People need internal motivation. It arises under four conditions: autonomy, mastery, purpose, and joy.
Autonomy
You decide what to do and how to do it. Micromanagement, inflexible conditions, and command-and-control structures kill this. The best people don't need management—give them a clear goal and they find their own path forward.
Mastery
You want the opportunity to do great work. Deep conversations with intellectual people catalyze meaningful progress. Mastery also means developing skills that make you proud of your work.
Purpose
In 1962, a janitor at NASA answered President Kennedy's question about his job: "I'm helping put a man on the moon." Everyone craves being part of something bigger than themselves.
Purpose connects to high-level causes—empowering others to achieve more, for example. As an individual, you rarely impact purpose directly. That's why you join organizations that amplify your contribution toward the greater purpose.
This raises second-level questions: Are you working on the most critical part of the company strategy? How does your work tie to the overall grand scheme? Understanding how you contribute to company needs is crucial.
Joy
You love doing it. You enter flow state—intoxicating and recharging. You make significant progress, pushing yourself almost to the limit without stretching so hard you burn out.