Several times each year I have the privilege of discussing various management topics with MBA candidates at the University of Iowa’s Tippie School of Business. It is always invigorating for me, as many of these students are relatively new managers and often come armed with specific situations for discussion. It is thrilling to not only see the leadership potential, but to also see so many willing to step up and take responsibility for the work of and the development of others (i.e. they have chosen to be in management). In my most recent session, I was asked about the art of motivation. Specifically, how to maintain some level of motivation amongst employees from multiple generations. I replied with an obvious, cliche-ridden answer about how employee motivation is a very challenging management responsibility due to the individual nature of employees, the human psyche, what motivates one individual may not matter to another, you have to know your employees, blah blah blah. My answer was enough to keep the discussion going, but I could not help but think that I was missing something. As I thought about it more, I decided that the concept of effective motivation is grounded in a duality of sorts – between hard and soft; specific and general; internal and external; or between that which can be clearly defined in the now and that which is undefined that may happen in the future.

In short, managers who are most effective at motivating their employees have a firm grasp, at the individual employee level, on how to manage their organizations like a “Mom and Pop”. I am not referring to “Mom and Pop” in the sense of “a small retail business, usually owned and operated by members of a family” (thank you dictionary.com), although such proprietorships are certainly managed this way. Rather, I am referring to managers who can help employees identify Moments of Momentum (MoM) and Points of Progress (PoP) in their jobs and careers.

Moments of Momentum (MoM). These occur when an employee understands and embraces a vision for the task at hand, their future, the organization’s future, or the greater good that is going to come from their personal contributions. It is when the employee is mobilized, inspired, has the tools they need, and the organizational support necessary to fulfill their responsibilities to the best of their abilities. These are the moments in which the mission is clear and the employee has made the decision to personally invest their time and talents in pursuit of an outcome. To summarize hundreds of literary, lyrical, and cinematic references, MoMs are when employees capture the feeling to join their band of brothers, walk out on the wire, and win one for the Gipper. Moments of Momentum launch us into action. They are crucial, but they are fleeting.

Points of Progress (PoP). These occur when someone reaches a measurable outcome. It may be a promotion, the completion of a significant project, a “go live” implementation, a raise, the acquisition of a new skill, moving to a new role, winning a sales award, etc. Think back on your own career – I imagine that you can think of a few times off the top of your head when you truly felt like you had moved your career forward in some significant fashion. I can still vividly recall a few PoPs that I experienced after pulling an all nighter to deliver some code or the times that I have been asked to build new organizations. Points of Progress are distinct and definable. They are the achievement of goals by which we mark our careers.

We cannot have one without the other. If employees experience multiple MoMs with no PoPs to show for it, motivation will suffer and employees will become disengaged and disenfranchised. similarly, if an employee experiences many PoPs with few MoMs, they risk losing sight of the purpose of their life’s work and the PoPs will become increasingly insignificant. PoPs are the milestones that keep us seeking out the next MoM and MoMs keep us going towards the next PoP.

Each of us have to define our own Moments of Momentum and Points of Progress, and they will evolve as careers progress. As an employee, it is up to you to find what motivates you and what goals you are looking to achieve. If you are a manager, it is your responsibility to help your employees maintain the balance of MoMs and PoPs such that everyone is producing to their full capabilities for your organization while gaining maximum satisfaction from their careers.