THIS is actually your job.

“‘Rock-star status’ - here I come!”

You’re smart, you’ve got the drive and you landed your ideal role with your dream employer. You want nothing more than to get your marching orders, deliver on those goals, and be a rock-star in your boss’s eyes.

You soon find yourself at the big, annual, company-wide meeting. You grab a cheese danish, a cup of coffee, and chat with your co-workers before everyone settles in. Senior Management takes the stage.

The Big Chief strides to the podium and delivers the Big Speech: SWOT analysis, the vision for the org, top-line goals for the year, and more. Over the next 8 hours - in ever-smaller break-outs - the goals and tactics get more specific and nuanced. By day's end, you've got your specific goals laid out.

After the final session, you lean back with a cold beverage and let out a heavy, satisfied sigh. “Whew!” you think. “That was an intense day - but I’m psyched! I know EXACTLY what I need to do and I have the skills to do it. My boss is gonna love me. 'Rockstar status" - here I come!”

That was me, too. I knew exactly what my business goals were, I had the skills to accomplish them and I was driven to make my boss proud. I was confident that I would achieve rockstar status and enjoy the accompanying spoils and career advancement.

Too bad I was wrong.

“No no no - what do you WANT?”

Five very happy and very fulfilling years into a great gig, I found myself sitting at a conference table with my new boss (NB) of less than two months. We were about to discuss my annual review.

By now, I had established a string reputation as someone who consistently made a positive impact. As a result, with every annual review - I regularly received the kudos and acknowledgement that I sought ("Rock star!"). I knew this one - though - would be a bit different.

Just a few months prior, my soon-to-be-former boss (FB) noted that their soon-to-be-vacated role would not be filled - so going forward, FB’s old boss was to be my new boss (NB). FB added “I want to let you know that you've again done a great job. Unfortunately, I won’t be here to give you your annual review. I fear my opinion won’t be reflected in the review you receive.”

So - as I expected, NB gave me a grade of “C’ for my annual review. I knew it was coming, but I didn’t like hearing it. Nonetheless, I reassured myself. "No worries," I thought. "I did my homework and came prepared to win NB over”.

I presented NB with the business goals assigned to me for the 12 months prior and I explained how I hit each one out of the park. I then prepared myself to graciously accept NB’s apology and commitment to correct my review. I listened intently as NB did not argue any of my points - but there was no apology and no willingness to change my “C” grade.

“Oh - NB is playing hard to get, eh?" I thought to myself. “Ok - time to change focus" - so I listed every goal assigned to my team for the previous year and delineated how the team successfully accomplished each one. Satisfied - I rested my case confident that I made my point. But yet again - NB didn’t argue my points, didn't apologize and didn't offer to change my evaluation.

Now I was truly confused and ran it all down in my head. I delivered on my business goal. No dispute. What’s more - my team consistently did the same. No dispute. But I’m STILL not getting credit? What is happening here!?!”

I turned to the last arrow in my quiver - the intangibles. I laid out how my team positively impacted internal communication, team spirit, collaboration, internal skills training, client development and vendor relations.

When I was finally finished with my list, NB released a heavy sigh. “Enough, Glen. What do you want?”

Me: “It’s simple. I work efficiently and effectively. I’ve contributed significantly to positive change and growth for my team and throughout the entire org. I want to be acknowledged and rewarded for that.”

NB: “No, Glen - I mean specifically, ‘What do you want from work?”

Me: “Well - ok. Ideally - I want to 1) regularly confront new challenges that allow me to stretch, learn, and grow, 2) know my efforts help the folks around me become better at their jobs. 3) take pride in knowing my efforts benefit the larger org., and finally 4) be acknowledged and rewarded for that good work - promotions, compensation package, and the like. That's what I want from work.”

NB was flustered and fed up. “No no NO! What do you WANT out of your work? For example, I want to be a CEO one day. THAT’S what I want. So - what do YOU want!?!”

The needle went scratching across the LP in my head.

The unspoken “Why”

Throughout my career, I simply did my best to work smart, work hard, and deliver on goal. In retrospect, that had been enough to align what I wanted from work with what my bosses had wanted from work.

Dumb lucky, I guess.

But now - my review . . . my salary, my bonus, my career advancement - many of the things I wanted from work . . . these all hinged on my ability to deliver on NB’s wants and desires? To make matters worse, I had - in NB’s opinion - failed at that.

My luck - it appeared - had run out.

If you’ve read Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” then you know that - as a marketer - “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

The same - I learned - applied to my place of employment. I could no longer get what I wanted out of work . . . I would no longer get my “why” satisfied . . . until I understood and focused on what my boss did AND my boss’s why. I had to both meet my business goals and - while doing so - ensure that NB saw me as someone that was bringing the role of CEO closer in reach.

To get what YOU want from work, it is essential that you investigate and understand your boss’s “why”. It can include:
• The chance to make the world a better place.
• The opportunity to bring the best of themselves to work.
• Acknowledgment - in the form of a job title.
• Acknowledgment - in the form of public kudos.
• The ability to pay for my kids’ education.
• An income that allows them to pursue their other passions or a side hustle.
• Enough money to live comfortably.
• Enough money to retire ASAP.
• As much money as humanly possible.
. . . . or something else entirely.

Whatever it is - know your boss’s “why”, embrace it and incorporate it into your own . . . and if you feel you can’t, then the writing's on the wall. (My conversation with NB - plus the fact that MY “why” and NB’s “why” quickly provided to be a source of conflict - made me realize that it would soon be time to leave. But that’s for another post).

Stiil - if you CAN successfully juggle both “why’s”, you can confidently operate daily knowing that “By accomplishing XYZ, I’ll get closer to accomplishing my assigned business goals, address my ‘why’ AND help my boss accomplish their ‘why’?”.

Then - and only then - will you actually be doing your ENTIRE job . . . and you’ll be on your way to rock star status!