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Career Success: What Are Your Core Motivators
For most of us is the decision to work or not is pretty straightforward. We all need to earn to live and do the things we want to do. At the same time if we want to achieve success in our career we need to understand what our core motivators are. It’s also important to remember that success in careers is not merely measured by how much people earn.
Knowing your core motivators allows you to make decisions about the types of roles and work that are going to bring out the best in you. It sounds like that this might be a really difficult task but in reality it involves sitting down and thinking about some key questions like the following:
The importance to you of working in a group or team. A lot of us get a lot of energy, inspiration and satisfaction through working in a close knit team. To what extent doe that matter to you?
How important it is to be in an environment where there are plenty of opportunities to take on new challenges that take you closer to a long tem goal. Make no mistake about it many people who get to the most senior level do so because they are clear from day one about what they want. They see each role as being a stepping stone to the top.
How much does it matter to be working for an organisation whose product or service or cause you really believe in? Some people sacrifice financial rewards because they really believe in a product service or cause. People working in the NHS, charities and not for profits are often good examples. Doctors as an example are obviously among the smartest people around. They could earn more in other fields but have chosen to focus on medicine.
The importance of learning and being stretched. For a lot of us it’s the challenge of the role that fires us up rather than the money. Some get bored quickly so need to have new challenges at regular intervals.
The importance of having the freedom or autonomy to do things your way rather than being directed and controlled by others. In a highly regimented environment you are going to become de-motivated very quickly.
The importance of stability. Few love change and there are some who hate it. They will always go for the stable option.
The importance of working to live rather than living to work. In the early stages of career you tend to have a focus on climbing the career ladder so you make a lot of sacrifices elsewhere in life. Often people reach a stage where they re-evaluate. I can recall someone saying to me at one point that no one lay on their death bed and said that they wished that they had spent more time at work.
The Bottom Line: Being clear about what career success means to you and knowing your motivators can make a difference to the results that you achieve.
Duncan Brodie helps professional people achieve more career success. Learn more here
About the Author Duncan Brodie
Since 2006 I’ve worked with in excess of 8,000 accountants and professionals in workshops, seminars and one to one helping them land their next jobs and become better leaders, presenters and business partners. Before that I spent 25 years in accountancy climbing the career ladder from Payments Clerk to FD. I’m a CIMA Fellow, Certified Professional Coach and Team Coach Facilitator.