Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Should making money be your primary goal?
If not, where does money fit into the picture?
I spoke to a young woman who had started a business with her husband. Their goal was to have the business generate enough income to allow him to leave an overly-demanding job. In order for their business to be successful they needed a skills partner - someone who possessed skills and credentials they didn't possess.
During our meeting the wife expressed dismay at recent attempts to attract this skills partner. She went on to explain that she and her husband had invested significant amounts of time developing a business plan and the economic rewards package a skills partner would enjoy from this association. The prospective partners hadn't been swayed by their plan.
My question to her was "Which do you think is a stronger motivator for these skills partners - their desire to help people or their desire to make money?" Her response - "The desire to help others." Isn't that true for most of us?
Certainly we all like to make money and most of us want to make more of it, but is it our primary motivator? Not for most of us. For most of us it's about making a difference in other people's lives - solving a problem they have, helping others live their dreams. For most of us, money is a way of measuring our success in achieving these goals. Even those whose goal is to "make a lot of money" are driven more by their competitive natures than the desire for money.
By the way, my newly-found friend told me that when she changed her presentation to focus on the skills partners' passion she generated a lot more interest. I'm sure it won't be long before a partnership is formed.
It's counter-intuitive, but most people are not passionate about money. They are passionate about leaving a legacy, about knowing that their lives had a purpose. That typically occurs when we enrich the lives of others. The money is a natural byproduct of these passionate pursuits.
I want to thank all of you who post comments. Our readers benefit greatly from the insights you share. If you have a topic that you'd like me to address, email it to me at dale@furtwengler.com. Thanks.
If not, where does money fit into the picture?
I spoke to a young woman who had started a business with her husband. Their goal was to have the business generate enough income to allow him to leave an overly-demanding job. In order for their business to be successful they needed a skills partner - someone who possessed skills and credentials they didn't possess.
During our meeting the wife expressed dismay at recent attempts to attract this skills partner. She went on to explain that she and her husband had invested significant amounts of time developing a business plan and the economic rewards package a skills partner would enjoy from this association. The prospective partners hadn't been swayed by their plan.
My question to her was "Which do you think is a stronger motivator for these skills partners - their desire to help people or their desire to make money?" Her response - "The desire to help others." Isn't that true for most of us?
Certainly we all like to make money and most of us want to make more of it, but is it our primary motivator? Not for most of us. For most of us it's about making a difference in other people's lives - solving a problem they have, helping others live their dreams. For most of us, money is a way of measuring our success in achieving these goals. Even those whose goal is to "make a lot of money" are driven more by their competitive natures than the desire for money.
By the way, my newly-found friend told me that when she changed her presentation to focus on the skills partners' passion she generated a lot more interest. I'm sure it won't be long before a partnership is formed.
It's counter-intuitive, but most people are not passionate about money. They are passionate about leaving a legacy, about knowing that their lives had a purpose. That typically occurs when we enrich the lives of others. The money is a natural byproduct of these passionate pursuits.
I want to thank all of you who post comments. Our readers benefit greatly from the insights you share. If you have a topic that you'd like me to address, email it to me at dale@furtwengler.com. Thanks.
