Your Reasons Don't Matter
People act for their own reasons, not yours
I heard a great quote the other day:
“People don’t do things for your reasons, they do things for their reasons.”
The quote came from Cecile Richards’ memoir, Make Trouble, which I’m currently listening to. She attributes the saying to her mother, the trailblazing Texas governor Ann Richards.
It struck me because it’s such a foundational concept, but one that we often forget.
Whether you’re leading an initiative, managing a team, or selling a service—people will act (or not) for their own reasons. Not yours.
It’s not enough to tell them all the benefits your vision, initiative, or solution provides. (And don’t get me started on a features dump. Just—don’t.) Understanding and articulating the benefit to people is necessary, but not sufficient.
You have to understand what motivates them. What compels them to act when they ask themselves, “what’s in it for me?”
As leaders, it’s especially important for us to remember this.
You are not leading if no one is following. And people will not follow just because you tell them to—or because your title demands it. They will not follow unless they have good reason to.
A reason that’s just right for them.
Those reasons will vary, but they often boil down to two things: intrinsic motivators and external incentives. How people view themselves and how they want others to perceive them.
Your job is to discover each person’s reason, understand it, and align to it.
Until then, no one’s buying what you’re selling—whether that’s a product or a vision.
Bonus read: We’re in the throes of March Madness and just weeks away from the WNBA draft—making it a great time to revisit leadership lessons from Golden State Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase.
Cover photo by Rommel Davila on Unsplash