Money Takes the Lead, Balance Closes In, Then Overcomes
As harmonized by the O’Jays, people will
steal, rob, and beat “for the love of money”; but, as noted by Andy Mulholland
(2011) interest, expansion, and recognition are motivators that not only
sustain workers; they lead to the overall commitment and motivation that
Whetten and Cameron (2011) identify as valuable commodities sought by today’s
companies. As I listened to Mulholland (2011) describe the moment where he “saw
the light” and further discussed his epiphany with Pierre Hessler, it occurred
to me that Mulholland, along with Nigel Marsh, CEO of Young and Rubicam Brands,
and the authors of this semester’s text, view motivators in a twenty-twenty
hindsight manner and from an over forty perspective (Grant, 2012; Whetten &
Cameron, 2011). Speaking from my own experience, money was the primary
motivator; however, just as Mulholland and Marsh reached the pinnacle age of
40, I, too, had that ah-ha moment; and, that is why I believe the race between
money and work-balance as motivators can be envisioned like that between the
tortoise and the hare.
From the age of fifteen to my late
thirties, money jumped out and took a big lead as why I worked. Initially, I
wanted extra cash in order to buy the latest fashions, purchase a car, buy gas
and insurance for the car, and open a bank account. Taking a stanza from the O’Jays,
I was willing to bike five miles, flip burgers, and ring a register all for a “small
piece of paper… Almighty dollar” (Funkyscope, 2013). As I grew older, money was
needed for groceries, rent, mortgages, diapers, clothes, other than my own, and
a host of expenditures. Along that career path, I found the first two of
Mulholland’s (2011) observations as to why people work, work that is
interesting and allows for an expansion of skill set. It came about as a result
of a chance at American Pioneer Life Insurance and its approach to its senior
underwriter.
Before American Pioneer was
purchased by Mr. Gary Bryant, all files were hand-delivered to our reinsurance
underwriter with Hamburg International Reinsurance. Requirements were listed by
the underwriter and either my co-worker or I would send out the notices to the
agents. I had only been with the company for a little more than a year when
this practice changed. The company’s human resource (HR) department hired our
first in-house underwriter, Ms. Evelyn Spence. With her addition, our HR had
sewn the initial seeds of improving the overall attitude of our department.
Evelyn Spence used humor and took time to explain underwriting as a concept so
that my colleague and I could develop a better understanding of our job and how
it related to other areas of the company, like the claims department. Not only
did her style add to the overall interest factor, she helped me to expand my
skill set by encouraging me to take the Life Office Management Association
(LOMA) courses offered by the company and to begin the advancement process as a
junior underwriter. In Mulholland’s (2011) words, Evelyn Spence allowed me to
be my own “human manager” which helped to “open my eyes” with regards as to
what I wanted to achieve. While money was still a factor, work-balance was
beginning to gain ground on this very primal motivator.
As my career advanced from that of a
junior underwriter to a senior underwriter who answered directly to the Vice
President of Underwriting, then, Mr. Guy H. Hartman, the former Hamburg
reinsurance underwriter, recognition and valuing for what I could do began to
overshadow salary, the third of Mulholland’s (2011) reflections. It wasn’t as
simple as acknowledging the mechanics of underwriting, the process is the same;
it was acknowledgement of the daily, monthly, and annual goals I set and achieved,
the specificity and consistency applied to “appropriately challenging” goals,
and it was the feedback, not only sought; but, accepted in a welcoming fashion
and used to improve not only myself; but, to enhance the overall skill set of
the company’s underwriting department (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 334). At
the ripe old age of thirty-four, I thought I had it all figured out; then, life
happened; and, as Marsh, I took time to look at my life to see if it was a “life
well lived” (Grant, 2012, p. 5).
Saying my life was not balanced at
this point would have been an understatement. I had been twice divorced, missed
many of the milestones of my children’s lives, and I was a workaholic, complete
with bring work home on the weekends. I would rush from one child’s cheering
competition to another’s baseball game. Dinner often included grabbing a
Whopper through a drive through and attempting to drive with one hand while
holding the sandwich in the other. Weekends were a whirlwind of house cleaning
and laundry, leaving me too exhausted to enjoy the lighter side of life, like
attending free concerts at Lake Eola. Yet, I thought I was living the American
Dream, working hard toward retirement. My ah-ha moment came when I met my husband
and for the past two decades, just as the tortoise caught the hare, my
work-balance caught and overcame money as my primary motivator.
Our first ten years of marriage
provided me with the chance to improve existing processes through a company we
opened. We offered insurance consulting services to homeowners whose homes had
experienced damage covered through their insurance policies. Most claim
adjusters wrote estimates for only damage they could see as opposed to writing
a comprehensive estimate that provided adequate compensation to restore the
property to its pre-damage state. Owners who experienced damage that required a
certain settlement to remove, replace, and restore the property were often paid
an amount that was less than half the total required. By using my skills to
improve the existing process, my husband and I were able to assess damage, take
photographs to document damage, prepare complete estimates, meet with adjusters
to walk them through the damage, and help clients realize more equitable claim
settlements. Our business grew to be very successful; however, the housing
market implosion led to the loss of a business that added to my daily motivation
through “intrinsic outcomes… feelings of accomplishment, self-esteem, and the
development of new skills” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 342). It also
provided me with a motivator I enjoy to this date, “autonomy… freedom to choose
how and when to do particular jobs” (Whetten & Cameron, 2011, p. 342).
I had missed so much with my two
older children; but, having my own business gave me the freedom to schedule
tasks around school events, play dates, beach days, and other moments I did not
want to miss with our third child. Instead of daycare, I was able to stay home
with my youngest. I could share the decision making process with my husband. I
was not alone when it came to scheduling repair jobs. Our ability to combine
jobs, form a work unit, build client relationships, granting authority to one
another, and listening to each other’s feedback helped us to not only maintain
a balance with our work, we were able to be more engaged with our family
(Grant, 2012; Whetten & Cameron, 2011). Our children are now grown. The
youngest, age nineteen, still lives at home; yet, establishing autonomy and
expanding my leadership abilities are motivators that allow me to enjoy a third
reason for work; flexibility.
In 2009, I was able to return to
school on a full-time basis and my husband helped me to achieve the flexibility
I wanted and needed in order to fully appreciate college. I was able to schedule
classes in a way to either take advantage of a lecture setting or advance my
technical skills by mastering online classes. Additionally, I no longer had to
be focused on “money, money, money” as my husband concentrated on this and gave
me the freedom to flex (Funkyscope, 2013). This allowed me to join both campus
and outside organizations which further provided me with chances to improve existing
processes, streamlining campus club requests with the main campus, and expand
my leadership abilities through various roles like club president, secretary,
and member. Just as Mulholland’s (2011) interesting work and expanding skill
set led to recognition; so, too, have improving process and expanding
leadership capabilities led to flexibility for me. More importantly, the
balance I have been fortunate enough to achieve and maintain has overcome that
primary motivator of my youth, money; but, it a journey to realize it.
References
Grant, J. (2012). Work-life balance. Administrative Assistant's
Update,, 1-1,5. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/docview/920292234?accountid= 27203
. (© 2011). The Three Things We Work For (Money Isn't One
of Them). [Video
File]. Available from Books24x7. Retrieved from
Whetten, D.A.,
& Cameron, K.S. (2011). Developing
Management Skills. (8th ed.). Upper Saddle
River,
NJ: Pearson Education Inc.
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