By Robert
Do you enjoy sweets? If so, you may “want” them, but surely you don’t “need” them. Some may challenge this notion, and I admit, I’m also not sure if my first coffee in the morning is really just a “want” and not a “need”. But let’s stick with the sweets example. Imagine you have diabetes and your blood sugar level is dangerously low; then, “I want something sweet” turns into “I need something sweet.” It all depends on the situation and personal perception.
Indeed, when we consciously reflect, the differences between “wants” and “needs” become apparent. “Wants” are desires that enhance our experience or satisfaction in a given context—often tied to our ambitions, aspirations, or the quest for comfort and luxury. In contrast, “needs” are essentials, the fundamental necessities vital for survival, efficiency, and effectiveness in our roles and responsibilities. Yet, in daily life, we frequently confuse these concepts, conflating their meanings. For instance, the statements “I want you to run this experiment because…” and “I need you to run this experiment because…” are often used interchangeably, reflecting a similar underlying notion.
It’s straightforward for our clients to articulate their “wants”. We pose the question, and we’ll swiftly be provided with an extensive list. However, when prompted about their “needs”—the somewhat critical essentials —the response often involves deeper reflection. Although it may seem counterintuitive, I also struggle with identifying what I truly need in my life.
Actively Engage with Your “Needs.”
What about you? Have you identified your “needs”?
Start by making a list. Have each team member jot down their personal needs, both private and professional. You’ll soon discover that distinguishing between a “need” and a “want” can be challenging. Similarly, the organizational needs of the team should be explicitly stated. To clarify these distinctions, consider employing the “doomed” scenario: What causes us to be doomed? Typically, the opposite condition represents a “need.” For instance, if our funding fell below a certain threshold, say X k$ we are doomed. Thus, we “need” at least X k$ to continue our mission. I find it somehow easier to imagine my downfall than what I truly “need.” While writing these lines I just realize that I find it somehow easier to imagine my downfall than what I truly “need.”
To identify your “needs” you might also find Maslow’s hierarchy of needs useful.
Here’s a breakdown of each level, starting from the bottom:
- Physiological Needs: These are the fundamental physical requirements for human survival, such as air, water, food, shelter, and sleep. Maslow considered these needs the most basic and instinctive because all other needs become secondary until these physiological demands are met.
- Safety Needs: Once physiological needs are satisfied, the next layer of needs focuses on security and safety. This includes personal and financial security, health and well-being, and safety against accidents/illness and their adverse impacts. In a modern context, this could extend to job security and living in a safe neighborhood.
- Social Needs: Also known as love and belonging needs, this level pertains to emotional relationships driving human behavior. These involve feelings of belongingness, the desire for interpersonal relationships manifested as friendships, romantic attachments, family, social groups, and community connections.
- Esteem Needs: After the first three classes of needs are met, the individual’s attention turns to esteem and respect. This tier is associated with gaining recognition and respect from others, as well as self-esteem and personal sense of value. Esteem needs can include the desire for strength, competence, mastery, self-confidence, independence, and freedom.
- Self-Actualization Needs: This is the highest level of Maslow’s hierarchy. Self-actualization refers to the realization of a person’s potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Maslow described this desire as the need to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming.
In the discussion, you’ll also notice that there are things that qualify as both “want” and “need.”
To initiate massive action on something, it is beneficial for it to be both desired and necessary.
Some might work on their “needs” constantly, but often these are neglected, which naturally leads to problems, because these are “critical” for us. I won’t go into detail here, but who really likes doing their taxes on the first available day, instead of waiting until the last minute? The reason is clear. We simply don’t want to. On the other hand, many “wants” also just drift along and experience little to no action. To pick up on an example from last week’s blog post, I assume you always “want” projects to stay within budget, on time, and of high quality. Yet, we’re only ready to take massive action as the deadline approaches, when the “need” to do something joins the “want.”
To be truly ready to put effort into something, it’s crucial that you feel both the “want” and the “need.” This is the sweet spot where passion (from the “want”) meets necessity (from the “need”), energizing us most effectively.
As a leader, one of your key responsibilities involves identifying both your and your team’s needs and then cultivating the “want” to fulfill these needs as well.
…and sometimes, it’s the other way around.
-Robert