If: Leadership is not just about having coworkers do what you want, but having them want to do it.

Then: Motivation must be the heart of leadership.

Dr. Bob Nelson is one of the foremost experts on employee motivation and best-selling author of “1001 Ways to Reward Employees”— not surprising, coming from a longtime coworker of Dr. Ken Blanchard and doctoral student of management guru Peter Drucker. According to Dr. Nelson, these are the top six employee motivators:

1. Support & Involvement
2. Personal & Public Praise
3. Autonomy & Authority
4. Flexible Working Hours
5. Learning & Development
6. Manager Availability & Time

Amazingly, you can address five of these motivators just by asking questions!

Support and Involvement: When employees are asked a question like, “Where do you think the problem lies?” you engage their minds and involve them in the organization. By listening to their input and making use of their contributions, they then feel supported.

Personal & Public Praise: Asking employees, "How do you like to be praised and thanked when you do a good job?" takes the guesswork out of the recognition process. Naturally, employees will be more motivated to achieve positive results since they had a hand in choosing the means of recognition.

Autonomy & Authority: Once you and your coworker have discussed the parameters of a problem and set a direction for the initiative, ask, “How will you go about accomplishing this task?” Make it clear that you will be available as a resource, but the problem is theirs to solve. Your coworker will undoubtedly experience some anxiety, but with your trust, their increased autonomy and authority will lead to greater motivation and achievement.

Learning & Development: If your coworkers are remotely savvy with technology, they do not need to be spoon-fed directions. They know how to synthesize data into actionable knowledge. Short-cutting their discovery process by insisting they do things a certain way will often result in frustrated and disengaged workers. Ask questions, move out of the way, and watch them grow.

Manager Availability & Time: “Open door does not mean open mind,” Dr. Nelson reminds us. To be a leader means more than being available; it means being prepared to learn. If you consider yourself the storehouse of all company knowledge and decision-making acumen, your coworkers will not feel inspired to make innovative decisions. Make yourself available to their ideas. Make it clear that you do not have all the answers. Ask questions that reveal a true desire to learn and be exposed to new ideas.

If you want to motivate your coworkers, Just Ask. Question-based leadership will address five out of Dr. Nelson’s top six employee motivators. And, chances are, if you use this approach, you will also accomplish the sixth (flexible working hours)—because once you learn how much inspired employees can accomplish, you will be willing to explore alternative work arrangements!

Note: To learn more about how to motivate employees, go to Jobdig.com , itune.com , or co2partners.com for an in-depth, podcast interview between Gary Cohen and Dr. Bob Nelson.      

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