Whether for yourself or others, working to enhance self-esteem is always worthwhile. Here are five ways to motivate people whose self-esteem is not high:

• Set goals with a clear payoff. Provide a payoff and a reward to encourage people to work further.
• Don’t blame individuals for problems. Show them how to overcome external problems and help them differentiate the external issues from their own competence.
• Be supportive. People need to be part of a team and feel accepted. Create a positive work environment.
• Minimize conflicts and ambiguity. These create stress and keep workers from striving for more.
• Set goals carefully and give people proper training for tasks.

Source: Self-Esteem and Work, by Dr. Joel Brockner