What’s In It For Me ?

A mantra that seems to be increasingly a ‘Life Hack’ for millennial’s is nowhere more apparent to me than in my 10 year old son’s approach to manipulating his best case scenarios from us, streets ahead of his older sister.

My daughter’s formula for extracting her price is to doggedly follow through parental ‘diktats’, often unhappily, like fate was quietly slipping lead into her boxing-glove of life.

My son, four years younger, in contrast, has a plethora of ‘why’ and ‘why not’ questions for the dictator, persistent, inquiring, often pesky all leading to the fundamental question, ’What’s in it for me?’

Once satisfied with the answer, he often out-performs the expectation, but if not- he persists with the probe until he wears one down.

Interestingly, I also observe that he is not fixated on the outcome, but rather nonchalant about it. Whether or not things go his way, he is able to shrug off the burden of expectation and move onto the next perceived challenge without any hesitation, self-doubt or burn-out.

Is this the secret of efficient, baggage free professional success? I find myself astounded with the parallels in professional KRAs.

When the management and the employee can agree on the ‘what’s in it for me’ and join forces, a successful outcome that works for both is almost certain. In a similar vein, a certain detachment to the outcome removes the emotional static and allows better performance regardless of result.

It also enables quick transition and moving on should things not work out.

I smile cheekily to myself wondering what price my boy would extract if he knew he was inadvertently coaching me!