Archive | 2006

After The Thrill Is Gone

by on January 10, 2006 in Career

The Harvard Business Review’s issue for January 2006 is devoted wholly to decision-making. I’m about one-quarter of the way through the magazine where there is an article called Decisions and Desire by Gardiner Morse. It focuses on the neuroscience behind our decision-making capacity and the growing proof that "we have dog brains, basically, with a human cortex stuck on top, a veneer of civilization."

Now, before you get excited about the fact that scientists compare your brains to those of your faithful pooch, consider this: without that mammalian part of the brain, we couldn’t laugh, cry, or find contentment. We also wouldn’t be able to make a decision since this is an ability that takes some combination of emotion along with logic.

Later in the article, Morse addresses some of the why behind our attitudes toward money in our careers. Whereas an economist might argue that people work because they place value on the things that money can buy, a neuroscientist could argue that "chasing money is its own reward." Apparently, we have a region of the brain called the nucleus accumbens which is where our desires originate. In an experiment, scientists observed the reactions of test subjects who were presented with the prospect of receiving money. The higher the potential monetary reward, the more active the accumbens became. However, once the money was received, activity in this area of the brain ceased which led researchers to conclude that it was the anticipation rather than the actual monetary reward which aroused the subjects.

All of this seems to explain why we might decide to chase another job for better pay, but often find the same old problems in the new environment. And that’s not to say that better pay isn’t a reason to leave one organization for another. What it does mean is that it’s absolutely essential to be honest with ourselves and develop a good decision-making model. After the chase for a new organization is over, what then? Will it fulfill those other needs that might not be as sexy as money (like fulfillment and learning)?

In other words…can we live with the results after the thrill is gone?

Nobody Washes A Rental Car

by on January 6, 2006 in Career, Work

My CEO just hit me with this particular bit of wisdom. And he’s right…we tend to put more effort into the things that we own. From my own experience, I’ve never washed a rental car and I’m more invested in the home that I own now than my previous home, which I rented. So, what are the implications of this?

As managers and executives…our employees will commit more fully to a project or task in which they feel they have some kind of ownership. Makes sense, right? Though, how many times do we plan and create projects and then start immediately delegating tasks? To seem benevolent, we might label the exercise as visionary leadership, but it’s just another form of power/control. That’s not to say that it isn’t okay to have a vision; we just have to remember that the best visions are those that incorporate the ideas and passions of our employees.

As employees…okay, say you’re working for the benevolent visionary leader, what then? Some choices include whining about the fact that you have little control over your work; or taking the more challenging (and I won’t lie, dangerous) path of making the task or project your own. Have an idea that deviates from the vision but believe will work? Do some homework and research why your idea will work and how you plan to implement it. Be thorough and dogged in your approach. And, if after making a few efforted pitches and your boss or project manager still doesn’t give them fair consideration, then perhaps it’s time to go someplace where your ideas will be taken fairly and seriously.

And as professionals…when we take ownership of something, there’s always a price to caring for it. If you’re serious about your career, then now is the time to own it. If you’re treating your career and your life like a rented 1984 Ford Escort, maybe it’s time to step up and become the owner of a shiny new Porsche (or if you’re more ecologically-minded, a Toyota Prius). Just make whatever it is fully your own.