We often hear in business, ‘what are our needs’, ‘what do we need’, and ‘what do we want to achieve.’ Less often we hear, ‘what are their needs’ and ‘what do they want to achieve.’ It is quite understandable though; most corporate direction and focus is on ‘us’ and what ‘we’ will gain out of the relationship with our customers. However, we almost never hear, unless someone has attended a Business Crayons Workshop on Account Management or Negotiation Process, ‘what do they value’, or ‘what are their value drivers.’
To understand others, and ourselves better, we need to understand what people Value. Each of us has our own set of Personal Value Drivers, they are formed from our core values and principles and measured and guided by what we feel are acceptable or not acceptable levels of behavior.
While core values and principles change little over our lifetime, what we consider acceptable or not acceptable, can change based on changes in societal norms. People with a high level of iValue (Power, prestige, recognition, etc.) must use as a measure and guide what they feel is an acceptable level behavior vs that of societal norms. Those who fail to do this, and become out of step with what is acceptable could be considered overbearing, power hungry, self-serving, etc. While those who stay within societal norms are considered effective, successful, and even admired. Keep in mind with these two examples, both could have the exact same values and principles, one is simply better at measuring what is acceptable level of behavior and what is not, based on the CURRENT societal norms.
Find out what people Value and their Value Drivers. This will lead you to a better understanding of their Needs and Motivations, and your own.