Motivation, drive, loyalty. Conventional wisdom holds that a good leader instills$-$or at least taps into$-$these characteristics in others experience has shown this to be true, and evidence suggests that a satisfied employee performs better than one that is dissatisfied.

Exactly how to motivate employees, however, has been a topic of debate for decades. A small business owner can pull any of several $1$ perform better in their work, but research on the subject suggests that the tools most people assume to be best for this$-$that is$,$ prom options$-$may not be the smartest place to start. And these solutions can be very expensive. Surprisingly, the most effective practice feel satisfied costs nothing, other than taking a few moments to say, "Thank you."