“No, but I know what she will think,” Steve said defiantly.
“Steve, is this statement true or false? ‘People are not mind readers, so it is unfair to expect them to know what you are thinking.’”
“True, with you being the possible exception,” Steve said with a smile.
Cayla smiled back. “So if Rhonda can’t possibly know what you are thinking, how are you so sure you know what she is thinking?”
“You have a point,” he said.
“What about this statement? ‘It is in my own best interest to take responsibility for getting what I need to succeed in my job.’”
“I guess the responsibility is mine,” Steve agreed hesitantly, “but I’m not sure what to do.”
“Follow me,” Cayla said.
Steve followed Cayla to the back of the store and saw her slip through a door with a small nameplate bearing her name. When he reached the doorway of Cayla’s office, he stood transfixed. Inside was a forest of shelves, boxes, barrels, trunks, and cabinets stuffed with magic paraphernalia. It was an enchanted place, not because of the things in it, but because of the feeling he got when he entered the room.
Cayla went over to an old, oak filing cabinet labeled “Magic of Proactive Self Leadership.” She opened the top drawer, rifled through files, and pulled out a sheet as she exclaimed, “Abracadabra!”
Steve laughed despite himself, caught up in Cayla’s joy of finding a single piece of paper.
“Your homework for this afternoon,” she said, handing him the sheet.
Instructions: Rank the following workplace motivators according to their importance to you. Place the ranking (one through ten) beside the motivator with one being most important, through ten being the least.
Interesting work
Full appreciation of work done
Feeling of being “in” on things
Job security
Good wages
Promotion and growth within the organization
Good working conditions
Personal loyalty to employees
Sympathetic help with personal problems
Tactful disciplining
“After you’ve ranked the motivators, then ask at least five of your coworkers for their rankings. Bring it all back to me tomorrow and tell me what you learned.”
“Is this a trick?” Steve asked skeptically.
“It’s the beginning of one!” Cayla said enthusiastically. “What you learn from this assignment will reinforce what you learned today and introduce you to the first trick of being a self leader.”
“Okay, I’ll go along with this for now—but I’m not saying I won’t quit. I have until my boss gets back at the end of the month to make up my mind.” Saying the words filled Steve with foreboding. He had never left a job under negative circumstances. “If you don’t mind me asking, what’s in this for you?”
Cayla smiled. “Remember the One Minute Manager guy I told you about? After he got me out of my mess, I asked him how I could repay him for all his insight and help. He told me that the one thing I could do was pass on the learning to others.
“Besides,” she continued with a wink, “my life purpose is to be a magician. You are giving me an opportunity to do magic.”
“I guess I could use a little magic right now,” Steve admitted. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Steve arrived back at the agency and ducked into his office when one of his team members happened by. He knew he’d have to face his failure tomorrow at the scheduled meeting, but he wasn’t ready to talk about it just yet.
Using his printer, he scanned the sheet Cayla had given him and e-mailed the electronic version to five coworkers: Rhonda’s assistant, Phyllis; a young account executive named Grant; his buddy in the mailroom, Mike; his favorite tech, Skye; and Ricardo, the senior partner on his floor. The e-mail went out with the following message:
I need your help for a study I’m conducting. Could you take a few moments to fill out this survey and drop it by my desk on your way out today? It’s “homework” I have to turn in tomorrow.
Thanks,
Steve
He then took a couple of minutes to rank his own sheet.
Just before the end of the day, Phyllis dropped by his office.
“I finished your survey,” she said. “It’s very intriguing. I’ll be interested to hear what you learn when your study is complete.”
Before Steve could respond, Grant popped his head in. Handing his survey back to Steve, he said, “No offense, but I don’t see how this study is going to prove anything. I mean, it’s pretty obvious that interesting work is what really motivates people.”
“Actually, job security is what’s important to me,” said Phyllis.
“No way!” said Skye, who had overheard the conversation as she entered Steve’s office. “It’s all about good working conditions!”
Mike arrived moments later and argued that having his work appreciated was what motivated him most.
The group began a raging debate over the most important motivators. Each had their own rationale for their ranking. As the noise level escalated, Ricardo came out of his office to investigate.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“It’s about the survey I sent you earlier today,” Steve said, handing him a copy.
The Madison Avenue-dressed exec glanced at the list and said, “Oh, that. It’s pretty obvious that people are motivated by good wages. All of you have asked for more money in the past, so I assume that’s what motivates you.”
The group stood in quiet surprise. None of them had mentioned good wages in their top three choices. As people shared their top motivators with Ricardo, his mouth dropped open.
“I can’t believe I’ve worked with this team for years without knowing what’s really important to you.”
Steve said, “That’s the point of this exercise! Each of us has different things that motivate us. Grant’s creativity demands interesting work. Phyllis values security, probably because she’s raising a young family. Plus, what motivates you today may change tomorrow.”
Steve looked at the mailroom clerk. “For example, when Mike’s kids get older and he’s thinking about sending them to college, good wages may go to the top of his list.”
“Okay,” Grant allowed, “maybe different things motivate each of us. Is that the point?”
Steve thought about his discussions with Cayla. She’d said this survey would reinforce what he’d learned earlier and lead to the first trick of self leadership. Suddenly, the dots connected in Steve’s mind.
“The point is, our bosses are not mind readers!” he exclaimed. “How in the world can we expect them to understand what motivates each of us? It’s not fair