Page 117 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win
P. 117

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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