The other night I saw the infamous Kate Gosselin (who, lets face it, is only in her position because she OD’d on infertility meds and popped out 8 kids) say that her goal in life is to be the voice of a Disney Character.
So shocked by what she’d just said, I paused my Tivo, rolled my eyes, threw my arms in the air and shouted, “will this woman ever be happy with what she has?” Five years ago she would have wished for enough money to support her family, TLC gave her that. Three years ago she wanted a career in public speaking, TLC gave her that. Now she wants to be added to the coveted list of actors lucky enough to donate their voice to a Disney character?!
I found myself wondering, “Will you ever be content with what you have Kate? And where is the love for TLC?”
The next day I was talking to a Star Employee who has been with us for several years. We saved him from the misery of a typical call center environment, paid him far more than he ever thought he’d make, promoted him time after time, and gave him more opportunities than he ever thought he’d have. Yet, as we talked, he passionately spoke about his BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and where his next big opportunity would come from.
I found myself wondering, “Will you ever be content with what you have? And where is your love for our company?”
According to his book, The Happiness Hypothesis, Jonathan Haidt argues the human brain is hardwired to work in such a way that we enjoy the process of meeting goals more than we enjoy the actual goal itself. The longer I thought about these two experiences, the more I realized that Kate Gosselin, Star Employee, and most of the people on our staff aren’t all that different in their thinking. They set aggressive goals, work hard, achieve said goals, enjoy their success for less than ten seconds and start the cycle over again; this time, of course, setting even loftier goals.
Truth be told, this is exactly the way we want it to be, especially when employee goals are in line with our organizational objectives.
So should we be rubbed the wrong way when employees begin talking about future BHAGs instead of sharing warm fuzzies about how much they appreciate all we’ve given them?
No. Especially if we realize that the only alternative is to pass on the Kate’s of the world to hire the Jon’s… and we all know what a winner he is.
Who would have thought Kate Gosslin as a role model for employee motivation?
I loved this post – it is so true. We are, all of us, constantly looking to trade up. If you are ambitious or goal-oriented, that’s how you are wired. But there are times when we should step back, and think about the journey rather than the destination. True fulfillment comes from finding joy on the path and helping others on the way.
Great post! It’s easy to not take it personal when someone doesn’t seem content. You have to love the drive they have. Now if we could only bottle it…….hahah!
Unlike the previous posts I think your article is very obvious and uncovers nothing new. Was I happy when I graduated from High School? For the time it took me to pack my bags for college only to be in the mix of life again, going for the next goal. And on and on.
I do appreciate your article for touching on a component to what makes people happy, which for me (and others) is being in the game, not finishing it.
A friend told me yesterday that there are three things in live that we base our happiness on. Our health, our finances, and our relationships. I was dumbstruck that it came from his usually pedestrian mouth, but it got me thinking about how I spend my time on those elements of my life. Enjoy your Thanksgiving Marisa…the part where you smell the food and hug the family and sneak food to the dog under the table.
Awesome post – great food for thought! Thanks.
I agree that a lot of your refining is about the journey. The journey to get anywhere is not usually that exciting, but necessary. I can remember working for 3 years doing every kind of job I could think of to buy something- a 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback. Goals are powerful, it is in my garage 11 years later and it reminds me of the journey and the power of reaching goals.
Great post keep it up-
Tim Krauss
http://blog.timsjobnews.com/
Interesting spin, Marisa—
Believe it or not–I hadn’t thought about it that way in a while….achievers are jazzed by the process of achievement possibly more than the actual achievement…..hmmmm….
Case in point—
I’ve been on a diet for 25 years. Still haven’t reached my goal. But each day I write down my food, get in my 20 min of exercise, yadda, yadda. Something about the process motivates me more than losing the weight. HA! reading that makes me actually laugh.
So HR pros need to ID who is motivated by what. If it the process of achievement more than the goal—-then we must identify a back log of goals/ multiple goals, find that ees tipping point, push to result and get them to the next goal–STAT.
This is so true. I’m sitting here at work with my to do list in front of me. I think I get more satisfaction out of crossing off items on my to do list than the end product that they go towards. I work in the “office space” of all “office spaces” where my spirit is slowly weakened everyday, so I have to resort to exciting goals like crossing off a task! Thanks for the interesting post, Culture Maven!
Thanks for all of your comments on the post. I’m glad you enjoyed it. I agree that we often enjoy the process as much (if not more) then we enjoy achieving the goal. The book I mention in the post, The Happiness Hypothesis, has some great insight into this concept.
I hope all of you had a great Thanksgiving!
The book Happiness Hypothesis is awesome! Loved the post:)