I have always found that as an employee, I can play an active role in this. Ask questions, do research, find out how your work relates to the bigger picture. Th

I have always found that as an employee, I can play an active role in this. Ask questions, do research, find out how your work relates to the bigger picture. This (and yes, sometimes combined with some mild self-deception) can go a long way towards staying motivated. It does sometimes bring up the question whether I shouldn't be asking those questions for myself and work for myself though ;)