{"id":1367,"date":"2015-06-30T07:53:17","date_gmt":"2015-06-30T12:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sanfordrose.wpengine.com\/demo4\/who-what-where-when-howbut-why\/"},"modified":"2015-08-03T16:51:49","modified_gmt":"2015-08-03T16:51:49","slug":"who-what-where-when-howbut-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sanfordrose.com\/bostonsouthshore\/who-what-where-when-howbut-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Who, What, Where, When, How\u2026But Why?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are two simple words that have the power to completely change one\u2019s approach to work and life forever. These words have the potential to evoke fulfillment, enhance productivity, and create daily peace of mind.<\/p>\n<p>You may have found yourself saying some of these already today:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I have to go to this team meeting.<\/li>\n<li>I have to get this proposal to our client.<\/li>\n<li>I have to get caught up on emails.<\/li>\n<li>I have to take the kids to practice.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We act as if we don\u2019t have a choice, as if we are imprisoned by people or a system forcing us to do things we don\u2019t want to do. In reality, we do have a choice. We have the freedom to choose our actions, our profession, our financial needs, and the path of our life. Each day is not about what we have to do. It\u2019s about what we get to do.<\/p>\n<p>So, besides having a renewed sense of gratitude for being alive in a free world, why does this matter?<\/p>\n<p>If you start to realize that your employees don\u2019t have to come to work each day but instead choose to, there must be a reason for that decision. That reason is their \u201cwhy\u201d. As a leader, understanding each employee\u2019s \u201cwhy\u201d will enable you to create a meaningful career path for them, empower them during times of burnout, and help them stay engaged. As your own leader, knowing your own \u201cwhy\u201d is essential for each of those situations as well.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The How<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Start with a simple exercise. Take out your pen, and write down your answer to this question: \u201cWhat is your why?\u201d It sounds like a big esoteric question, but why is it that you choose to go to work each day? Why do you choose this profession, instead of something else? Why do you choose the role you are in, as opposed to others?<\/p>\n<p>Encourage yourself and others to press beyond the obvious answer of \u201cI need to make money\u201d. There are countless ways to earn a living; why have you chosen this one?<\/p>\n<p>Once you begin to list all of your why\u2019s, you will notice they fall in two categories. The first category is similar to Maslow\u2019s lowest hierarcy of needs \u2013 food, water, shelter. \u201cI\u2019d like to be able to pay my mortgage.\u201d \u201cI want to send my children to college.\u201d \u201cMy elderly parents will rely on me to provide for them.\u201d \u201cI have always dreamed of buying a vacation home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The second category recognizes that there is a bigger purpose, a desire to make a difference, and a need to higher meaning behind the choices we make. It\u2019s these things that are connected to your overall purpose, your sense of contribution, and the most important aspect of your \u201cwhy\u201d. Both categories are important and not mutually exclusive. An individual who only cares about money will likely live with a void in their life, while an individual who is all about the big picture has their head in the clouds but lacks feet on the ground.<\/p>\n<p>Having a deep understanding of your career\u2019s purpose is equally as possible as meeting and exceeding financial goals. This exercise is around understanding both. If you, or your team, has a hard time articulating this purpose, give some additional guidance:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>When you were first drawn to this industry, what compelled you? Why did this industry or vocation strike you as being the calling for your career?<\/li>\n<li>At what point in your career were you most challenged? What circumstances created that challenge?<\/li>\n<li>What circumstances push you to be more, learn more, accomplish more, take on more, and grow more?<\/li>\n<li>Who or what inspires you most? What qualities inspire you from those individuals or factors?<\/li>\n<li>What do people compliment you on professionally?<\/li>\n<li>What are you chasing? Why are you chasing it?<\/li>\n<li>Given your talents and passions, how could you use those to serve, or to help, others or your organization?<\/li>\n<li>When you retire, what do you want to be remembered for? What legacy do you want to leave?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><br \/>\nThe When<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>When is it important to go back to the \u201cwhy\u201d? Most of us get entrenched in the day to day routine of work, family, and life. We go through most days on auto-pilot, knowing what is expected and performing to that expectation. Connect the routine of your daily performance to the fulfillment of the \u201cwhy\u201d of your life purpose.<\/p>\n<p>As a leader, when you know the \u201cwhy\u201d for members of your team, you can connect that \u201cwhy\u201d to their daily responsibilities and broader performance milestones. Every job has mundane or less desired tasks, but when the \u201cwhy\u201d is strong enough, there is meaning connected to even the most tedious of activities. Then the paradigm shifts:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>I get to go to this team meeting because I have team members dedicated to learning and living up to their fullest potential.<\/li>\n<li>I want to get this proposal to our client because they trust us to solve a problem they cannot solve on their own.<\/li>\n<li>I want to get caught up on emails because I have knowledge and insight that others are relying on me to share with them.<\/li>\n<li>I get to take the kids to practice because I am fortunate to have a family and resources to help them live a full and varied life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is an opportunity to connect purpose and meaning to each daily activity, and a choice to connect it. When the \u201cwhy\u201d is strong enough, there is no limit to what you, and those on your team, can achieve.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Finding People Who Make a Difference\u00ae<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Executive Search Review has recognized the totality of the Sanford Rose Associates network as being one of the Top 11 Search Firms in North America. Sanford Rose Associates has 60+ offices worldwide and is a member of the International Executive Search Federation (IESF). To learn more about bringing out the best in your team, please reach out to your Sanford Rose Associates\u00ae executive search consultant today.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014Karen Schmidt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are two simple words that have the power to completely change one\u2019s approach to work and life forever. These words have the potential to evoke fulfillment, enhance productivity, and create daily peace of mind. You may have found yourself saying some of these already today: I have to go to this team meeting. I [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[373,4,7,9,374,375,376,377],"class_list":["post-1367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sra-updates","tag-how-but-why","tag-human-resource-tips","tag-sanford-rose-associates-best-practices","tag-sra-update","tag-what","tag-when","tag-where","tag-who"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Who, What, Where, When, How...But Why?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"That reason is their \u201cwhy\u201d. 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