Dear Bob ... I used to be one of those folks which are motivated by achievement, approval and a sense of belonging. I have found that it is simply not in my best interest in the workplace, and has little or nothing to do with the relationship between employees and management in the IT shops I've worked in. What I have also found is that following process, planning carefully, coming in on time and under budget is Dear Bob …I used to be one of those folks which are motivated by achievement, approval and a sense of belonging. I have found that it is simply not in my best interest in the workplace, and has little or nothing to do with the relationship between employees and management in the IT shops I’ve worked in.What I have also found is that following process, planning carefully, coming in on time and under budget is not necessarily in my best interest either, due to management’s perception that if you are successful at what you do and you are not putting in lots of (uncompensated) overtime, what you need is not a reward, but an additional project or two on your plate. What I have seen rewarded most often is the ability of some managers to continually sell their employees on the idea that whatever their performance level, they will reap some not-too-specific future benefit by working 60 or more hours a week, often to the detriment of their health and family life.Maybe that works for some folks. Me, I just keep my head low, do the best job I can while keeping the overtime reasonable (less than 50 hours a week works for me), and let the chips fall where they may. If you want more than that, well… you get what you pay for.– Losing Steam Dear Steaming …What it sounds like you’ve found is that there’s a limit to how internally motivated you can be. No matter how much you personally take pride in achievement, it isn’t enough when your employer makes it clear that it has other priorities.I’d challenge the approval piece, because what I think has really happened is that your employer whispered its approval to you (“Nice work, Dave,”) it shouted its approval to the folks who put in the longer weeks due to their own lack of planning and process (“Here’s your bonus, Fred.”) It isn’t hard for you to understand the difference between the whisper and the shout, and it’s very difficult, and likely pointless, to maintain your internal motivation in the face of it. Congratulations on finding a way to stay in balance. I have to wonder, though, if the tradeoff is really necessary, or if you really need to find a different employer whose priorities are closer to your own.– Bob ——– Technology Industry