One of the lynchpins of my office is leaving. After hearing the news, a coworker asked me if I knew why.
I said, “there’s an intangible force that runs through every person in every company. I call it ‘The Love.’
“The Love comes from two places. There’s Intrinsic Love — that’s the love of what you do. When you wake up in the morning, excited to get in the office and do the thing you were hired to do — that’s Intrinsic Love bubbling over.
“It also comes from Extrinsic Love — that’s the love other people give to you for doing the thing you do in the office. They give it to you in the form of thanks and accolades.
“The Love is a finite thing, and you use it up little by little. You have to refill it, and that refill comes from Intrinsic Love or Extrinsic Love or both. If your work or your rewards can keep refilling The Love, then you’ve got a great thing.
“But if you’re not getting enough of The Love for your effort, then The Love runs out. Maybe it’s because you don’t like what you do. Maybe it’s because others don’t appreciate what you do. Regardless of the reason, the effect is the same.
“His Love ran out. That’s why he’s leaving.”
“I see,” my coworker said. “It’s like a relationship. Sometimes they go great. But sometimes she’s a cranky bitch and the bitch wears you out little by little until you don’t ever want to see her bitch face again.”
“You got it.”
“Where are you going?”
“I need to go to the bathroom.”
And that’s the story of The Love.
I’ve been a lurker on your blog for a while, but this post is so right-on that I wanted to say kudos. You’re 100% right, and most companies (or most management teams) under-appreciate this.
Thanks for the comment! I definitely agree. To me, it’s a sign that companies don’t understand the best practices for motivating their employees. I have much more to say on that subject in the future…
dave, your words make a lot of sense to me. i have much more to say on that subject in the future… say, did i see you once on a plane on the way back from vegas? 🙂
Thanks, Keith — I’d love to hear what you have to say about it! And as for Vegas, what happened there stays there, even if it happened at the airport 🙂