Page 117 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win
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THE WHY OF WORK
invest heavily in achievement in the early stages of a career
and then become more motivated by insight and the need
for self-reflection later on. As we become aware of the limits
of the quadrant we have been in, we may feel regret, even
guilt, about not having balanced our lives better. But every
life involves compromises and trade-offs, and few of us have
the energy to support all four quadrants equally at the same
time, especially early in life. Over a lifetime we can expand
our repertoire of motivations and desires to include all four
quadrants, even if we will always lean toward one or two.
It has been said that the abundant life begins when we
give up all hope of ever having a better past. Many of us do
not realize that clinging to the hope of a better past keeps us
from finding meaning and purpose today. We covertly act as
though if we are frustrated and unhappy enough about our
regrets somehow life will take pity on us and undo them.
Facing this false hope for what it is and willingly relinquish-
ing it opens up the time frame in which real hope lies: the
present.
In a similar way, a company cannot afford to be motivated
indefinitely by one quadrant at the expense of the other three.
Social responsibility initiatives for protecting the environ-
ment or serving the underprivileged (empowerment) must be
informed by thoughtfulness and awareness of our limitations
(insight). Human capital and employee initiatives (connec-
tion) must be tempered with the need for profitability, market
penetration, and capital investments (achievement). Different
divisions or employees may be charged with championing the
whys associated with a particular quadrant but must remem-
ber that cooperation is needed to ensure that all the quadrants
are accounted for in the organization’s overall structure and
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