The Right Motives

Alright. I've got a friend named "Karl." He had just made an organization on Facebook, and he requested that I join. I wasn't exactly sure what the group was for, but he was my friend, so I joined it. Later, I asked him what it was for. He didn't exactly give me a straight answer, just saying that he wanted to create a group for the fun of it. Of course, I was okay with that because mostly all of Facebook's organizations were made just for fun.

But at an even later time, he started talking about his group again, saying that he was planning meeting times and assigning executive roles for members. I was kind-of taken aback by this because I had never thought a "just for fun group" meant actual reality meetings and executive roles. So, I questioned him about what kind of roles he was giving people. He responded with positions like camera-man, vice-president, electrical guy, and technical guy. And of course, he promised me he would put me in there somewhere so I would have a position.

At this time, I was still trying to figure out what exactly this group does. Why would I want a position in something that I don't even know what it is? Was he being serious? I didn't know what to say, so I stayed quiet to let him explain. But, he didn't. After a few moments of silence, he proceeded to tell me something that changed my whole perspective on him as a person.

He said that he felt so awesome to be the top-dog of his group. He told me that on the options of positions on Facebook, everyone had the option of moving up in positions except for him because he was at the top. No one could ever be above him. I was completely speechless. I had not even thought "Karl" could have that much pride. I almost commented that he could always move down, but I decided not to. Instead, I suggested that he take Mr. Fritz's Leadership Development class. It would really make a difference in how he runs his group.

That whole experience has taught me an important lesson, that some people pursue power (or influence) over others for the wrong reasons. Hopefully, "Karl" will realize that his motive was out of selfishness and will strive to achieve influence over his counterparts in a more constructive way.