Motivation is Key

Far and away the best prize that life offers
is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.

– Theodore Roosevelt

Happiness is not in the mere possession of money;

it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort.

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

As if struck by the obvious, I am becoming increasingly aware of the variety of differing motivations to work that people have; that is to say that I shouldn't read what motivates me into what must motivate them and be discouraged when it doesn't, nor should I feel strange when what motivates others fails to motivate me. These things have bothered me deeply, on and off.

I know people who are happy when the benefits are good, when the workplace is flexible, when their general needs are taken care of, even with a few extra perks. And this is perfectly fine, good and well. Yet in or after so many interviews the HR representative lays out their workplace benefits, paying particular attention to the extra niceties that the company offers ("work hard, play hard" schemes are common), and I'm hoping to get it over and done with. It is apparent that some people must really want this information up front, but this is to me the tedious part that one must examine and only at the very end of the process just prior to accepting an offer. If the benefits package is significantly worse than what I have, it may scuttle a deal that both parties already hope is settled, but this is one of the last things on my mind when looking for a new role.

I also know of people who are ecstatic once their salary hits a certain threshold. I take pride in what I've made at different points, but such pleasure was never lasting. When we talk about money I'm never looking for a step back, but it is for me just another prerequisite: as long as it is there, then let's talk about the important matters. And if I found a perfect position that was just too low, I'd be inclined to troubleshoot to figure out how to get the numbers up to the level where I can accept.

I once was in a discussion with some sales-oriented people who asserted that the only metric that mattered in their jobs was whether they made their sales and the company met its target. And in their job I'm sure this is the case. I always want the best for my company's bottom line. Yet, I was struck by how if I was in a similar place, if I sold $1M more than my quota, if I got an enormous commission, my expected satisfaction would be... nil, hollow. Not having the necessary money is personally problematic, but the amount of money is not a metric that truly matters to me. It's an add-on, a perk. I imagine myself, if I was any good with sales, the man in the middle of a group of salesmen ecstatic over their banner year, holding a little flag "go team" trying his best not to look too dejected. Money isn't it. Money doesn't translate into pride.

For others, there is status or control. I know some people, especially managers, who really seem to revel in it. Oh, the first time I got a government badge, even as contractor, and walked around this proud city. That got old fast. Working in some other big name environments, the thrill petered out quickly. And for others, I see now how much of a motivator it is. A workplace with status, or your own title that cries status. But there is no shortage of poor managers who get little to nothing done. To manage many this way, this is to be avoided.

For me, I've come to finally understand it's the thrill of achievement. You read interview advice that says you should highlight your "dragon slaying" stories to impress the interviewer. But having those dragon stories at all is my motivator. Not even personal growth. Personal growth is a by-product. Career advancement is another by-product. If you take on an ambitious task that is beyond you, and succeed, you will have grown and you will seek out an even bigger challenge. Money isn't a motivator, nor benefits, but neither are they problems because I assume they will come with the next challenge. That is to say, if you pay me as an engineer, but make me a manager, tomorrow if you pay me as the manager I became, but need me to be a director, this is absolutely the ideal for me. I want the challenge. I like being able to tell my dragon stories to others. And if there is even some personal recognition from others, that is fine and well.

You, as the interviewer, give me some dragons to slay. This is what I find I most want out of the interview, and with everyone at the interview, employer and employee, both wanting to put up a good face, we are loathe to tell our corporate problems to discourage a new candidate, especially one we may like. But your problems are exactly the sort of reason I want to work for you.

Another recent interview went poorly. There was more work than people and they wanted one more worker, however highly skilled, to fill the gap. There was no apparent challenge. I'll come in as one of many and likely continue that way. It was like pulling teeth to find the question that brought out some sort of problem: that many configurations were being done ad-hoc and standardization was desperately needed. Yes, I could probably do that. But everything else in the interview was mundane. The interviewer, who himself had done recruiting once. had nothing to sell that I wanted despite an attractive paper job description. And try as I might my heart wasn't in selling myself. It was not my best performance.

I like the positions where I can check off on my list that I've done this and that today, and tomorrow I will do that and this. If I have a general goal, I will construct my own list of milestones and start checking them off. I like the feeling of advancing something material. I like looking back at a field of things I have done, with the sense that I have come further than I was.

Conversely, work where in five years I am better at doing precisely the same sort of things I did in the beginning is paradise for some and misery for me. Work that flows past my desk and away never to be seen again, is stress. The sense of ownership, of someone long-lasting that will fail or succeed based on the effectiveness and foresight of my choices, is a powerful motivator.

I have been laid off, once. This was frightening and disorientating. Yet I assumed correctly that if I considered a pay cut, I could be employed again rather quickly. This lent my situation a certain peace. The question then became one of balancing how long I was willing to live on my reserves against waiting for still more optimal environments where my skills would be best used. I think the feeling of having lost an important purpose, an immediate drive, increased my anxieties far beyond the question of money.

However, I have found at times a still more unsettling circumstance: that for me is being paid an amount of money that vastly exceeds my perceived worth to the company. For some this is luck or providence, strange and wonderful; something to be celebrated. A wise few know that this is an unstable position, that if I'm overcompensated now, then likely the next time I have to compete my skills in a free marketplace, this condition is over. They say count your blessings and work to make this a less untenable position. I'm uncomfortable as well and this is good advice.

But I've tied my perception of market value to my pay. It's an incredible feeling knowing I'm paid well, and yet am considered bargain for my employer; that I'm highly effective. Being paid just under my actual value can be advantageous. And at my next position I'll make up any possible deficit. But to be paid more and contribute less? It's a matter of honor and of pride, that I show myself worthy of the pay. And if I can't...

I'm surprised how hard it is for me to endure this strange circumstance that others would consider a blessing. It is demoralizing, paralyzing. My internal compass is skewed. I want to do more. This has the appearance of success and the bitter sting of failure. The pay is fine, just give me something difficult into which I may sink my teeth. You've given me armor and sword, give the dragon as well.

At least I'm finally reconciled that others aren't themselves wrong in failing to understand such a predicament. It isn't a real failure to everyone. And this is not a common predicament. In those moments I have sincerely wondered why it is that I am not content, why I worry instead, and perhaps what was wrong with me that I can't just accept good pay? Or that a job can be simply a job, a means to an end.

At the end of the day, I view work as a gift from God. It's a sacred thing. If Adam sinned and was cursed to till the ground and get his food by the sweat of his brow, nonetheless there is a great honor in doing great work, in seeing the fruits of your labors, in leaving something behind that is greater than you, and in leaving a mark that may last longer than the person. There is honor in taking as many of your God-given gifts and using them to effect. And the more others benefit from that same work the better. Money, benefits, growth: these are the things that naturally flow from effective work. I'd even rather consider those things as additional grace, alongside the gift of challenging work. The pride of work is its own reward, and all else icing on that cake.

The goal is to be effective, indispensable even; to leave our own little mark on men and material.

I'm reminded of 1 Timothy 5:18 "The workman is worth his wages". Here we are trying to remind people to pay their workers what they deserve, but I take it to be double-edged:

I want with great intensity and determination to be worth my wages.