Good employees can be tough to find, and a critical factor in choosing an employee is his or her motivation.

The Gallup Organization has qualifications of employee motivation: engaged, not engaged, actively disengaged. Those who are actively disengaged-basically working against the company itself (or the best player on the opponents' team)-cost companies billions of dollars each year. And companies with an engaged workforce have nearly four times the earnings per share growth rate compared to other companies in the same industry with lower engagement.

Sometimes providing the skills training to one who has aptitude and the right attitude puts you much further ahead in the game and on the balance sheet.

However, investing in someone who may not be motivated may create momentum for motivation. If a person is adequately compensated for their job (meaning money really isn't a factor for motivation), providing coaching, additional training, and showing them a blueprint of what their advancement in the company can look like may encourage them to be more engaged. And anytime you can take a detractor and turn him into an accelerator is a good thing.

While you can't make someone be motivated, you can do your best to ensure the conditions for top performance are available and training and development plays a key role in letting employees know they're valued enough for your company to invest in them and prepare them for new and exciting adventures with you.