This research is vital for any group leader to know the mechanisms of human motivation and to understand the causes of the singular behavior of people in the work and/or study processes. With this objective in mind, several investigations have been carried out in the work environment, especially in people who, having reached the legal age of retirement, remain in their jobs. Theoretical and empirical research methods were used: historical-logical, systematization, systemic structural, analysis and synthesis, survey and interview. The text addresses essential topics such as the conceptualization of needs and motivation, the relationship between motivation, job satisfaction and local development; considerations of how the leader can encourage motivation and job satisfaction of his subordinates, management styles, internal and external motivators; some techniques for the determination of motivational functioning and the state of job satisfaction; the results of surveys and interviews applied to more than 300 workers.