A couple of years watching successful people strive to become even more successful, I\u2019ve noticed one constant truth: people will only change if they believe it serves their own best interests, as defined by their own values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That may sound cynical, but it isn\u2019t. I\u2019m not saying selfishness is the only motive in life. Every day, people perform acts of kindness with no expectation of reward. But when self\u2011volition is removed and outside forces come into play, this natural law takes over.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I want you to do something, I have to show you how it benefits you – either immediately or somewhere down the road. Every choice, big or small, is a risk\u2011reward calculation. And the bottom\u2011line question is always: \u201cWhat\u2019s in it for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We don\u2019t need to apologize for this. It\u2019s simply how the world works. It\u2019s the force that turns rivals into allies, not because they suddenly become saints, but because cooperation is the only way each side gets what it wants. You see it in politics when bitter opponents support the same bill because different parts of it serve their constituencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s the same force that makes people swallow their pride and admit they were wrong. As painful as that can be, they\u2019ll do it if it\u2019s the only way to move forward. It\u2019s why someone might turn down a higher\u2011paying job if they sense it won\u2019t make them happier. In the end, happiness outweighs money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Without it, convincing successful people to change would be impossible. Success reinforces itself – past victories convince them the future will be just as bright. Arrogance grows like a muscle, and a protective shell whispers, \u201cYou\u2019re right. Everyone else is wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why telling someone \u201cEveryone hates the way you act\u201d rarely works. They don\u2019t care. They assume everyone else is confused. But even the biggest ego has a hot button, and that button is self\u2011interest. The art lies in finding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, successful people make it easy. Press them to identify their motives and it usually boils down to four things: money, power, status, and popularity. These are the standard payoffs of success. We claw for raises (money), promotions (power), bigger titles (status), and the approval of others (popularity). The hot button differs for each person, and it changes over time, but it always comes back to self\u2011interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Digested read from What Got You Here Won\u2019t Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A couple of years watching successful people strive to become even more successful, I\u2019ve noticed one constant truth: people will only change if they believe it serves their own best interests, as defined by their own values. That may sound cynical, but it isn\u2019t. I\u2019m not saying selfishness is the only motive in life. Every…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":327,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[60,63,61,65,64],"class_list":["post-324","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal-growth","tag-change","tag-money","tag-money-power","tag-popularity","tag-power"],"yoast_head":"\n