By Joel Lessem, CEO of Firmex

A few weeks ago at Firmex, our VP of Engineering asked me what united all of us in the company.

All too often you see corporations craft syrupy and bland mission statements about their vision and values, print them on posters and slap them up around the office. While these statements are important in providing a holistic direction for the company, they don’t relate to the day to day reality of working life.

This got me thinking about what does make our employees want to come to work every day?

I surveyed a bunch of employees from different departments in our office and asked them, “What makes your job interesting or gratifying?” The response was a mix of both universal and divergent themes.

Universal Themes

1. We want to work with people we like

2. Discovery and learning is very important

3. We want to have control and mastery over what we do

Divergent Themes by Department

Authorship: Our Product Development Team likes to solve technical & user challenges, and develop innovations that are widely adopted.

Teaching & Helping: Our Client Services Team love helping people, teaching people and solving problems.

Response: Our Marketing Department likes to be heard, and is motivated by seeing results from their marketing efforts in the form of new prospects.

Competition: Our Salespeople like to compete for customers, and with each other.

Control and Efficiency: Our Operations Team view the company as their customer. They like to create order and eliminate chaos with internal processes, to improve the day to day operations of the business.

For me, understanding human motivation is more and more important as our company grows. Our customers may be our critical asset, but they do not exist without the great people that work here.

Join the conversation

As an employee, what motivates you to come into work every day? As a CEO or HR Manager, what motivational differences do you see between departments in your office? I'd be interested in hearing your comments.