It was interesting, (and somewhat gratifying) to read this recent article, written in June 2024 by HR thought leader Dr John Sullivan
We’ve embraced the WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) approach since 2012.
We greatly respect his substantial contributions to HR over the years; however, we believe his perspective is only partly correct. While the “What’s In It For Me” (WIIFM) approach is sound, his focus on excessive “you will” statements needs rethinking (see slides 4 & 5). Job descriptions overloaded with “you will” phrases often create a tone of directive subordination. High-level knowledge workers in leadership – superordinate and specialised roles excel when they have autonomy, and a directive tone can be off-putting, undermining their sense of independence and expertise. Instead, we’ve found that framing the scope, scale, and impact of the role allows top candidates to draw their own conclusions, leading to better alignment and engagement.