What do you desire more, meaning or money?
A friend shared an example of how they did an ethnographic home visit to a busy mom. The mom gave a tour of the house, sharing how busy and frazzled she was. They came to the dining room table that was covered with papers and photos and the mom explained that she put together the school yearbook. When asked why she volunteered to do the yearbook every year, despite having a super busy schedule, she explained, “The one place in my life when I get appreciation is at the year-end school assembly when I get a standing ovation.”
Appreciation, meaning, recognition, purpose — these are all powerful ideas that motivate us to go out of our comfort zone and accomplish amazing, impossible things. For most of us, what we desire the most is meaning, not money. We want to know that in the time we spend on this earth, we have made a difference.
The best disruptive leaders tap into this longing by explaining the purpose of the disruption strategy so people understand their role in achieving it. To be successful you must work to understand the deepest hopes and desires of your followers and inspire them to think bigger and deeper.
Take some time today to connect with that deeper purpose, and share that with the people who look to your leadership. They will be so ever grateful.
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