Daniel H. Pink's book is an extension of his TED talk on the same topic. Highlights from this book:

People would prefer activities where they can pursue three things.

1. Autonomy: People want to have control over their work.

2. Mastery: People want to get better at what they do.

3. Purpose: People want to be part of something that is bigger than they are.

Some key ideas that matter.

Key Idea 1: There is a difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.

Key Idea 2: Intrinsic motivators are more powerful.

Key Idea 3: If you use monetary rewards to get people to perform the way you want, those rewards may have the opposite effect.

[From the Great Books Series. Also see The Success Manual  - Encyclopedia of Advice, which contains summaries of 100+ Most useful books.]