Think about your own professional experiences. Is what motivated you when you were in your 20s the same as what motivated you in your 30s or 40s (or later if you’ve been at this for a while)? Most likely what you recognize is that as your needs, goals, and priorities changed over time, so did your motivators, especially as they relate to the workplace.

For example, let’s say you were highly motivated by money, challenge, and risk when you were looking for your first job out of college. Those factors may have driven you to bypass some opportunities (those that didn’t pay what you needed, the ones that seemed boring or predictable) and go after others (like the ones offering better compensation or the chance to be part of a dynamic new venture).

But a decade later, you might be in a different place personally. Maybe the challenge and risk that once drove you have become stressful and exhausting, so now a job with more stability begins to look appealing. You might also be surprised to learn that one of the things you now value most is relationships with co-workers, so being part of a close-knit team working toward common goals is one of the key things you look for in new opportunities.

And ten years later, all of these motivators could once again shift and cause you to create a whole new “wish list” for what you want in a job. You might even look back at the career goals you set for yourself when you first joined the workforce and think, “Wow, those aren’t important to me at all anymore.”

So what causes our motivators to change over time? Life. Getting older, getting married, getting divorced. Having kids, raising them, and having them go out on their own. A health scare or a financial crisis. Inheriting some money or discovering a passion for something new. All kinds of things happen outside of work that make employees re-evaluate whether the jobs they have right now are still relevant to the people they are right now.

As a manager, the only way you can be certain you’re providing what motivates your team members is to really know them as individuals. Yes, it’s important to maintain “professional boundaries,” but that doesn’t mean you can’t routinely ask about what’s going on with them outside of work. If you do this regularly and really listen to what they say, you’ll know when things are happening that might be causing their motives to shift. You’ll have a sense of whether what was driving them in the past is still relevant or if they’re looking for something different. And making sure you’re able to meet their needs today is the key retaining them.

What have your experiences been with motivators changing over time (either your own or your team members’)? Please share your thoughts in the comments section.

Janna Mansker is vice president of client services for Berke, a human resources consulting firm, where she leads the company’s education initiatives and advocates for clients. She can be reached at janna@berkegroup.com.