Some important differences can directly affect motivation. Women tend to seek connection, men to seek status. Women want peer approval, men want peer respect. Women focus on details of feeling, men on details of fact. Women want to understand problems, men want to fix them.
Women speak up more in private, men in public.
Women are more likely to ask for help, advice, or directions, and tend to mix personal and business conversations. Men stick to business. Knowing these differences in thought processes and communication styles can pay off greatly in motivating and retaining good people. In the end, motivating employees means creating a good motivational climate and determining the best course for each person. When it comes to motivation, this doesn't always work.