Determining "What's In It For Us?"

Created 9 years 336 days ago
by Rita Palmisano

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Categories: Culturecentric Leadership
Views: 3705

It is time to set goals for the new year. While you, as the leader, can set the goals and hope everyone will concur with your agenda, those working with and for you have their own. In most cases your priorities may align with theirs. After all, at the end of the day they will most likely look at your list from a “What’s in it for me?” (WIIFM) perspective. “How much money can I make? How do I get a promotion? How do I get more time with my family?”

To reach your leadership objectives, you will need to convert those only-too-natural WIIFM thoughts into a more collective “What’s in it for us?” approach.

Start with your own personal WIIFM.  What do you want for yourself? Quite often, what you want is very similar to what your people want. Then ask yourself what you want for your organization. Are these objectives realistic? If achieved, what benefit will they offer to the team and the company? Clarify both sets of objectives, write them down and then look for areas of alignment. Make a new list.

To ensure better acceptance of your new proposed agenda, leverage the power of your team. Take time to explain the new set of goals within the context of what team members really want. You’ll find that if you support their needs, they will be more supportive of your goals as well as theirs. You in turn will gain better understanding of their concerns and identify potential conflicts.

By converting the WIIFM mind-set to a “What’s in it for us?” mind-set, you are more likely to reach your goals and enjoy the process more, with the support of a cohesive team committed to making sure everyone wins.