Summary: The best leadership is motivational. But the author contends that most leaders misunderstand motivation. Here are four laws of motivation that will help you be a better motivational leader. In this second of two parts, the author expands on the laws he described in Part One.

In Part One, I described the laws of motivation. In Part Two, I'll examine the laws in more detail.

Law 1. Motivation is physical action. Motivation isn't about what people think or feel but about what they physically do. In leadership, you should understand the difference between inspiration and motivation.

The word "inspiration" comes from the ancient Greeks and the oracle of Delphi. The oracle would sit in front of a fissure in the earth and breath in (inspire) earth vapors and in a half-drugged state, make her pronouncements. For instance, when she told the Greeks only a "wall of wood" would save them from being annihilated by the Persians, it was the Greeks themselves who had to take action and build up a great navy that ultimately defeated the Persians at the Battle of Salamis.

Motivation, on the other hand, comes from a complex of words beginning with "mo." Motion, motor, momentum, etc. all denote physical action.

Getting people to not simply be inspired but motivated to take physical action may seem like a simple, even simplistic, approach to leadership. However, once you begin to see your leadership interactions in terms of physical action, you'll see your leadership, and the way you get results, in fresh ways.

For instance, in my seminars, participants develop Action Plans designed to achieve measurable and continual results back on the job. I have them challenge the cause leaders they enlist to take physical action by asking them, "What three or four leadership actions, PHYSICAL ACTIONS, will you take to achieve the results we need?" The difference between people simply saying they will execute their part of the Plan and their committing to specific physical actions leads to a significant difference in results.

Remember, people who simply take some action are useless to the organization. The useful ones are those who take action for results. For the end of all action in an organization is results. Therefore, the best action is freely chosen action directed toward specific results.

Law 2. Motivation is their choice. When you face a particularly tough challenge, avoid meeting that challenge by ordering people; instead, have people make the choices to meet the challenges.

An effective way to have them make the right choices is to ask them questions.

Here is a tip that you can start using immediately to become a more effective leader. Put question marks, not periods, at the end of your sentences. That's one of the best ways of developing an environment in which people are making the choices for results.

Some of the most powerful questions a leader can ask are: "What is our challenge here? Why is it worth tackling? How do we feel about it? Do we have the facts we need? Are we asking the right questions? What results are we really seeking? What's the worse thing that can happen? Why are we having this problem? Can you explain that further? What if we do nothing? Have we explored creative approaches? What do you propose? And what can I do to help?"

Law 3. Emotion drives motivation. The words "emotion" and "motivation" come from the same Latin root meaning to move. When you want to move people to take action, you must engage their emotions. I'm not talking about getting people emotional. I'm talking about having people make strong emotional commitments to what you're challenging them to

About the Author: The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. – and for more than 20 years has been helping leaders of top companies worldwide get audacious results. Sign up for his free leadership e-zine and get a free white paper: "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at http://www.actionleadership.com