“…if you know someone’s fear you will know their need.”
– Marcus Buckingham in “The One Thing You Need To Know”
Difference makers know the fears of those for whom they seek to make a difference.
Buckingham cites five over-arching fears and their associated needs, as follows:
1) Fear of Death (our own or our family’s) corresponds to the Need For Security.
2) Fear of The Outsider corresponds to the Need For Community.
3) Fear of The Future corresponds to the Need For Clarity
4) Fear of Chaos corresponds to the Need For Authority, and
5) Fear of Insignificance corresponds to the Need For Respect.
So, the gifts of the difference maker seem clear in this context. Security, Community, Clarity, Authority and / or Respect. Knowing who needs them, and the fears they address are powerful discernments, and worth seeking.
Simplicity serves us well, and Marcus Buckingham, who is one of the primary difference makers in my career — simplifies this matter and puts a context within which we might all make a difference.
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