I am not talking about the needs, which help to survive, like food or water, but the ones, which helps to live. Be it a company, a family, circle of friends or any social network threaded with humans, these basic needs can’t be overlooked. During my Masters at NIMC our Organizational Behavior’s professor asked me a question, “Will you accept a job offer with relatively larger pay package but located in a very remote part of the world?†I think I answered yes but later at this stage I could understand the question very well. These days many of us live in a crowded city, work in an over-managed office but still enjoy no better experience than the job offered by the professor. The reasons behind burn outs, frustrations are highly related to our needs.
These are the basic needs of a human being:
- Love: Every human needs love in some way or the other. I do not need to explain this as every single book deals with it. Love doesn’t have to permanent or true. It is basic exchange of human vibes. Someone to speak to, someone to laugh with and someone to share with. A relationship with God with faith can define the love. Whenever I am in problem I share it with God and I feel very relieved.
- Identity and Recognition: This plays a very important role in organizations. In case of family if the love is there then identity and recognition won’t play a significant role. Every person tries to discover his/her own identity at every single stage of life. Big package offering companies that fail to recognize good employees eventfully fail.
- Urge to create: Every human has an urge to create. No one can control other beyond a limit. As a manager if you think you can ignore this need you are fooling yourself. Organizations should thrive to provide a climate that can appreciate the urge. If you stop creating you start growing old, as old age is nothing but a state of more memories and less desires.
Money only as a good servant: Is money a need? Yes it is but we need to be careful with it. It is a good servant but a bad master. Let’s not work for money but let the money work for you.