Maslow Had it Right All Along

“Life is All About WIIFM's - It's No. #2 With a Bullet”

The question I get most often in my management training workshops is one that seems to be No. #1 with managers: "How do I motivate my employees?"

The short answer to that is: you can't. People can only motivate themselves. People are inherently self-serving and will do things for their own reasons, not yours.

The fact of the matter is that life is really all about WIIFM's. Everyone asks themselves in most situations, 'What's In It For Me?': 'Why should I do that? What am I going to get out of this exchange? What's the worst thing that will happen to me if I don't do it? Why should I listen to this person or that person? What benefits will I get if I buy this product?' Unless you can answer the WIIFM question, chances are most people won't be receptive to anything else you have to say.

In my soon-to-be-published book, “Confessions of a Reformed Control Freak - The Top Ten Assumptions Managers Don't Want to Make”, I ranked self-motivation No. #2 on my list. The secret to managing people is to spend some time discovering what it is they want to get out of the exchange and then to do what you can to make sure they get it. If they get "theirs", they may be more apt to help you get "yours". Threatening or bullying people into doing something they don't really want to do is counter-productive. Eventually, when given the opportunity, they will find a way to sabotage you.

Abraham Maslow first introduced his "needs theory" in a 1943 article published in the Psychological Review titled, "A Theory of Human Motivation". The basis of his theory was that all humans are motivated by unsatisfied needs. Lower needs, such as physiological ones (food, security), must be met before humans move on to satisfy higher needs (esteem and self-actualization).

Think of it as a triangle. Physiological necessities such as air, water, food and sleep form the base of the triangle. The next level up is safety-job security, financial reserves, lodging, etc. The third level of the triangle is social needs, followed by esteem needs. At the very top of the triangle is self-actualization: trust, justice and wisdom.

If Maslow's theory holds true, it provides a valuable tool for managers to use to help create an environment where people will want to motivate themselves. I call it "No. #2 With a Bullet"-esteem needs. They are basic to all of us: a sense of belonging, the need to feel important, to be recognized, to be acknowledged. 'Thank you for being patient - What can I do for you today? - I appreciate all your hard work - It's great having you on our team - I know you're angry and upset and you have every right to be. If that happened to me I would be angry and upset, too. I am here to help you. What can I do to make it right?'

Carnegie, Alderfer, Hertzberg, Covey and McGraw have all added their own twist to Maslow's theory. But no matter how you dice it or slice it, the fact of the matter remains the same. Motivation is all about WIIFM's, plain and simple. The more you can make it all about 'them', the more apt they will be to join in. Maslow had it right all along.

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