Why is motivation so important?

Reading over this blog, I have noticed a majority of people have chosen to write about motivation. When trying to figure out what to write about I wanted to go in a different direction. Spending time reading over chapters 4 and 6 through 9, motivation kept coming back to me. It is so important and crucial in being a good manager in our field today. Mainly because running a kitchen is a team effort and without employees working together guest won't be satisfied. I have worked in many kitchens and seen many different styles of leadership. In each of those kitchens it's amazing to observe how the manager gets his team motivated. Some employees just don't care about being motivated to do their job, they are there for the money and thats it. As a manager I think if a person is pulling the entire team down it can be hard to find ways to motivate them, and at that point they need to decide if they are worth keeping. I think many of the theories have good points to them, but don't work with a majority of employees. In observing and talking to various employees I have found a majority respond best to the behavior modification theory. I feel this focuses on effecting employees behavior and providing positive reinforcment. As a manager the best thing to do is encourage your team through praise. Take time to watch the staff and observe their quality. Praise them for things they do well, even if they are small things. Also tell them when they don't do something to your standards.
As an employee working in a kitchen, hearing comments from my co-workers and chef encourages me. It makes me feel like I am part of the team and have worth in that kitchen. When I am constantly told how I am doing, It motivates me to do better. I strive to make chef happy and get good comments on the food I am producing. When employees are constantly down graded or not told how they are doing they don't have any motivation to do better, and their work stays the same or can also go down hill.
Out of all the kitchens I've worked in this theory seems to be most effective.