Brian Tracy the science of motivation read online. The best motivational books

  • 12.02.2024

Brian Tracy

Motivation

Motivation

© Brian Tracy, 2013. All rights reserved

© Edition in Russian, design. Mann, Ivanov and Ferber LLC, 2014

All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by the Vegas-Lex law firm.

© The electronic version of the book was prepared by liters company (www.litres.ru)

This book is well complemented by:

Get out of your comfort zone

Brian Tracy

Delegation and management

Brian Tracy

Negotiation

Brian Tracy

Hug your employees

Jack Mitchell

Introduction

The most precious resource of any company - its employees - is the worst used. The skills and abilities of the average person provide enormous potential for growth, productivity, efficiency, achievement of goals and profit. Thanks to this book, you will master one of the most important management functions - the ability to motivate subordinates to perform as efficiently as possible. Over the past 50 years, many useful techniques have been developed in this area; you'll learn how to use the best of them to empower employees to make their maximum contribution to the company.

We know for sure that we cannot motivate other people, but we can remove the obstacles that prevent them from motivating themselves. Any motivation is self-motivation. As a leader, you can create an environment where the potential for self-motivation arises naturally and without coercion.

According to Robert Half and Associates, the average person produces only half of their capacity. The remaining 50 percent of the working day is mostly wasted - due to idle conversations with colleagues, hanging out on the Internet, being late or leaving early, endless coffee breaks and lunches, as well as personal matters.

This is one of the reasons for the wasted time that leads to a serious financial drain in many companies: people are not motivated enough and therefore not focused enough on their work. They lack persistence and focus to get the job done. This is not an easy problem, but a good leader can handle it.

Unlock your unused 50 percent

Your job is to unlock the unused 50 percent that the company is paying for and use that time and energy to achieve efficiency and quality.

The goal of a business is to achieve the highest possible return on equity (ROE) from the total capital invested in the company. And the goal of management is to obtain the highest possible energy return (ROE) from employees. Financial capital is calculated in monetary units. Human capital is the sum of a person's mental, emotional and physical energies. Your job as a leader is to maximize human capital and direct it to achieve the most valuable and important results for the company.

Eliminate demotivators

There are two main demotivators in both life and work. Both of them are born in our childhood and remain with us forever. They are often called negative experiences or conditioned responses to stimuli.

The first of these demotivators is fear of failure. This is a colossal, one-of-a-kind obstacle to achieving success in adulthood. As a result of derogatory criticism heard in childhood, adults continue to fear making mistakes or failing at work. Fear paralyzes them and prevents them from taking risks, voluntarily taking on new responsibilities, or in any other way expanding their circle of responsibility. Fear of failure constantly creates reasons or excuses for inaction.

The second main demotivator is the fear of being rejected. This obstacle begins in early childhood, when parents only “conditionally love” their children, that is, they give them love and support only if the child’s behavior or success meets some abstract high standards. Therefore, the child grows up hypersensitive to the opinions, comments or evaluation of others, especially the manager at work.

The fear of being rejected is the same fear of criticism, condemnation or censure, the fear of making a mistake and being punished for it. Great managers are those who unconditionally accept each employee: this gives subordinates the opportunity to feel free and safe while communicating with the boss or doing their work.

Eliminate Fear

There are many other reasons for demotivation and low staff performance, but the two main ones are the above. They prevent people from developing more than others, and therefore from working at the highest level. Successful companies and leaders consciously remove these barriers. They give employees room for error or failure. They demonstrate that no one will be rejected, no one will be scolded, no one will be criticized, no one will be threatened because of a mistake. The best leaders create an environment where people feel free to be their best selves.

Edward Deming, who formulated the principle of total quality management, argued that “eliminating fear” is one of the fourteen keys to creating a high-performing company. When we let go of fear, we tend to work more efficiently and perform better than ever before.

In this book, you'll learn a number of field-tested methods and techniques that you can use to increase your employees' willingness to try more tasks. Give them the opportunity to feel great when they work for you, reducing their fear of failure and fear of rejection. Only when people are happy with themselves are they motivated to succeed.

Sometimes, implementing just one of the ideas described can literally transform an average work environment into an exceptional work environment overnight.

Key Factor

There is only one key factor in motivation and maximum productivity - the connection between the leader and subordinates. The moment contact is established between two people, whether it is good or bad, the past, present and future performance of the individual employee and the entire enterprise is determined.

If the communication between the boss and the subordinate is positive and friendly, then the productivity and efficiency of the employee reaches its maximum. But if, no matter what the reason, the contact between the leader and those he leads was negative, then productivity and productivity will decrease. Negative relationships will cause fear of failure, fear of rejection and disapproval.

The ability to motivate yourself helps you achieve any goals. Even those that at first glance seem impossible to implement. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to find something for themselves every day, but it is everyday small steps that move a person towards something more. Every person feels that he is capable of achieving success and sometimes even begins to move towards the goal, but stops halfway. In this article, we have compiled a list of books that will teach you to wake up every morning with a clear mind and get down to business with inspiration.

These books not only help a person motivate himself, but are also written in simple and accessible language, bring new knowledge and arouse interest. Agree that if the author of a book is not even able to motivate the reader to read it to the end, there is something wrong with it. We can give you advice: do not read these books in a row, because any of these books will give you a strong impetus for action. Therefore, after reading one, gather your will and get down to business. When you start to feel bored by the thought of your goal, read another one. Remember that the advice from these books must be immediately implemented.

Dan Waldschmidt "Be the best version of yourself"

Dan Waldschmidt went through a difficult journey: from a millionaire to a man who tried to commit suicide, and then, after rethinking his goals and his essence, to a happy life. He believes that success is not determined by what you do, but by who you are. In the book you will read stories of ordinary people from different walks of life who have achieved enormous success. It is especially worth noting the style and message of the author. Many quotes from the book can be used as...

This incredibly emotional book will give you the strength to achieve extraordinary results in anything.

Barbara Sher "It's not harmful to dream"

It's hard to believe, but this book was published in 1979 and is now experiencing a second youth. It will help the reader discover their strengths and hidden talents, and also teach them how to turn fears and negative emotions to their advantage. It is written in very simple language and yet evokes a strong emotional response. It is recommended for repeated re-reading by absolutely anyone - profession or field of activity is not important.

Anthony Robbins "Awaken the Giant Within"

Tony Robbins is interesting not only to listen and watch, but also to read. Moreover, unlike Barbara Sher’s books, his books require not just reading, but elaboration. No water or chapters for the sake of volume - any paragraph is worth thoughtful reading and rethinking. As if that wasn't enough for Robbins, the book is lengthy and consists of approximately 700 pages.

This is motivation at its limit. While reading this book, you probably will not feel the ease of change and it is unlikely to lift your spirits. It is recommended to read this book for about a month and implement all the advice from it.

Alex Cornell "Writer's Block Again?"

Alex Cornell has collected about 90 tips on how to get out of a creative crisis, come up with any idea and simply cheer yourself up. All this advice was received from creative people - musicians, artists, writers and designers. What’s interesting is that not a single piece of advice is repeated. Everyone is unique and looks at a problem from a completely different perspective.

I want to immediately implement every piece of advice from this book - it is so easy and simple to give.

Daniel Pink "Drive"

Daniel Pink explores the nature of motivation and answers the question: “What really motivates us?” After carefully studying this book, you will learn not only to wake up in the morning with sparkling eyes, but also to motivate other people to achieve any achievement.

In her provocative bestseller, Pink argues that the emphasis must be placed on each individual's desire for excellence and mastery, and that reward-based motivation alone does not work.

Napoleon Hill "Think and Grow Rich"

Perhaps this is the best book for cultivating financial philosophy. Napoleon Hill got it right: you need to change your beliefs, your way of thinking and your subconscious in order for the changes to become permanent. The book is simply replete with affirmations and asks many questions that need to be answered in order to understand yourself.

However, this book can help not only in the field of business and finance. It relates to everything you want to achieve - from art to science. There are people who have read it dozens of times and they claim that this one book changed their lives.

James Allen "The Thinking Man"

This book has two features that make it stand out from those on our list. Firstly, this is a mini book, it consists of about 15 pages. Secondly, it was published in 1902, which makes it one of the first books that attempted to study the roots of motivation and was written in the spirit of positive thinking. They say that this book does not provide anything new. This is true, but it is precisely the year of publication that should prompt a simple thought - it was this that many followers and even modern authors took as a basis.

Richard Carlson “Don't sweat the small stuff. All these are the little things in life."

Richard Carlson is something of a new figure in his book. He provides about 100 essays in which he reveals simple and effective ways to resolve conflicts and relieve stress. The book teaches us, no matter what, to perceive life as a source of joy and pleasure. Carlson has written a whole series of books called Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, each of which focuses on a specific area. For example, there is a book called “Don't sweat the small stuff. Make money." It concerns the psychological influence of money on a person and how he can learn to perceive it correctly.

Procrastination, motivation, discipline... There are moments in every person's life when exhaustion and emptiness set in. When your hands give up and you only have enough strength to sit on the sofa. Therefore, we suggest not to waste this time in vain, but to read useful literature. After all, as you know, a good book can cure any emotional illness.

Each of us sometimes needs a powerful boost of energy, motivation and discipline. All Online Courses have collected useful literature where you will find a source of inspiration and clear guidelines for achieving any goal.

"Don't put it off until tomorrow"

What the book is about: About , postponing things for a long time later, many people say today. This is the real problem of modern man. It is not surprising that psychologists all over the world study it. One of them is Timothy Pychyl. He has been researching the problem since 1995. Timothy Pychyl has compiled the results of his research, findings, and clear strategies for combating procrastination in a book. Scientific facts, practical advice and even humor are intertwined here.

“Think slowly. Decide quickly"

What is this book about: Daniel Kahneman, one of the world's leading psychologists, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, and an influential person in the world of finance, wrote a surprisingly accurate and at the same time difficult book about thinking and acting. The author explains why a person commits irrational actions and makes wrong decisions. The book contains serious static and economic models that are based on psychological premises. These are complex schemes that need to be thought through responsibly.

"Drive. The surprising truth about what motivates us"

What is this book about: Motivation is a capricious thing. Either it is there or it disappears. And all this happens unnoticed. But, unfortunately, without motivation, nothing gets done, and life passes by. The author of the book “Drive” is confident that your attitude towards work, creativity and work in general can be changed. For this purpose, an extensive evidence base is provided on the pages. In addition, you will find working tools and methods for creating a new system of motivating yourself and your employees.

“18 minutes. How to increase your concentration, stop being distracted and get things done that really matter"


What is this book about: While the whole world struggles with the dilemma of “which is better: multitasking or single-tasking,” we are increasingly overloading ourselves with goals that require immediate resolution. We constantly try to do everything and fail over and over again. How to take control of your life and not waste time? Peter Bregman confidently says that this only takes 18 minutes a day. This is exactly how much time it takes to properly plan your day in the morning.

"Be the best version of yourself"

What is this book about: Dan Waldschmidt conducted extensive research among successful people. He studied 1,000 stories of ordinary people from business, science, politics and sports who achieved extraordinary results. And I came to an incredible conclusion: it’s not about diligence, it’s about who you are. This is a book that will give a number of clear recommendations on how to earn your millions and achieve incredible heights. It will also teach you to find harmony in everything you touch.

“Conquer procrastination! How to stop putting things off until tomorrow"

What is this book about: And again about procrastination - an unhealthy tendency to constantly put off important or unpleasant things. It is worth understanding that procrastination is not laziness. A lazy person simply does not want to do something and does not worry about it. The procrastinator, on the contrary, wants to, but cannot bring himself to do it. Peter Ludwig tells where procrastination comes from in our body, why internal and external motivations do not work, and gives clear recommendations and advice on how to deal with the problem. There are a lot of working tools here that force you to pull yourself together.

“The power of habit. Why do we live and work this way and not otherwise?

What is this book about: Do you want to change your usual? Experiment. Do the usual differently. Look at everything with new eyes. Only different actions can lead to different results. It would seem to be a truth that everyone knows. However, at the same time there is a complex truth that is not so easy to follow. Charles Duhigg talks about this on the pages. He shares stories about the habits of rich people and entire organizations, such as Michael Phelps and Starbucks, and only at the very end gives guidance on how to change your habits.

“Important years. Why you shouldn’t put off life until later"

What is this book about:“80% of the most important events happen in our lives between twenty and thirty years old” is the author’s main message. Indeed, this is the beginning of adult life, and the further development of success will depend on how we spend this time. In order not to miss the opportunities of the main decade, Dr. Meg Jay gives guidelines on where and how to move. The book contains many examples and psychological portraits, analysis of the main doubts and problems faced by young people from 20 to 30 years old.

“Mindsight. The New Science of Personal Transformation"

What is this book about: Another book that teaches you to understand yourself, and at the same time fight your habits. The famous psychiatrist Daniel Siegel gives scientific descriptions of the parts of the brain that are responsible for emotions and experiences. It also teaches the practice of conscious meditation, which helps improve our lives and abstract from the internal “autopilot”, i.e. habits.

“A book about lost time. You have more opportunities than you think"

What is this book about: Laura Vanderkam, mother of 3 children, journalist for leading American publications, shares her personal experience in her book on how to manage everything. This is a time management guide that will help you save time on important things. There are some really interesting ideas for creating a weekly schedule.

"Strength of will. How to develop and strengthen"

What is this book about: The main enemy on the path to success, professional or personal, is a lack of willpower. Where can you find the strength to complete everything and get a positive result? Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D., psychologist and professor at Stanford, talks about this. In each chapter, the author describes one key idea that will help you achieve your goals. There are many working methods and strategies with which you will learn to manage your attention, desires and feelings.

Brian Tracy

Motivation

Motivation


© Brian Tracy, 2013. All rights reserved

© Edition in Russian, design. Mann, Ivanov and Ferber LLC, 2014


All rights reserved. No part of the electronic version of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including posting on the Internet or corporate networks, for private or public use without the written permission of the copyright owner.

Legal support for the publishing house is provided by the Vegas-Lex law firm.


* * *

This book is well complemented by:

Get out of your comfort zone

Brian Tracy


Delegation and management

Brian Tracy


Negotiation

Brian Tracy


Hug your employees

Jack Mitchell

Introduction

The most precious resource of any company - its employees - is the worst used. The skills and abilities of the average person provide enormous potential for growth, productivity, efficiency, achievement of goals and profit. Thanks to this book, you will master one of the most important management functions - the ability to motivate subordinates to perform as efficiently as possible. Over the past 50 years, many useful techniques have been developed in this area; you'll learn how to use the best of them to empower employees to make their maximum contribution to the company.

We know for sure that we cannot motivate other people, but we can remove the obstacles that prevent them from motivating themselves. Any motivation is self-motivation. As a leader, you can create an environment where the potential for self-motivation arises naturally and without coercion.

According to Robert Half and Associates, the average person produces only half of their capacity. The remaining 50 percent of the working day is mostly wasted - due to idle conversations with colleagues, hanging out on the Internet, being late or leaving early, endless coffee breaks and lunches, as well as dealing with personal matters.

This is one of the reasons for the wasted time that leads to a serious financial drain in many companies: people are not motivated enough and therefore not focused enough on their work. They lack persistence and focus to get the job done. This is not an easy problem, but a good leader can handle it.

Unlock your unused 50 percent

Your job is to unlock the unused 50 percent that the company is paying for and direct that time and energy toward efficiency and quality.

The goal of a business is to achieve the highest possible return on equity (ROE) from the total capital invested in the company. And the goal of management is to obtain the highest possible return on energy (ROE) from employees. Financial capital is calculated in monetary units. Human capital is the sum of a person's mental, emotional and physical energies. Your job as a leader is to maximize human capital and direct it to achieve the most valuable and important results for the company.

Eliminate demotivators

There are two main demotivators in both life and work. Both of them are born in our childhood and remain with us forever. They are often called negative experiences or conditioned responses to stimuli.

The first of these demotivators is fear of failure. This is a colossal, one-of-a-kind obstacle to achieving success in adulthood. As a result of derogatory criticism heard in childhood, adults continue to fear making mistakes or failing at work. Fear paralyzes them and prevents them from taking risks, voluntarily taking on new responsibilities, or in any other way expanding their circle of responsibility. Fear of failure constantly creates reasons or excuses for inaction.

The second main demotivator is the fear of being rejected. This obstacle begins in early childhood, when parents only “conditionally love” their children, that is, they give them love and support only if the child’s behavior or success meets some abstract high standards. Therefore, the child grows up hypersensitive to the opinions, comments or evaluation of others, especially the manager at work.

The fear of being rejected is the same fear of criticism, condemnation or censure, the fear of making a mistake and being punished for it. Great managers are those who unconditionally accept each employee: this gives subordinates the opportunity to feel free and safe while communicating with the boss or doing their work.

Eliminate Fear

There are many other reasons for demotivation and low staff performance, but the two main ones are the above. They prevent people from developing more than others, and therefore from working at the highest level. Successful companies and leaders consciously remove these barriers. They give employees room for error or failure. They demonstrate that no one will be rejected, no one will be scolded, no one will be criticized, no one will be threatened because of a mistake. The best leaders create an environment where people feel free to be their best selves.

Edward Deming, who formulated the principle of total quality management, argued that “eliminating fear” is one of the fourteen keys to creating a high-performing company. When we let go of fear, we tend to work more efficiently and perform better than ever before.

In this book, you'll learn a number of field-tested methods and techniques that you can use to increase your employees' willingness to try more tasks. Give them the opportunity to feel great when they work for you, reducing their fear of failure and fear of rejection. Only when people are happy with themselves are they motivated to succeed.

Sometimes, implementing just one of the ideas described can literally transform an average work environment into an exceptional work environment overnight.

Key Factor

There is only one key factor in motivation and maximum productivity - the connection between the leader and subordinates. The moment contact is established between two people, whether it is good or bad, the past, present and future performance of the individual employee and the entire enterprise is determined.

If the communication between the boss and the subordinate is positive and friendly, then the productivity and efficiency of the employee reaches its maximum. But if, no matter what the reason, the contact between the leader and those he leads was negative, then productivity and productivity will decrease. Negative relationships will cause fear of failure, fear of rejection and disapproval.

All the ideas presented in this book are about improving the quality of relationships or interactions between managers and employees. Anything you do to optimize an individual contact improves the overall quality of your work life, no matter where you are on the management ladder.

And before we begin, one more note. Einstein said, “Nothing happens until something moves.” Likewise, nothing will happen until someone moves. None of the ideas will work until you start using them - preferably as soon as possible.

Effective leaders are highly action-oriented. Having received a good idea, they immediately begin to implement and apply it. And if, while reading this book, you learn something that you think can help you motivate your staff to work more efficiently, don’t delay. Apply your new knowledge the same day. The results will amaze you.

The X Factor

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, management consultants conducted several studies in Europe comparing the productivity of automobile plants in Great Britain and West Germany (West Germany). They found that Germany's most efficient plants were four times more productive than British plants. At first, British researchers argued that the discrepancy was due to the fact that Germany's factories were new, having just been rebuilt after World War II, while most UK factories were old, still using equipment from the 1930s.