Most great leaders possess certain characteristics that draw followers, but one very important point is usually overlooked - followers want to know WIIFM (what’s in it for me)?
Most great leaders possess certain characteristics that draw followers, but one very important point is usually overlooked. Followers want to know WIIFM (what’s in it for me)? The majority of followers want something in return for following, and without this promise of something in return, they have to be motivated using other methods. The great leaders properly address WIIFM.
This may sound very simple, but in reality satisfying WIIFM is a missing link that most leaders never fully understand. I uncovered this link while I was developing the Organization Bill of Rights for my book. This concept elevates good leaders to great leaders. This concept is the foundation that helps individuals motivate themselves and obtain results far greater than any traditional motivational tools can achieve. If a leader can create a situation where all followers are self-motivated, resources are not required for the sole purpose of motivating, and everyone can concentrate on meeting the desired goal. This creates an efficiency that the competition most likely does not have, and almost forces the competition to utilize other methods to try and gain efficiency.
Motivational programs that include excessive control, fear, and/or bribes are inefficient short-term solutions, but they are unfortunately the most common methods used to motivate.
Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington: These leaders all had a large supportive population. Each leader had goals that were focused on a positive future with more opportunities for their followers. Fundamental ideals such as good over evil, right over wrong, fairness over unfairness, equality over inequality, and freedom over oppression motivated their followers. This combination of selflessness and future thinking on behalf of the leader made it much easier for followers to join the leader’s mission and ensure their success. This success was shared by all and not just the leader.
In addition to satisfying WIIFM, there are also components that create fear for the followers or represent a threat. This is known as DITM (does it threaten me). Followers also support leaders who eliminate potential fears. In Nelson Mandela's early years, for instance, many citizens from South Africa and throughout the world feared apartheid and the violence associated.
This concept of eliminating a threat for the follower is a second motivational tool, and when combined with the WIIFM requirements, creates highly motivated followers. Some may be motivated by the opportunities, some by the fear, and many by both.
But the end result is a large population of followers who are motivated and who will work hard to achieve success even if they personally have to give more of themselves. Nelson Mandela utilized both WIIFM and DITM to gain support throughout the world and this is what elevates leaders to greatness.
These same two concepts can be utilized in any organization. Followers want to know what’s in it for them, and if there’s anything threatening their future. If the organization is set up with a goal that benefits the followers, then followers will be much more likely to do their fair share to succeed. My Organization Bill of Rights addresses many positive topics such as employee satisfaction, supporting growth, recognition, and promoting job security. If the organization has policies in place which makes it clear to the employee, the WIIFM requirement will be completely addressed, and followers will ensure success. The same argument can be made for DITM.
Competition, job security, and the economy can easily be pointed out as threats that an organization wants to protect the follower from. By communicating these requirements and having plans that address the follower’s concerns, the organization offers an opportunity that a follower can easily align with and support.
However, it is important to recognize that the followers are not following the leader, they are supporting the goals of the organization, and it is the organization that is looking out for their well-being. This situation creates a win/win scenario, and can have a profound impact on overall results.
Goals such as higher sales, higher profits, or increased market share do not include the employee, and additional effort must be made to motivate the individuals who will be expected to obtain the desired results. It is also true that a follower may not always agree with the leader and actions that he or she may take. By focusing on the organization and not the leader, the follower can disregard the negative aspects that a leader might inadvertently add. The common goal of helping the organization obtain long-term sustainability forms a united team that’s extremely difficult to defeat.
When an organization is successful at keeping away the threats and meeting set goals, it can reward their followers by providing security, education, opportunity for additional compensation, job satisfaction, recognition, and an environment where people are treated fair. The culture created will quickly be rewarded by satisfied customers, high sales, and very high profits – all of which are required if long-term sustainability is the desired result.
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Chris Whipple is the author of A.C.T. Now or Fail!, a book that provides in-depth details on how to implement these concepts and explains why each is so important. With over 20 years of management experience and a desire to share best practices, he set out to document a clear process for implementing goals. His research uncovered several missing details that the quality gurus never discovered. His book fills in the gap. He is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University in business management and can be contacted at www.advancedcorporateteams.com.
