In this article written by Eugene Bandarenka, Delivery Manager at Social Discovery Group, he´ll dive into his experience with a tool called Moving Motivators to assess team motivation and how it changed the way he manages. In this article written by Eugene Bandarenka , Delivery Manager at Social Discovery Group, he´ll dive into his experience with a tool called Moving Motivators to assess team motivation and how it changed the way he manages. Social Discovery Group The checklist of a new project manager role is familiar: Learn the ropes, map out the processes, meet the team, and nail the probation period goals. One of my key goals? To build strong relationships with my new team. After kicking things off with initial 1-on-1 meetings, I wanted to understand what intrinsically motivates each of my new team members. What energizes them? What do they value most in their day-to-day work? The Heart of Motivation: Where do you start? First on the agenda: 1-on-1s. These conversations are essential, and they create space for openness and genuine listening. I paid close attention not just to what my teammates said, but how they worked, how they responded to challenges, and what inspired them. I also asked colleagues who had worked with the team longer than I had for their opinion. This was valuable, but I wanted more. I wanted something structured and human-centered. I turned to Moving Motivators, a simple but powerful exercise from Management 3.0, a modern leadership approach that views management as a collaborative and agile responsibility to improve workflow and build motivated teams. Management 3.0 Gear Up: How to Prep for the Exercise I found a suitable Miro template that already included the motivator cards and a scale to rank them for each 1-on-1 session. Miro template To make the experience as smooth as possible, I: To make the experience as smooth as possible, I: ➨ Wrote a short introduction to explain the goal and what each motivator meant ➨ Wrote a short introduction to explain the goal and what each motivator meant ➨ Included the overview and optional reading material in the Google calendar invite ➨ Included the overview and optional reading material in the Google calendar invite ➨ Created neutral card descriptions for more open interpretation ➨ Created neutral card descriptions for more open interpretation ➨ Completed the exercise myself beforehand so I could later share my own results. ➨ Completed the exercise myself beforehand so I could later share my own results. Tip: Some motivators, like Mastery, usually have a standard interpretation. Others, like Honor or Power, mean different things to different people. Keep the definitions flexible. Tip: 1-on-1 or a group session? Most resources suggest doing Moving Motivators as a group exercise to boost transparency and team morale. As a new manager, I opted for 1-on-1 sessions to reduce the risk of anyone holding back, build individual trust, and give each person space for honest reflection. Running the Sessions Each session began with reassurance: There are no right or wrong answers, and motivators can and will change over time. We walked through each motivator´s meaning until they felt confident with their interpretation. One colleague had a unique take and interpreted Honor in two ways: pride in personal achievements and pride in the company’s mission. We split the card to reflect both meanings. Honor Once the motivators were ranked from Most Important to Least Important, I added a second part: Most Important Least Important Raise the motivators they felt were being met
Lower the ones they felt were lacking Raise the motivators they felt were being met Lower the ones they felt were lacking I could see immediately where each colleague was succeeding and where there were gaps. What I Learned Key findings revealed diverse motivation profiles. For some, Mastery was crucial, while others prioritized Status, Curiosity, or Relatedness. The variety emphasized the need for a personalized approach and how understanding what drives each individual improves your ability to manage them effectively. Mastery Status Curiosity Relatedness At the end of each meeting, I shared my own motivation results to foster collaboration. I chose to do this at the end rather than the beginning to avoid unintentionally influencing the team’s responses. Turning Insights into Action The insights were immediately beneficial: A QA engineer highly valued Curiosity and Mastery, but wasn´t feeling challenged. After our discussion, we enrolled him in an Automation QA course. A win for him and the team.
I identified potential future leaders who could back me up during vacations.
I built stronger connections with those I initially misperceived and enhanced overall team collaboration. A QA engineer highly valued Curiosity and Mastery, but wasn´t feeling challenged. After our discussion, we enrolled him in an Automation QA course. A win for him and the team. Curiosity Mastery I identified potential future leaders who could back me up during vacations. I built stronger connections with those I initially misperceived and enhanced overall team collaboration. Final Thoughts Doing Moving Motivators 1-on-1 was the right call for a first-time exercise. It built trust, encouraged reflection, and gave me a motivational map of the entire team. With the success of the first run, next time, I plan to explore the group exercise version. Now that they’re familiar with the exercise, I believe a group session could spark even more open dialogue and enhance team collaboration. Written by Eugene Bandarenka, Delivery Manager at Social Discovery Group. Written by Eugene Bandarenka, Delivery Manager at Social Discovery Group.

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