Robert Hargrove

My personal This Ole House Project in Waltham, Ma is taking place just a few miles from Brandeis University where Professor Abraham Maslow, noted psychologist, developed his psychology of self actualization.

It is interesting to point out then that I have led or coached many Baby Boomers whose aspirations and motivations were very high on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs; few who were primarily interested in putting bread on the table.

I learned over the years leadership methods for inspiring, empowering, and motivating Boomers to take on an Impossible Future and make a difference by appealing to their higher needs. “This job will allow you to fulfill your leadership potential,” I would tell them. “You have an opportunity here to make a difference.” I didn’t have to talk to them much about the size of their paychecks, as many of the people I worked with over the years were multi millionaires.

Having said that, when I stepped from leading (coaching) executives of Global 1000 corporations to managing contract workers in my World is Flat Project, I had to find a whole new way of interacting with people. I found that people didn’t care much about inspiring visions and values, and the conversations certainly were not about job satisfaction.

The conversations I engaged in with my Chinese, Vietnamese, Peruvian, and Dominican workers were primarily on the first rung of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs—safety and security—and focused almost 100% around money. So rather than show up as a transformational leader talking about vision and values, I would revert to plain old transactional leadership.

Here was one typical riff: “Come work for me today and do a good job and I will pay you $100, give you a free lunch and bring you back to work for me tomorrow, and maybe the day after. If you don’t do a good job, I will fire you by noon time, let you buy your own lunch and never bring you back again.” One potential worker's reply, "I will do the best job that I can, and if you do not like it, f... you and I will find another job." And with that, I knew we had a deal.