Awakening, 2nd edition by Ray N. Kuili Page A

lawyer, a salesperson —in other words , not an individual contributor, but a manager? A fast—rising manager. A manager who just six years ago wasn ’t managing anyone . Someone who has never been trained to be a manager . A manager who ’s been moving up much faster than the vast majority of his or her colleagues? A rising star. So what ’s been pushing you up? Whatever it is, it ’s something that has to do with you , and not with your environment. What is it? Think about it. Think.”
    He surveyed the faces in the room and repeated sternly , “Think.”
    The room plunged into silence.
    “Let’s do this, ” Clark offered a minute later. “Take your time to give it enough thought. Then pick up the second copy from your folder and give it another try. This time , try to express the very essence of your wishes and aspirations. Don ’t use many words ; the less the better. In fact, try answering the second question with a single word. Focus on the core, on the spirit of what ’s been driving you. What element of being a manager do you really enjoy? What really motivates you? Why do you keep striving to go higher and higher? Think about the core differences—and core similarities—between you and your CEO. Think, think, think . . . I can ’t emphasize this strongly enough. Think! Then write it down. And remember: b e ultimately, brutally honest. This is the only way we can move forward.”
    Michael tapped his pen thoughtfully on the paper. Now it was getting more interesting. A tiny little bit, but more interesting. It wasn ’t hard to guess where Clark was going with this, but there were different ways to leverage the answers he was about to get this time. So let’s give him an answer . . .
    Too bad he said think . Some of us may be allergic to requests like this. To some of us this may bring up bad memories. Because that ’ s where it all begins. That ’s where we all get screwed big time as we grow up. They tell you to think, but they don ’t really mean it. They only want you to think within the boundaries they define. The moment you start thinking for yourself—really thinking—so many things stop making any sense. And if you keep thinking, the whole world just falls apart. Nothing makes sense anymore. Rules, traditions, expectations—they all start looking so fake, so made up. You want to just get rid of all this stuff and make things right. But the moment you say it, they tell you to shut up and be respectful. And eventually you understand that nobody really wants you to think for yourself. But if you still end up developing this bad habit, you need to learn another trick—to keep your mouth shut.
    So every time people say think , you wonder, is there some specific conclusion you want me to arrive at ?
    A single word . . . A single word . . .
    Ed collected the papers, smiling quietly. Clark accepted the thin stack from him, shuffled it like a deck of giant playing cards. Then he took one piece of paper from the middle, put it at the bottom of the stack, and looked around the room again.
    “This time I will read both answers. Question number one: ‘Why did I get into . . .’ okay, you remember it by now. Question number two: ‘What do I want more than anything else when I think about my future career?’ And now, on to the answers.
    “Why: Because I want to manage others. What do I want: To increase my scope of influence. There ’s something different about these answers, don ’t you think?
    “Why: Because you succeed only at the top. What: To get to the top . . .
    “Why: Because here I can serve my company in the most productive way.”
    Stella smiled ironically.
    “What: To grow while serving my company. . .
    “Why: I’m a leader, not a follower. What do I want: Control . . . Great! Kudos to the author of this one for finding a single word.
    “Why: Because I ’ve always wanted to lead. What: To remain a leader, no matter where I go . Hmm . . . this is good, but . . . never