Last time we learned about intrinsic motivation - the internal drive that fuels people's best work. But here's what many managers miss: developers aren't motivated by the same internal forces.
What excites one engineer might bore another completely.
Engagement Message
Name one thing that energizes a developer on your team (not you).
Research shows people have distinct motivational drivers - specific things that naturally fuel their intrinsic motivation. Think of these as different types of internal engines.
Some people are driven by independence, others by learning, others by making an impact.
Engagement Message
Which driver—autonomy, mastery, or purpose—best describes your motivation?
Let's explore autonomy - the drive for independence and control over your work. People high in autonomy motivation want to choose their technical approach and work independently on complex problems.
They say things like: "Let me architect this solution" or "I work better without constant code reviews during development."
Engagement Message
Name one developer who clearly values technical independence.
Next is mastery - the drive to get better at meaningful work. These people love technical challenges, skill development, and becoming domain experts.
Watch for: requesting challenging assignments, deep-diving into new technologies, contributing to technical discussions, reading technical papers, staying current with industry best practices.
Engagement Message
Who on your team seems most excited by learning new technologies?
Purpose motivation means being driven by meaning and impact. These people want to understand how their code impacts users and see the business value of technical decisions.
They ask: "How does this feature help our customers?" or "What's the user experience impact?" They light up when discussing system reliability and customer experience.
