What’s in it for me?

There are a lot of ‘what’s in it for me’ strategies out there, and they are usually run by ‘what’s in it for me’ people.  Right now AIG feels a lot like this, as do seven- and eight-figure bonuses at firms that received government bailout money.

Unfortunately, ‘what’s in it for me’ strategies do work to a point.  You get the big paycheck after posting record losses, you make a pile of money spamming or interrupting people or just generally being slightly misleading as your core customer acquisition strategy.

So what’s wrong with a ‘what’s in it for me’ strategy?  It’s that it absolutely, positively guarantees that you won’t create something great.  Which forces you to ask yourself, “why am I doing this in the first place?”

add to del.icio.us : Add to Blinkslist : add to furl : Digg it : add to ma.gnolia : Stumble It! : add to simpy : seed the vine : : : TailRank : post to facebook</p

Enjoyed this?

Get the next post by email

A new post most Tuesdays. Free, and no spam, ever.

Sasha Dichter

I’m Sasha Dichter. I’ve written this blog since 2008, about generosity, fundraising, leadership and the long, slow work of pursuing mastery. By day I run 60 Decibels. More about me · Browse by topic

Comments

2 responses to “What’s in it for me?”

  1. Simon Synett Avatar

    …or as the Great Hillel the Elder was fond of saying (Mishnah, Avot ch.1):

    If I am not for myself, who will be for me? Yet, if I am only for myself, what am I?

    This recognises that you do have to have some self motivation and create your own success. You can’t run on pure altruism because no one will be there making sure you get something in return for the value you provide.

    On the other hand, he closes with the question that you ask – if I’m only in it for myself, then what am I? In other words self-service can’t be the goal in itself.

  2. Sasha Avatar

    Simon, thank you for sharing this wisdom. Truly.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.