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The more effort – either physical or mental – required to perform the desired action, the less likely it is to occur.

…regardless of the quality of their work, people who work remotely… are less likely to be seen as responsible and dedicated and more likely to get lower performance evaluations, smaller raises, and fewer promotions…

…[organizations] continue to pursue practices such as short-term incentive plans and pay-for-performance schemes in the face of mounting evidence that such measures usually don’t work and often do harm.

…certain kinds of extrinsic rewards on top of inherently interesting tasks can often dampen motivation and diminish performance.

Many times a concentrated focus makes sense… But in less dramatic circumstances, fixating on an immediate reward can damage performance over time.

…’as long as the task involved only mechanical skill, bonuses worked as they would be expected: the higher the pay, the better the performance.’

People must be paid well and be able to take care of their families… But once a company meets this baseline, dollars and cents don’t much affect performance and motivation.

A sense of autonomy has a powerful effect on individual performance and attitude.

…autonomous motivation promotes greater conceptual understanding, better grades, enhanced persistence…, higher productivity, less burnout, and greater levels of psychological well-being.

The science shows that the secret to high performance isn’t our biological drive or our reward-and-punishment drive, but… our deep-seated desire to direct our own lives, to extend and expand our abilities, and to live a life of purpose.