Rules 49: Understand other People’s motives

Lagos Political Lord and APC buff, Cardinal James Omolaja  Odumnbaku aka ‘Cardinal Eto’ 
So
what motivates you?  We know that you are
a Rules
Player – honest, diligent, hard working, keen, and successful and self
motivated.  You get off on doing a job
fabulously well, impressing your bosses, earning the respect of your colleagues
and the admiration and loyalty of your juniors. 

You go home at night knowing you’ve done a good day’s work and that
you’ve been pleasant to everyone and are a thoroughly nice person.  You sleep nights because you haven’t stitched
anyone up or broken any laws or behaved badly in any way.  You earn lots, but that isn’t your driving
force – yours is the need to be the very best, the finest that there is. But
what motivates them?  Ah, to really get
on you will need to understand the motives of others.

Understanding
their motives means you have to enter the dark and nebulous world of
psychology.  What gets others off can be
very diverse:
·                   
Power
·                   
Money
·                   
Prestige
·                   
Revenge
·                   
A
need to hurt
·                   
A
need to be loved.


(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});

“ANYBODY
WHO’S MOTIVES ARE NEED AND FEAR AND GREED SHOULD BE TREATED CAREFULLY”.

Whatever
their motives I can bet they aren’t Rules Players – you lot stand out a
mile – aloof, calm, in control, dignified and sophisticated.  Anybody whose motives are need and fear and
greed should be treated carefully.  You
will have to make sure you stay on the right side of them without fawning, that
you out maneuver them without sinking to their level and without being
paranoid.  Look around your office now
and identify what makes each of your colleagues tick, and do the same for your
boss and their boss.  Learn to identify
their motives and you will be able to handle them easily.  Knowledge is power.
(Excerpts from THE
RULES OF WORK by Richard Templer Read “How to identify other people’s rule” from The Rules tomorrow on Asabeafrika)