in key processes that govern their work-including schedules, assignments, training and performance evaluation-they will be more motivated.