We all self-hug. That is, we all think our values are best not just for ourselves but for others as well. Further, we all engage in everyday tyranny. Since we think our values are best, we often try to impose our values on others, thinking it is for their own good. We do this primarily with the values we hold most dear.
The Reiss Motivation Profile® (RMP) assesses the intrinsic motives that drive human behavior and the core values associated with those motives. When used in organizations, the RMP helps leaders minimize the tendencies to self-hug and to engage in everyday tyranny by identifying their blind spots.
Mark was a CEO with a strong need for RMP Power, defined as the desire for influence of will. In other words, he valued competence, productivity, and excellence. He liked to work hard for challenging goals and assumed everyone shared his values. Not understanding why one of his highly skilled employees had not risen higher through the corporate ranks, he decided to “help” Peter by giving him assignments that could lead to a promotion.
Mark’s blind spot (“I value hard work so others must, too”) did not allow him to see that Peter had a weak need for RMP Power. That is, Peter valued work-life balance and was interested in working for only moderate goals, which explained why he still had a relatively modest position within the corporate hierarchy. Unfortunately, Mark's efforts to help Peter backfired. The more challenging projects Mark gave to Peter, the more Peter resented Mark’s efforts. Peter eventually left the company, which was a loss for the organization because he had done his job well before Mark’s attempts at everyday tyranny.
After Mark completed the RMP, he realized the mistake he had made with Peter. As he explained during a debrief with an RMP Master, "I just assumed my employees want to be like me — hardworking and successful. Because climbing the corporate ladder was my goal, I figured this was Peter's goal, too. I saw he had the smarts to be a leader. What I failed to realize is that he did not want to be a leader. He was content in the job he had and pushed back against my efforts to make him work harder."
Good leadership requires knowing your blind spots. The Reiss Motivation Profile® provides the self-awareness that allows leaders to guard against the pitfalls of viewing employees through the lens of their own needs and values.
