Consider the passion and commitment displayed by those searching for buried treasure.  For most, it dominates their thinking, planning, and actions for a lifetime.  You may not be a treasure hunter in the literal sense, but we all have our treasures - things we value highly and go to great lengths to acquire, honor, or serve.  When you think about it, few things in our lives truly qualify as treasure.

At a crossroads in my life, I went in search of my treasure.  The result?  After years as a health club manager, within sixty days, I made a life-changing decision to leave my company and corporate America behind.  I left a secure salary and took a 100 percent commission sales job that guaranteed me ZERO income.  Within 2 years, I was the number one individual producer at one of the largest franchise real estate firms in my market area.

How did I do it?  My treasure hunt led me to answer a simple three-word question: "What's your Why?"

The answer has changed my life forever.

During a meeting a few years ago, I posed that question to the entire group at my company. I asked them "What's Your Why?" Many in the group returned blank stares. Some nodded thoughtfully. Others smiled. I continued, "Each of you get up every weekday morning, come here and work eight, nine, ten hours a day. Some of you come in on weekends... why?"

Slowly, my audience came to life. I heard things like: "family," "security," "so my kids can go to a good school," "to make money," "to get out of debt," or "to prove that I can be successful." The answers were as unique and varied as the individuals in the room. Everyone has a reason for doing what they do.  Not everyone is consciously aware of that reason. But it's there.  It often appears in disguise, but once unmasked, it reveals itself as a very personal and powerful motivator. There are common themes, such as success and family - but how The Why manifests itself in a person is uniquely theirs. Some find the initial answer to this question isn't the real answer to this question. The Why has layers, and we must dig until we get to the core. Normally, it is the single most critical factor that motivates an individual, drives job performance, job satisfaction, and employee loyalty and retention.

Because of its importance in influencing actions, understanding The Why will allow you to know your people better, grow closer to them, and lead them more effectively. It will motivate them and enable them to perform with passion. It also puts you in a position to help each of them lead the life they were destined to lead - a life of significance.

There's also a correlation between The Why and profitability. A friend of mine puts it quite simply: "Happy people create happy customers, and happy customers buy more stuff."

The amazing thing I have learned is that the majority of leaders, managers, and business owners don't know about, understand, embrace, or leverage The Why. Perhaps they haven't given it enough thought. Maybe they find it too personal. I think it's because many of them don't understand their own Why.

Leaders lead by example. To appreciate someone else's Why, you must first understand your own. Consequently, it's time for you to answer the same question I ask my agents: What's Your Why?

But I don't ask without a little coaching! I have found that one of the easiest ways to help someone discover their Why is with some simple, but absolutely powerful self-analysis questions such as;

1. What are the most important things to me in my life right now and in what order of importance?
2. What am I doing to make sure I keep those things at the forefront of my life?
3. What are my goals / vision for my future? Short Term and Long Term?
   

Usually, after coming up with an answer, ask yourself "why" again to that answer and so on and so forth 4 or 5 times. This will generally get you to this absolute heart of your true "Why".

So, have you asked yourself today, "What's my Why?"