SOME OF THE best principles of motivation come from sports legends. Tennis player Martina Navratilova famously said: 'Do what you love and love what you do and everything else is detail.' She is also credited with saying: 'The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs - the chicken is involved, the pig is committed.'
But what is the secret to obtaining committed and motivated employees who love their work and are willing to go the extra mile?
According to Ji-Ye Hwang, a consultant at global human resources outsourcing and consultancy firm Hewitt Associates, the solution does not have to cost any money and anyone can do it.
'All humans like to think that what they are doing is adding value and being recognised for that,' Ms Hwang said. 'Recognition is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to engage employees. It does not have to come in the form of a pay cheque or free cinema tickets. A sincere thank you can be equally, if not more, effective.'
Recognition was something you deposited in the emotional bank account - points went up and so did commitment to the firm, she added.
There is nothing complicated about recognition. You do not need a formal recognition system or programme. However, people do not always realise they are being recognised. You can address this by simply adding something to the effect that 'by the way, that was recognition' as part of a compliment or thanks. This is one way to reinforce recognition in the workplace.