Change Motivator

A coach shares a story about a young woman who initially rejected the idea of working in an office because of fear of rejection. The coach helps her realize that her motivation for wanting the job was a better lifestyle and more money for her kids. The coach suggests that the person who rejected her could become her mentor, which changes her perspective. She eventually gets a job in the office setting and learns that understanding someone's motivator and reminding them of it can greatly improve their willingness to embrace change. I want to share with you a very quick story when it comes to change in the motivator, and I'll never forget it. I had a young lady who was working in a manufacturing environment, and I often share this story from a variety of perspectives, and she's one of my favorite people I've ever coached, and she had never really been in an office setting. High school degree, single mom, three kids, working hard, tough, sometimes was a little bit of a negative person at times, but was willing to change, was willing to look in the mirror and do some of the things that she needed to do. And I remember she didn't get a job in the office setting, and she literally said, that's it, I'm not doing this anymore, I'm just going to be on the shop floor. Why would I even want to expose myself to that rejection? And I remember I smiled at her, and I said, I want to ask you something. When you went for this job, what were you trying to achieve? She said, well, I want to be off my feet, being on my feet seven days a week, which is literally at this company seven days a week, and I'm fatigued. I want something that's a lot more comfortable. I said, okay, what else? She said, honestly, I think there's more pay in the office setting. I said, I think there is. And I said, so that's your motivation, pay in a different lifestyle, better lifestyle, would that benefit your kids? She said, oh my gosh, tremendously. And I said, so do you mind if I ask kind of a really obnoxious question? She said, sure. I said, you mean that opportunity only existed with this job? She broke out laughing, and she looked at me, and she goes, okay, I'm being negative, right? And I said, I get it, right? Rejection's tough. I said, were you qualified for that job? Honestly. She said, well, I felt. I said, honestly. She said, no, I probably wasn't. I said, so now let's think about the person who interviewed you. Why did they interview you if you weren't qualified? Now, initially she was angry at the guy for not hiring her. And she said, I don't know. I said, so he gave you a chance. I said, what if he became your mentor? And all of a sudden her face changed. She said, I never thought of that. I said, what if he became your mentor? And you went up and said, thanks for giving me the opportunity. How do you think that would help you achieve your goal of more money, office setting, better lifestyle, more money for you and your three kids? She immediately changed. When you know someone's motivator, the game changes. They're willing to change. Yet she had this setback. It's also called resilience. What did she end up doing? She ended up coming up with, in her mind, the opportunity to go back to the guy who rejected her who became her mentor. And she eventually got a job in the office setting because she really didn't have any computer or PC or office skills. But she said, this is where your opportunity lies. And she got a job in the office. When you find out someone's motivator and you create that understanding and remind them through questions and suggestions, their willingness to embrace change dramatically improves.