Learn in the textbookMotivation and Leadership
DefinitionMotivation (モチベーション) is the drive (動機づけ) or willingness that leads a person to take action and keep it up.
ExplanationIt is often divided into extrinsic motivation, driven by outside stimuli such as pay, promotion and awards, and intrinsic motivation, which arises from within the person, such as interest in the work or a sense of achievement. A mechanism set up to draw out willingness through rewards and the like is called an incentive (インセンティブ).
AnalogyThink of riding a bicycle: extrinsic motivation is someone pushing you from behind, and intrinsic motivation is you pedaling yourself.
Memory hookMotivation comes from a Latin word meaning to move, so it belongs to the same family as move and motor.