What Motivates You About Work?

Knowing what motivates you about work means you can try to match what you want with the jobs out there.

“For many people, the obvious motivator is money – a bigger salary and great benefits. But listening to my career coaching clients, I know that although money can be important, the real motivators go beyond money."

We often have different motivators at different stages of our careers. Having established themselves in a career, by the time they reach their 30′s some people want more independence, while those in their 20′s are motivated by opportunities to learn and develop through their work.

You’ll find below ten motivators. Take some time to think about how important each of them is to you. Rate them on a scale of 1-4 where 1 means not at all important, 2 fairly important, 3 very important and 4 extremely important.

Which ones do you need to feel engaged and enthusiastic about work? Think about what you want, not what you get from your current job – particularly if you’re feeling de-motivated at the moment!

1. Development - opportunities for learning more and gaining new skills. Does development matter to you or are you happy to continue using the skills you have in the same type of environment?

2. Competitiveness - does the chance to compete against others give you a buzz?

3. Team membership - having the chance to work closely with others and give and receive help and feedback. How important is it to you to work collaboratively?

4. Recognition - hearing others tell you that you’re doing a good job – whether it’s your manager, a client or a colleague. Do you recognize your own work or do you want to hear from others too?

5. Responsibility - being answerable for the delivery of projects or for the performance of a team, or maybe both. How much do you want to take the credit for work well done or the blame if things don’t go according to plans?

6. Security - you know your organisation is stable, you have a steady income and there’s minimal risk of redundancy. Is this what you want or does risk sound more appealing?

7. Making a difference - doing something that involves making a contribution to others, maybe individuals or particular groups or even society as a whole. Does the thought of contributing in some way get you motivated?

8. Independence - having minimal, if any, interference from others in how you work. Do you want to be the decision maker and control how you spend your time?

9. Work life balance - an environment that encourages you to work your agreed hours and have plenty of time for your personal life. Is this important to you at your current stage of your life?

10. Newness and change - do you like to be in on the start of things and lose interest once they’ve bedded down?

Once you’ve chosen your top five motivators you can find work that matches them. And when you have reviews with your manager you can be clear with them about what will make you give your best. They’ll want to know because they want motivated staff!

(Disclaimer: Adopted and summarized from Career Coach Michelle Bayley: How to work out what motivates you. Any views here do not necessarily reflect the views of Jobsite. As such we cannot be held responsible for the views expressed here or any actions taken as a consequence.)