There are many definitions of success. Many are subjective and some are imposed by others. In business and in life there is one simple way to insure you will be successful in your endeavors. Ok, maybe not insure, but certainly increase the likelihood of success.
Even when you know and seek this “secret” there are still a lot of moving parts that can impact various stages of any successful effort. Knowing this secret will help you think about what is important. Knowing this secret will help you focus on delivering the actual value instead of the perceived value. Knowing how to use this secret will help you communicate better, engage more effectively and stand out in your career.
The Secret is as simple as thinking about, and if needed, asking one question. The question can be asked of yourself for you to mull over and evaluate. Or depending upon your relationship with the other person you may want to ask them directly.
What is this secret?
Simple… Seek the Selfish Motivation of the person you are looking to work with or otherwise engage.
You would not likely ask someone… “What’s your selfish motivation here?”
However, you can come up with nicer and less direct ways to ask the same thing. For example, you could ask “In a perfect world what would you expect as the outcome here?” The key is to truly seek the Atavistic Self-Interest of the person you are working with and to truly understand what they value.
Value is in the eye of the Beholder
When you know what the other person values you can more effectively decide if you can provide what they are looking for. Ask the question, either directly or to yourself, and then decide if you have the products, skills or services to meet their specific goals. Once you know what they value you can create a plan to describe what you can do to help them achieve them. The key point here is what THEY value. How do you find out? Simple. You seek their selfish motivation.
The Secret to Your Success
It’s as simple as… Asking yourself the question and really seeking the answer to the following:
What’s the Selfish Motivation?
