Gift versus Strategy – Two Perspectives on Recognition
Sam is a conscientious and dedicated supervisor who – by his own admission – is from the “old school.” He has a strong set of beliefs that was forged early in his working career. One of those beliefs has to do with recognition. As Sam sees it, recognition is a gift – something special. By his way of thinking, “You don’t give people gifts for doing what they’re supposed to do ... for just doing their jobs.” Go way above and beyond the call of duty, and he will praise you. But merely do what he expects you to do and you won’t hear from Sam – unless, of course, you screw up.
Sam applies this management philosophy to all areas of employee performance and behavior. As a result, his people often feel unappreciated (taken for granted). And they’re much more concerned about avoiding problems than they are committed to doing their best work. The reasons for this are fairly obvious, and the results that Sam gets (or doesn’t get) are fairly predictable.
Gloria is a manager who works in the office next to Sam. She’s held a leadership position for several years, and she understands a lot about people and their behavior. Unlike Sam, Gloria doesn’t view recognition as a gift at all. Instead, she sees it as two things: 1) a “common courtesy” – a way to demonstrate appreciation for employees who make her life easier by doing right, and 2) a “strategy” for getting the performance she wants and needs from her people.
When it comes to the second point, Gloria knows that reinforced behavior is repeated behavior. And she uses that knowledge to build a high-quality work unit – and ensure her success as a leader in the process.
Don’t read this wrong. Gloria isn’t soft on performance. Just the opposite – she expects people to abide by the organization’s standards and holds everyone accountable for doing so. But she also looks for, finds, and seizes every opportunity to commend those who meet those expectations. As a result, her team members are motivated to demonstrate their job commitment every chance they get. In the end, everyone wins – especially Gloria.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Contentment
Have you ever, at any one time, had the feeling that life is bad, real bad, and you wish you were in another situation?
You find life make things difficult for you, work sucks, life sucks, everything seems to go wrong....
Read the following story... it may change your views about life:
After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking
2 jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is.
I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his
life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife,
2 daughters and the many bills of a household.
He explained that it was through one incident that he saw in India that
happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low and touring India after a major setback.
He said that right in front of his very eyes he saw an Indian mother chop
off her child's right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother's
eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4-year-old child haunted him
until today.
You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child's hand been infected?? No, it was done for two simple words- - -TO BEG!
The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the child could go out to the streets to beg.
Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating half-way. And almost instantly, a flock 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another. The natural reaction of hunger.
Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf
of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumbfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less than $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread (this is less than $0.25 per loaf) and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.
Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to the children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.
He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job! , have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn't nice, have the chance to be
clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of...
Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad?
Perhaps.... no, I should not feel bad at all... What about you?
Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets.
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have."
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that! we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past,you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
Please send this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life in one way or another, to those who make you smile when you really need it, to those that make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, to those who you want to let them know that you appreciate their friendship.
And if you don't, don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message.
You find life make things difficult for you, work sucks, life sucks, everything seems to go wrong....
Read the following story... it may change your views about life:
After a conversation with one of my friends, he told me despite taking
2 jobs, he brings back barely above 1K per month, he is happy as he is.
I wonder how he can be as happy as he is considering he has to skimp his
life with the low pay to support a pair of old parents, in-laws, a wife,
2 daughters and the many bills of a household.
He explained that it was through one incident that he saw in India that
happened a few years ago when he was really feeling low and touring India after a major setback.
He said that right in front of his very eyes he saw an Indian mother chop
off her child's right hand with a chopper. The helplessness in the mother's
eyes, the scream of pain from the innocent 4-year-old child haunted him
until today.
You may ask why did the mother do so; had the child been naughty, had the child's hand been infected?? No, it was done for two simple words- - -TO BEG!
The desperate mother deliberately caused the child to be handicapped so that the child could go out to the streets to beg.
Taken aback by the scene, he dropped a piece of bread he was eating half-way. And almost instantly, a flock 5 or 6 children swamped towards this small piece of bread which was covered with sand, robbing bits from one another. The natural reaction of hunger.
Stricken by the happenings, he instructed his guide to drive him to the nearest bakery. He arrived at two bakeries and bought every single loaf
of bread he found in the bakeries. The owner was dumbfounded but willingly sold everything. He spent less than $100 to obtain about 400 loaves of bread (this is less than $0.25 per loaf) and spent another $100 to get daily necessities.
Off he went in the truck full of bread into the streets. As he distributed the bread and necessities to the children (mostly handicapped) and a few adults, he received cheers and bows from these unfortunate. For the first time in his life he wondered how people can give up their dignity for a loaf of bread which cost less than $0.25.
He began to tell himself how fortunate he is. How fortunate he is to be able to have a complete body, have a job! , have a family, have the chance to complain what food is nice and what isn't nice, have the chance to be
clothed, have the many things that these people in front of him are deprived of...
Now I begin to think and feel it, too! Was my life really that bad?
Perhaps.... no, I should not feel bad at all... What about you?
Maybe the next time you think you are, think about the child who lost one hand to beg on the streets.
"Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, it is the realization of how much you already have."
When the door of happiness closes, another opens, but often times we look so long at the closed door that we don't see the one which has been opened for us.
It's true that we don't know what we've got until we lose it, but it's also true that! we don't know what we've been missing until it arrives. The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past,you can't go on well in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
Please send this message to those people who mean something to you, to those who have touched your life in one way or another, to those who make you smile when you really need it, to those that make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down, to those who you want to let them know that you appreciate their friendship.
And if you don't, don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you, you will just miss out on the opportunity to brighten someone's day with this message.
Moments … That Define Excellent Leaders
• Find delight in your own discomfort. The way to keep your momentum is to actually seek discomfort – especially that which comes with change. This does not mean you are never satisfied with yourself or others. Rather it provides a healthy alertness of where you can improve. It will help you stay on the offense and thrive rather than playing defensively and merely surviving.
• When you feel you are cruising to victory, take a look around … but not only at your opponents. Look for anyone, any team, who is the very best at what they do. Compare yourself to them. What are they doing that makes them bigger, faster, better, smarter than you? Studying those who might have better “game” than we do keeps us humble and focused on improving our own game.
• Lead beyond the status quo. Always focus on the next level. If you can achieve your goals doing “business as usual,” then your goals are not big enough and you won’t get to the next level. Your goals should force changes, require tough decisions, and inspire bold actions.
The next time you are feeling comfortable, enjoy the moment … but for just a moment. Then, seize the very next moment to change!
• When you feel you are cruising to victory, take a look around … but not only at your opponents. Look for anyone, any team, who is the very best at what they do. Compare yourself to them. What are they doing that makes them bigger, faster, better, smarter than you? Studying those who might have better “game” than we do keeps us humble and focused on improving our own game.
• Lead beyond the status quo. Always focus on the next level. If you can achieve your goals doing “business as usual,” then your goals are not big enough and you won’t get to the next level. Your goals should force changes, require tough decisions, and inspire bold actions.
The next time you are feeling comfortable, enjoy the moment … but for just a moment. Then, seize the very next moment to change!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Walking the Talk Together
Ever wonder who they are? They seem to be everywhere. They must be a big and powerful group with a great deal of influence, because we sure do talk about them a lot:
“They should know better!”
“That’s their problem!”
“They need to do something about this!”
“It’s all because of them!”
“They’re the ones who fouled things up!”
No need to ask if these sound familiar. Who among us hasn’t pointed a finger at them before?
“They” and “them” are common pronouns ... part of normal, everyday speech. And when it comes to doing our jobs and walking the talk, they may be the absolute worst words in our language. Why? Just look at what “they” and “them” mean: OTHER PEOPLE, SOMEONE ELSE. You don’t have to be a genius to know that those words are dripping with non-responsibility.
Maybe it’s time we all did some word switching. Imagine what would happen – think of how our perspectives might change – if we stopped using “they,” “them,” and “their” altogether, and instead used “we,” “us,” and “our.” Let’s see …
“They We need to do something about this!”
“That’s their our problem!”
“It’s up to them us!”
“They We need to walk the talk.”
See and feel the difference? The next time you catch yourself starting to say or think the T-word (“they”), use “we” instead. The first step in taking responsibility is acknowledging that WE have it.
You know, pointing the finger at them probably is a waste of time anyway. We’re beginning to think they don’t exist. Every time we’ve gone looking for them, all we’ve found is US!
“They should know better!”
“That’s their problem!”
“They need to do something about this!”
“It’s all because of them!”
“They’re the ones who fouled things up!”
No need to ask if these sound familiar. Who among us hasn’t pointed a finger at them before?
“They” and “them” are common pronouns ... part of normal, everyday speech. And when it comes to doing our jobs and walking the talk, they may be the absolute worst words in our language. Why? Just look at what “they” and “them” mean: OTHER PEOPLE, SOMEONE ELSE. You don’t have to be a genius to know that those words are dripping with non-responsibility.
Maybe it’s time we all did some word switching. Imagine what would happen – think of how our perspectives might change – if we stopped using “they,” “them,” and “their” altogether, and instead used “we,” “us,” and “our.” Let’s see …
“They We need to do something about this!”
“That’s their our problem!”
“It’s up to them us!”
“They We need to walk the talk.”
See and feel the difference? The next time you catch yourself starting to say or think the T-word (“they”), use “we” instead. The first step in taking responsibility is acknowledging that WE have it.
You know, pointing the finger at them probably is a waste of time anyway. We’re beginning to think they don’t exist. Every time we’ve gone looking for them, all we’ve found is US!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
ACCOUNTABILITY
Do you realize that in Malaysia, when something goes wrong, nobody is held accountable? Everyone plays the blame game and points fingers at others. An excellent example was when the ‘new’ stadium in Kuala Terengganu collapsed. Up till today, we do not know who was responsible. No one has come forward to accept blame and no one has been charged for the ‘disaster’. The prevalent attitude by the people concerned seems to be that it is better to go on the offensive and give any reason for the situation, no matter how ludicrous.
The most troubling aspect of this lack of accountability is that in a few weeks time, everything will be forgotten and life will go back to normal. Nobody is punished, nobody is held accountable and nobody will be blamed. And everyone will just shrug their shoulders and wait for the next ‘disaster’. What I find most infuriating is that the superiors of those who committed these errors of judgment have not demanded any form of accountability. Their silence has been most deafening. These superiors should rightly be blamed too because accountability is not only what we do, but also what we do not do. If you don't hold people accountable they will learn quickly that their behavior was acceptable and therefore will continue to behave in a similar manner in the future. Our leaders seem to be practicing a 'claim credit for anything good that happens and passing the blame to others when things go wrong' kind of management style.
In a recent survey in Corporate America in the aftermath of Enron, taking responsibility and being accountable now tops the list of desired CEO traits. It is not too late for us to start inculcating this value that acknowledging errors in judgment and mistakes is the ‘right’ thing to do. Obviously, this quantum leap in mindset has to come from the leaders themselves. Are they ready to abide by that maxim ‘leadership by example’? I must admit that I am not too optimistic.
The most troubling aspect of this lack of accountability is that in a few weeks time, everything will be forgotten and life will go back to normal. Nobody is punished, nobody is held accountable and nobody will be blamed. And everyone will just shrug their shoulders and wait for the next ‘disaster’. What I find most infuriating is that the superiors of those who committed these errors of judgment have not demanded any form of accountability. Their silence has been most deafening. These superiors should rightly be blamed too because accountability is not only what we do, but also what we do not do. If you don't hold people accountable they will learn quickly that their behavior was acceptable and therefore will continue to behave in a similar manner in the future. Our leaders seem to be practicing a 'claim credit for anything good that happens and passing the blame to others when things go wrong' kind of management style.
In a recent survey in Corporate America in the aftermath of Enron, taking responsibility and being accountable now tops the list of desired CEO traits. It is not too late for us to start inculcating this value that acknowledging errors in judgment and mistakes is the ‘right’ thing to do. Obviously, this quantum leap in mindset has to come from the leaders themselves. Are they ready to abide by that maxim ‘leadership by example’? I must admit that I am not too optimistic.
TEAM
Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision. The ability to direct individual accomplishments toward organizational objectives. It is the fuel that allows common people to attain uncommon results.
~Andrew Carnegie
~Andrew Carnegie
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