To get clients started, I sometimes walk them through two or three of their achievement stories, and tell them the patterns I see. They can then go off and think of the seven or eight accomplishments they enjoyed the most and also performed well. This final list is ranked and analyzed in depth to get a more accurate picture of the person's motivated skills. I spend the most time analyzing those accomplishments a client sees as most important. Some accomplishments are more obvious than others. But all stories can be analyzed.
Here is Suzanne, as an example: "When I was nine years old, I was living with my three sisters. There was a fire in our house and our cat had hidden under the bed. We were all outside, but I decided to run back in and save the cat. And I did it."
No matter what the story is, I probe a little by asking these two questions: What gave you the sense of accomplishment? And what about that made you proud? These questions give me a quick fix on the person.
The full exercise is a little more involved than this. Suzanne said at first: "I was proud because I did what I thought was right." I probed a little, and she added: "I had a sense of accomplishment because I was able to make an instant decision under pressure. I was proud because I overcame my fear."
I asked Suzanne for a second story; I wanted to see what patterns might emerge when we put the two together:
"Ten years ago, I was laid off from a large company where I had worked for nine years. I soon got a job as a secretary in a Wall Street company. I loved the excitement and loved that job. Six weeks later, a position opened up on the trading floor, but I didn't get it at first. I eventually was one of three finalists, and they tried to discourage me from taking the job. I wanted to be given a chance. So I sold myself because I was deter mined to get that job. I went back for three interviews, said all the right things, and eventually got it."
What was the accomplishment? What made her proud?
- "I fought to win."
- "I was able to sell myself. I was able to overcome their objections."
- "I was interviewed by three people at once. I amazed myself by > saying, 'I know I can do this job.' "
- "I determined who the real decision maker was, and said things that would make him want to hire me."
- "I loved that job loved the energy, the upness, the fun."
Normally after a client tells two stories, we can quickly name the patterns we see in both stories. What were Suzanne's patterns?
Suzanne showed that she was good at making decisions in tense situations both when saving the cat and when interviewing for that job. She showed a good intuitive sense (such as when she determined who the decision maker was and how to win him over). She's decisive and likes fast paced, energetic situations. She likes it when she overcomes her own fears as well as the objections of others.
We needed more than two stories to see if these patterns ran throughout Suzanne's life and to see what other patterns might emerge. After the full exercise, Suzanne felt for sure that she wanted excitement in her jobs, a sense of urgency that she wanted to be in a position where she had a chance to be decisive and operate intuitively. Those are the conditions she enjoys and under which she operates the best. Armed with this information, Suzanne can confidently say in an interview that she thrives on excitement, high pressure, and quick decision making. And, she'll probably make more money than she would in "safe" jobs. She can move her life in a different direction whenever she is ready.
Pay attention to those stories that were most important to you. The elements in these stories may be worth repeating. If none of your enjoyable accomplishments were work related, it may take great courage to eventually move into a field where you will be happier. Or you may decide to continue to have your enjoyment outside of work.
People have to be ready to change. Fifteen years ago, when I first examined my own motivated skills, I saw possibilities I was not ready to handle. Although I suffered from extreme shyness, my stories especially those that occurred when I was young gave me hope. As I emerged from my shyness, I was eventually able to act on what my stories said was true about me.
People sometimes take immediate steps after learning what their motivated skills are. Or sometimes this new knowledge can work inside them until they are ready to take action maybe ten years later. All the while internal changes can be happening, and people can eventually blossom.
