Understanding Needs from Work Part II

Leading well starts with a strong foundation. Whether getting a start-up off the ground or directing an enterprise organization, we face challenges seemingly beyond our capabilities. We need the inner fortitude to overcome obstacles and lead our team successfully.

A thorough understanding of our Needs and Core Beliefs is essential to good Professional Health and establishes the sound base to lead well. Uncovering Needs and Beliefs requires a journey of self-discovery.  For some, introspection is an anathema.  The pilgrimage through our persona exposes wounds and wreckage we prefer to leave hidden.

Let’s face it, exploring the unfamiliar territory of our core can be unsettling. I was scared about what I might find. However, the self-inquiry ordeal yields enlightenment and in some cases life-changing revelations. Knowing ourselves more fully provides the stability to perform at our best.

There is a hierarchy of human Needs from basic Physiological and Security needs to Psychological needs of love and esteem to Self-fulfillment needs. For many, basic needs are satisfied through personal lives. Some of us are looking to work to meet advanced Needs such as Identification, Validation, Inspiration and Actualization.

Identification addresses the question “Who am I?” Do we define ourselves solely by our career accomplishments or professional expertise? Are we performance junkies because we assigned achievement as the measure of our identity? How do family, community or other relational dimensions fit into who we are?

To explore our Validation needs, strap on the seatbelt and prepare for an illuminating ride.  

When we look for our work to provide Validation, we are seeking answers to

meaningful questions of the heart. Achievements can deliver the affirmation prompted by “Am I worthy?” “Am I valued?” or “Do I count?” These insights have deep roots and unless you are Stuart Smalley, they are tough inquires to answer on our own.

The Need for Validation is foundational to our being. “Where do I stand?” “Do I belong?” or “Am I accepted?” speak to a sense of judgment.  Some feel the verdict will be determined by our father, mother or other key figures in our life. To others, the question is where we stand with God. Regardless, we have an inherent need to make somebody proud and confirm they believe in us.

Seeking vindication from our work rather than Validation is different. If we felt maligned or persecuted in our earlier years, we may be trying to legitimize ourselves to the doubters and pundits. However, proving the skeptics wrong has darker intentions than pleasing supporters. We need to be cautious of moving past passionate leadership to relentless and dogmatic.

Inspiration addresses “Why am I working?” Our profession can deliver answers about our purpose and legacy. Inspiration provides direction, helping us define our destination. Answers to “Where am I going?” and “How will I know when I get there?” are essential when assessing next steps in our career.

Actualization is the outcome of our potential. Our work can bring our aspirations to fruition. A vocation can become a calling. The challenges we choose to conquer enable our dreams to become reality and our destiny to be fulfilled.

Understanding who we are, where we stand, why we are working and what we can become gives us the confidence to risk failure and recover when we stumble. With this foundation, we generate the resilience to break boundaries, to innovate and take others to places they could not imagine.

The final component of our Professional Health is our Core Beliefs, a combination of Core Values and our Philosophy on life. Confirmation of these underpinnings help us resolve the question of “Now What?!?”