The Measure: Post #7--Hiring a Product

Hiring a Product: When you buy a milkshake, you do it to satisfy a need. However, when we sell products or marry people, we’re more concerned about us than what the customer or our mates need. This parallel error creates a lack of sales (and of love). Asking the question Why is this person or client hiring me? and gearing delivery toward their needs, not ours, can make all the difference. Christensen says asking “what’s the job to be done?” is critical to success. In one interesting piece of research, people were asked when and why they bought milkshakes from a particular store. Turns out most people bought milkshakes in the morning—when over half of the milkshakes sold.  The reason: They needed something interesting to do while on a long commute. Milkshakes that were thick, with narrow straws, took a long time to consume and entertained folks on their long commutes! Christensen discusses the “jobs” of kids in school—to feel successful and do so with friends. And schools that do this have dropout and absentee numbers nearing zero. Figuring out what you were really hired for puts you at a true advantage at work. Same with marriage—often we give others what we might want without really considering what they really want…a listening ear, a friend to just be there in support. Answering the question “What job does my spouse need me to do?” tells you how to measure success in a marriage.