Sometimes people do not have the answer to this question; fair enough. What I look for when I meet leaders who are curious about what I do and how I do it is, Do you want to know the answer to this question?
Sometimes people just don’t really feel like asking: ‘Why do you work here? What do you love about your job?’ Asking is the first step in improving the workplaces so that people can be themselves, while also moving the dial on the things that need to be done.
In my ideal workplace I’ll do what I want to do, because I feel like doing it not because I’m forced to. My ideal boss or osses would understand that the best way to enjoy life at work is to find out what everyone cares about most, and help them be assigned to tasks that take into account what motivates them. Individually.
This conversation takes empathy, and actually caring.
My first question to qualify new leads for consulting: ‘Why do your employees work for you?’ I’m not looking for the answer to the question, per se, I’m interested in the attitude people have towards the question.