We've all heard about the importance people place on, What's In It For Me? The WIIFM acronym has become very popular and can be found adorning bumper stickers, notepads, and items generally sold to people who perceive themselves as leaders. Unfortunately this phrase is a poison that leads to future problems.

The concept behind WIIFM is that leaders and salespeople always consider that others are best motivated by personal benefits. This may be very true, however it is inevitable that the leader would turn the question on him or herself and start focusing on their own personal gain. This becomes a cancer that ultimately leads to disconnected employees and selfish managers.

A true leader never has the focus on herself or himself. In fact excellent leaders typically do not even use the term me, preferring to use the term we. The only exception to this rule is when something goes wrong, in which case the focus of a leader is definitely on me.

When faced with a new policy, procedure, product, or service, a successful leader should consider the question, Whats In It For Them? The subtle difference in this question versus the original is that the leader is thinking about who the leader should be thinking about -- the team.

Zig Ziglar said it best, you can get everything you want in life if you help enough people get what they want.

Zig's comment emphasizes the leadership principle of continually focusing on others. It applies to managers and salespeople. As they help those with whom they come in contact, they will see their work teams develop and their sales excel. It is ultimately turns the managers and salespeople and to true leaders.

When the leader focuses on the advantages the team will receive, a leader begins to understand the true motivation of the group as a whole. Being a successful leader, he or she has already developed the feeling among the team that as the entire team gains success, each individual member of the team also gains success.

To reach excellence in any leadership capacity, always ask yourself, what's in it for them? When you answer this question and maintain a focus on the answer, you decrease yourself and increase others. It is at this point that Zig's philosophy proves itself to actually deliver to you your life's dreams.

Rick Weaver

Rick Weaver is an accomplished business executive with a wealth of experience in retail, market analysis, supply chain enhancement, project management, team building, and process improvement.

Rick career began in retailing as a stockclerk, eventually becoming the Director of Vendor Development at Kmart Corporation during it’s heyday. In this position he worked with hundreds of Kmart’s suppliers to improve mutual processes, procedures, and profits.

As a consultant, Rick has worked with companies in various industries to develop leadership and business strategies. These companies include Sara Lee, Procter & Gamble, 3M, GM, The State of Michigan, OLHSA, Fruit of the Loom, Eastman Kodak, Kmart, Coleman, Pope & Talbot, Atmosphere Heat Treating, Rinchem, Builder's Industry Association, Ingersoll-Rand, Dow Chemical, HIS Jeans, Wrangler, Confab, S. C. Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Exxon-Mobil, Pennzoil, Kraft, Remington Arms, US Playing Cards, and Johnson & Johnson.

As an entrepreneur, Rick has founded or co-founded six successful organizations, including non-profit and for profit. All organizations have been consistantly profitable since their second quarter.

Now in his role as president of MaxImpact, Rick uses his vast experience helping individuals connect to their dreams and teams connect to a common vision.

Rick’s presentation style of blending humor, real life examples, and easy to implement ideas has made him a popular speaker at seminars, workshops, and conferences in in 43 states, Canada, and Puerto Rico.