Short answer: there isn’t a single correct answer — some people are primarily energised by clear progress and challenge, others by feeling their work contributes to something meaningful, and many people sit somewhere between the two. A quick way to tell is to notice which moments give you energy: closing a target-driven win, or seeing someone you helped benefit from your work?
Want a clearer picture?
Different people are motivated by different things at work.
Take the What Motivates Me at Work? assessmentAchievement
Signs worth noticing: you feel motivated by measurable progress, targets, promotions, or mastering difficult tasks. You may plan work around milestones, enjoy competition or concrete feedback, and feel frustrated when results are vague.
What this pattern may point to: a higher score on the Achievement dimension can sometimes suggest you prioritise challenge, clarity and visible success. That doesn’t mean you’re uninterested in people — it means outcomes and measurable progress often shape your sense of purpose.
Meaning
Signs worth noticing: you feel motivated when your work aligns with a cause, helps other people, or fits your personal values. You may tolerate slower or less-visible progress if the task feels purposeful, and feel drained by tasks that feel pointless even if they “count” as wins.
What this pattern may point to: a stronger tilt toward Meaning can sometimes suggest you prioritise contribution and purpose over short-term metrics. Meaning-focused motivation often ties to questions about long-term impact rather than immediate achievement.
Connection
Signs worth noticing: helping others energises you when it builds relationships or team cohesion. You may prefer collaborative settings, derive satisfaction from mentoring, or value feedback that indicates you’ve supported someone else.
How it can differ from Meaning: Connection overlaps with Meaning but can be more about interpersonal belonging and day-to-day relationships than abstract purpose. If you’re driven by connection, the people you help — and the social bonds that form — may matter as much as the contribution itself.
Questions to consider
- After a busy week, do you feel best when you’ve hit targets, or when you’ve seen tangible benefit to others?
- Which disappoints you more: a failed metric with obvious impact, or a perfect result that felt meaningless?
- Do you prefer roles with clear KPIs, or roles described in terms of mission and people?
Reflection: noticing which moments energise or drain you is the clearest clue. If you want to explore how these tendencies sit together in your work life, the short assessment can map where Achievement, Meaning and related preferences land for you.
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See how this pattern applies to you
Different people are motivated by different things at work.
Take the What Motivates Me at Work? assessment