Smart leaders can turn change from exhausting to exhilarating by asking employees to open their imaginations. This type of strong work motivation stems from the three M’s: mastery, membership, and meaning. (Money is a distant fourth.)

Mastery. Help people develop deep skills. Even in the most seemingly routine areas, when people are given stretch goals and difficult problems to tackle, they can do things faster, smarter, and better.

Read the rest here: http://hbr.org/tip/2013/12/20/the-three-ms-that-motivate-employees