Art. Work, Value and Freedom

Artists might also be regarded as purveyors of real values -- Wolf Kahn

Last year I was walking through arguably the world's most beautiful airport when my eye was drawn to a box of cards containing the work of artist Wolf Kahn. What he did with color and trees was arresting, so I bought the box. This week I picked up his book titled 'Pastels." Pages of great impressionist images that are like lightning and snow, exciting and peaceful. Wolf's words are as captivating as his art. What follows are some of his thoughts on the the value of one's work.

"The “Real Value” of One's Work

Every inhabitant of a developed country lives in a world of too many things and, unless he is very poor, or ascetic to the point of saintliness, he is encumbered by this surplus of objects. We know that these things, rather than simplifying our existence, often tend to complicate our lives. They need space, repair, storage, and eventual transfer to others. Anyone engaged in the manufacture, sale, and maintenance of things shares the guilt. Nearly all of us are part of the problem; only the purveyors of ideas are exempt. As artists, we inhabit both the world of ideas and the world of things. A picture can be regarded as just another object, another piece of junk (and, regrettably, often an expensive piece of junk, requiring special care). The artist, seen under this light, is a manufacturer of luxury items on which people spend their disposable income. It is as though he were running a jewelry store, or at best, an upscale winery.

Artists might also be regarded as purveyors of real values, which is, of course, how I prefer to view them. However, real values are not satisfied if an artist merely makes something that someone else likes, or even if the art object stretches the public’s awareness, or, as so much of present avant-garde art wishes to do, if it stretches the function of art to enlarge the sphere of permissible expression, whether of general issues, or sex, or politics. The practice of art should have an effect not only on the public, but even more importantly, on the artist himself, by enlarging his sphere of freedom. Once this is understood and becomes a profound part of artistic practice, the problem of being a mere manufacturer of expensive objects disappears; pictures are justifiable because they are steps in their maker’s artistic development. Each picture is valuable only insofar as it contributes to this development, because it enables the artist to go on in a freer, larger way to his next picture."

I love the blending of art, work, freedom and the growth of an individual. Art and work are both inseparable and interchangeable. Inseparable because an artist's work has real value when it comes from within and touches or "affects" others. Kahn says it expands the artist's "freedom in a larger way" to go on. Interchangeable because work whether artistic or simply labor that comes from within also affects the worker as well as others, often producing "things" of real value.

The workers efforts become his art. Work and art, art and work, inseparable and interchangeable, both capable of enlarging a person's freedom.

So thank you, Wolf Kahn, for making me ponder art and work and work and art. And since today is the last day of October - what better way to end the month than with your pastel titled "October Splendor?"

Conceptual Skill

"The essential aspect of the executive process is the sensing of the organization as a whole and of the total situation relevant to it." Chester I. Barnard

Conceptual skill involves the ability to see the enterprise as a whole; it includes recognizing how the various functions of the organization depend on one another, and how changes in any one part affect all the others; and it extends to visualizing the relationship of the individual business to the industry, the community, and the political, social, and economic forces of the nation as a whole.

Recognizing these relationships and perceiving the significant elements in any situation, the administrator should then be able to act in a way which advances the over-all welfare of the total organization.

Hence, the success of any decision depends on the conceptual skill of the people who make the decision and those who put it into action. When, for example, an important change in marketing policy is made, it is critical that the effects on production, control, finance, research, and the people involved be considered. And it remains critical right down to the last executive who must implement the new policy. If each executive recognizes the over-a;; relationships and significance of the change, he is almost certain to be more effective in administering it. Consequently the chances for succeeding are greatly increased.

Not only does the effective coordination of the various parts of the business depend on the conceptual skill of the administrators involved, but so also does the whole future direction and tone of the organization. The attitudes of a top executive color the whole character of the organization's response and determine the "corporate personality" which distinguishes one company's ways of doing business from another's. These attitudes are a reflection of the administrator's conceptual skill (referred to by some as his "creative ability")-the way he perceives and responds to the direction in which the business should grow, company objectives and policies, and stockholders' and employees' interests.

ACTION POINT: Examine and understand the relationship of all of the parts of your organization.

Human Skill III

Here is a situation in which the production manager was so preoccupied with getting the physical output that he did not pay attention to the people through whom that output had to be achieved.

Because human skill is so vital a part of everything the administrator does, examples of inadequate human skill are easier to describe than are highly skillful performances. Perhaps consideration of an actual situation would serve to clarify what is involved:

When a new conveyor unit was installed in a shoe factory where workers had previously been free to determine their own work rate, the production manager asked the industrial engineer who had designed the conveyor to serve as foreman, even though a qualified foreman was available. The engineer, who reported directly to the production manager, objected, but under pressure he agreed to take the job "until a suitable foreman could be found," even though this was a job of lower status than his present one. Then this conversation took place.

Production manager: "I've had a lot of experience with conveyors. i want you to keep this conveyor going at all times except for rest periods, and I want it going at top speed. Get these people thinking in terms of 2 pairs of shoes a minute, 70 dozen pairs a day, 350 dozen pairs a week. They are all experienced operators on their individual jobs, and it's just a matter of getting them to do their jobs in a little different way. I want you to make that base rate of 250 dozen pair a week work!" [Base rate was established at slightly under the 75% of the maximum capacity. This base rate was 50% higher than under the old system.]

Engineer: "If I'm going to be foreman of the conveyor unit, i want to do things my way. I've worked on conveyors, and I don't agree with you on first getting people used to a conveyor going at top speed. These people have never seen a conveyor. You'll scare them. I'd like to run the conveyor at one-third speed for a couple of weeks and then gradually increase the speed.

I think we should discuss setting the base rate [production quota before incentive bonus] on a daily basis instead of a weekly basis. [Workers had previously been paid on a daily straight piecework basis.] I'd also suggest setting a daily baste rate at 45 or even 40 dozen pair. You have to set a base rate low enough for them to make. Once they know they can make the base rate, they will go after the bonus."

Production manager: "You do it your way on the speed; but remember it's the results that count. On the base rate, I'm not discussing it with you; I'm telling you to make 250 dozen pair a week work. I don't want a daily base rate."

Here is a situation in which the production manager was so preoccupied with getting the physical output that he did not pay attention to the people through whom that output had to be achieved. Notice, first, that he made the engineer who designed the unit serve as foreman, apparently hoping to force the engineer to justify his design by producing the maximum output. However, the production manger was oblivious to (a) the way the engineer perceived this appointment, as a demotion, and (b) the need for then engineer to be able to control the variables if he was to be held responsible for maximum output. Instead the production manager imposed a production standard and refused to make any changes in the work situation.

Moreover, although this was a radically new situation for the operators, the production manager expected them to produce immediately at well above their previous output-even though the operators had an unfamiliar production system to cope with, the operators had never worked together as a team before, the operators and their new foreman had never worked together before, and the foreman was not in agreement with the production goals or standards. By ignoring all these human factors, the production manager not only placed the engineer in an extremely difficult operating situation but also by refusing to allow the engineer to "run his own show," discouraged the very assumption of responsibility he had hoped for in making the appointment.

Under these circumstances, it is easy to understand how the relationship between these two men rapidly deteriorated, and how production, after two months' operation was at only 125 dozen pairs per week (just 75% of what the output had been under the old system).

ACTION POINT: Identify and balance the human needs in each work situation.

Human Skill II

Human skill cannot be a "sometime thing."

Real skill in working with others must become a natural, continuous activity, since it involves sensitivity not only at times of decision making but also in the day-by-day behavior of the individual.

Human skill cannot be a "sometime thing." Techniques cannot be randomly applied, nor can personality traits be put on or removed like an overcoat. Because everything which an executive says and does (or leaves unsaid or undone) has an effect on his associates, his true self will, in time, show through. Thus, to be effective, this skill must be naturally developed and unconsciously, as well as consistently, demonstrated in the individuals every action. It must be an integral part of his whole being.

ACTION POINT: Be yourself, consistently.

Human Skill

...human skill is primarily concerned with working with people.

Human skill is the executive's ability to work effectively as a group member and to build cooperative effort within the team he leads. As technical skill is primarily concerned with working with "things" (processes or physical objects), so human skill is primarily concerned with working with people. This skill is demonstrated in the way the individual perceives (and recognizes the perceptions of) his superiors, equals, and subordinates, and in the way he behaves subsequently.

The person with highly developed human skill is aware of his own attitudes, assumptions, and beliefs about other individuals and groups; he is able to see the usefulness and limitations of these feelings. By accepting the existence of viewpoints, perceptions, and beliefs which are different from his own, he is skilled in understanding what others really mean by their words and behavior. He is equally skillful in communicating to others, in their own contexts, what he means by his behavior.

Such a person works to create an atmosphere of approval and security in which subordinates feel free to express themselves without fear of censure or ridicule, by encouraging them to participate in the planning and carrying out of those things which directly affect them. He is sufficiently sensitive to the needs and motivations of others in his organization so that he can judge the possible reactions to, and outcomes of, various courses of action he may undertake. Having this sensitivity, he is able and willing to act in a way which takes these perceptions by others into account.

ACTION POINT: Create an atmosphere of approval and security and encourage your team to participate in the planning and carrying out of things that directly affect them.

Technical Skill

Technical skill involves specialized knowledge, analytical ability within that specialty, and facility in the use of the tools and techniques of the specific discipline.

As used here, technical skill implies an understanding of, and proficiency in, a specific kind of activity, particularly one involving methods, processes, procedures, or techniques. It is relatively east for us to visualize the technical skill of the surgeon, the musician, the accountant, or the engineer when each is performing his own special function. Technical skill involves specialized knowledge, analytical ability within that specialty, and facility in the use of the tools and techniques of the specific discipline.

Of the three skills required for effective administration, technical skill is perhaps the most familiar because it is the most concrete, and because, in our age of specialization, it is the skill required of the greatest number of people. Mot of our vocational and on-the-job training programs are largely concerned with developing this specialized technical skill.

ACTION POINT: Identify the technical skills required for your profession.

Gift of Reverence

God's truth...lives in us... 2 John 1:1

The Gift of Reverence keeps us true to ourselves and to God. It tells the truth in love and will not back down for motives of self-defense or security. reverence is not only the fear of offending God prompted by love, but it is loyalty to one's own personal integrity: to do what one believes is right no matter what the stakes are...As the Gift of Reverence grows stronger, our trust in God expands. Humility is a profound sense of our weakness and nothingness, but at the same time an even greater trust in God's infinite mercy and compassion. The Gift of Reverence puts together these apparent opposites.

1 Timothy 1:15 - 16

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners -- and I was the worst of them all. But that is why God had mercy on me, so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners.

Skills of an Effective Administrator III

...successful administration appears to rest on three basic skills which we will call technical, human, and conceptual.

Effective administration rests on three basic developable skills which obviate the need for identifying specific traits and which may provide a useful way of looking at and understanding the administrative process.

This approach is the outgrowth of firsthand observation of executives at work coupled with study of current field research in administration. An attempt will be made to define and demonstrate what these three skills are; to suggest that the relative importance of the three skills varies with the level of administrative responsibility; to present some of the implications of this variation for selection, training, and promotion of executives; and to propose ways of developing these skills.

It is assumed here that an administrator is one who (a) directs the activities of other persons and (b) undertakes the responsibility for achieving certain objectives through these efforts. Within this definition, successful administration appears to rest on three basic skills which we will call technical, human, and conceptual. It would be unrealistic to assert that these skills are not interrelated, yet there may be real merit in examining each one separately, and in developing them independently.

ACTION POINT: Know and understand the role of an administrator.

Skills of an Effective Administrator II

This approach is based not on what good executives are(their innate traits and characteristics), but rather on what they do (the kinds of skills which they exhibit in carrying out their jobs effectively).

The quest for the executive stereotype has become so intense that many companies, in concentrating on certain specific traits or qualities, stand in danger of losing sight of their real concern: what a man can accomplish.

It is the purpose of this article to suggest what may be a more useful approach to the selection and development of administrators. This approach is based not on what good executives are (their innate traits and characteristics), but rather on what they do (the kinds of skills which they exhibit in carrying out their jobs effectively). As used here, a skill implies an ability which can be developed, not necessarily inborn, and which is manifested in performance, not merely in potential. So the principal criterion of skillfulness must be effective action under varying conditions.

ACTION POINT: Understand the difference between potential and performance.

Skills of an Effective Administrator

...a top manager needs good judgment, the ability to make decisions, the ability to win respect of others...


Although the selection and training of good administrators is widely recognized as one of American industry's most pressing problems, there is surprisingly little agreement among executives or educators on what makes a good administrator. The executive development programs of some of the nation;s leading corporations and colleges reflect a tremendous variation in objectives.

At the root of this difference is industry's search for the traits or attributes which will objectively identify the "ideal executive' who is equipped to cope effectively with any problem in any organization. As one observer of U.S. industry recently noted:


The assumption that there is an executive type is widely accepted, either openly or implicitly. Yet any executive presumably knows that a company needs all kinds managers for different levels of jobs. The qualities most needed by a shop superintendent are likely to be quite opposed to those needed by a coordinating vice president of manufacturing. The literature of executive development is loaded with efforts to define the qualities needed by executives, and by themselves these sound quite rational. Few, for instance, would dispute the fact that a top manager needs good judgment, the ability to make decisions, the ability to win respect of others, and all the other well-worn phrases any management man could mention. But one has only to look at the successful managers in any company to see how enormously their particular qualities vary from any ideal list of executive virtues.


ACTION POINT: Examine the qualities of the successful managers in your organization.

The Problem Solving Process

Being conscious of what is going on around you, so you can spot problems early.

The right decisions at the right time are needed to solve problems when they arise. The following 5 steps provide direction for the process:

• Identifying - Being conscious of what is going on around you, so you can spot problems early.
• Defining - Making a careful analysis of the problem to be solved, in order to define it as clearly as possible.
• Making the decision - Evaluating the alternatives and choosing a course of action that will improve the situation in a significant way.
• Implementing - Setting your action plan in motion, by creating a schedule and assigning tasks and responsibilities.
• Following through - Monitoring the progress, to ensure that the desired outcome is achieved.

ACTION POINT: Use the five steps above to asses and solve problems.

Finding Solutions

Establish criteria for measuring success, then track progress and take corrective actions when necessary.

Problem solving involves closing the gap between what is actually taking place and a desired outcome. Once you have identified a problem that needs to be addressed, start by analyzing the problem and defining it as clearly as you can. This is a key step: the definition you generate will have a major impact on all remaining steps in the process. If you get the definition wrong, all remaining steps will be distorted, because you will base them on insufficient or erroneous information.

Definition is important even if the solution appears to be obvious--without full assessment you may miss an alternative resolution that is more advantageous. Gather as much information about the situation as you can. Try to understand the goals of all of the parties involved, and clarify any aspect of the problem you are unclear about.

Once you are satisfied that you have full understanding of the issues, develop courses of action that could provide a resolution to the problem. There is often more than one way to solve a problem, so it is critical to consider all possible solutions and arrive at several alternatives from which tho choose.

Your decision will provide you with an action plan. However, this will be of little value unless it is implemented effectively. Defining how, when, and by whom the action plan is to be implemented an communicating this to those involved is what connects the decision with reality.

Your involvement should not end at implementation, however. Establish criteria for measuring success, then track progress and take corrective actions when necessary. Try to develop and maintain positive attitudes in everyone involved in the implementation process.

ACTION POINT: Define problems clearly and connect their solution to reality with an action plan.

A Homing Instinct

Heaven means not just a pleasant place but our place, not just a good place but a good place for us. Peter Kreeft - 1980

Let's explore our blessing. Let's open our strange present and play with it a bit. What does it mean?

Alienation is the opposite of being at home. If the Bible is not wrong when it calls us "strangers and pilgrims" (1 Pet 2:11), then that's why we feel alienation: We feel what is. When any organism is at home, there is an ecological fit with its environment, a harmony, a rightness. If the environment does not supply this, that environment is not its home.

A fish has no quarrel with the sea. Yet we have a lover's quarrel with the world...

We have a homing instinct, a "home detector," and it doesn't ring for earth. That's why nearly every society in history except our own instinctively believes in life after death. Like the great mythic wanders, Like Ulysses and Aeneas, we have been trying to get home. Earth just doesn't smell like home. However good a road it is, however good a mote it is, however good a training camp it is, it is not home. Heaven is.

1 Peter 2:11

Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

Solving Problems

A major responsibility for all managers is to maintain a constant lookout for existing or potential problems...


Managerial success depends on making the right decisions at the right times. However, unless you define a problem and identify its root causes, it is impossible to make appropriate decisions about how to solve it. Effective managers know how to gather and evaluate information that clarifies a problem, develop alternatives, and weigh up the implications of a plan before implementing it.

A problem exists when a situation is not what is needed or desired. A major responsibility for all managers is to maintain a constant lookout for existing or potential problems, and to spot them early before they escalate into serious situations. Managers fulfill this responsibility by keeping channels of communication open, monitoring employees' current performance, and examining deviations form present plans as well as from past experience. Four situations can alert managers to possible problems:

• A deviation from past experience
• A deviation from a set plan
• When other people communicate problems to you
• When competitors start to outperform your team or organization.

ACTION POINT: Maintain vigilance to prevent and solve problems.

Sustaining Culture

They are taught the history of the firm

Managers are responsible for sustaining organizational culture, by helping new employees learn and adapt to it. A new worker, for example, must be taught what behaviors are valued and rewarded by the organization, so that he or she can learn the "system" and gradually assume those behaviors that are appropriate to their role.

At coffee retailer Starbucks, every employee goes through a set of formal classes during their first few weeks on the job. They are taught the history of the firm, coffee-making techniques, and how to explain Starbucks Italian drink names to baffled customers, and given coffee-tasting classes. The firms socialization program turns out employees who are well versed in the company's culture and can represent Starbucks obsession with "elevating the coffee experience" for its customers.

ACTION POINT: Elevate the "lighting" experience for your employees and your customers.

Analyzing Organizational Culture

Many organizations have given little thought to their culture and do not readily display it.

Being able to discern an organization's culture is not always a simple task. Many organizations have given little thought to their culture and do not readily display it. To try to find out more about your organization's culture, you might:

• Observe the physical surroundings. Look at signs, pictures, styles of dress, length of hair, the degree of openness among offices, and how those offices are furnished and arranged.
• Listen to the language. For example, do managers use military terms, such as "take no prisoners," and "divide and conquer"? Or do they speak about "intuition," "care," and "our family of customers"?
• Ask different people the same questions and compare their answers. you might ask: how does this company define success? For what are employees most rewarded? Who is on the fast tract and what did they do to get there?

ACTION POINT: What do your surroundings and language say about your culture?

Ensuring Cultural Fit

The cultural imperatives of an organization are often not written down or even discussed, but all successful managers must learn what to do and what not do do in their organizations.

An organization's culture, or personality, refers to the key characteristics that the organization values and that distinguish it form other organizations. Managers need to be aware of organizational culture because they are expected to respond to the dictates of the culture themselves and also to develop an understanding of the culture in those they are managing.

The cultural imperatives of an organization are often not written down or even discussed, but all successful managers must learn what to do and what not do do in their organizations. In fact, the better the match between the manager's personal style and the organization's culture, the more successful the manager is likely to be. Founders create culture in three ways. First they hire and keep employees who think and feel the way they do. Second, founders indoctrinate and socialize these employees to their way of thinking. Their, founders act as role models, and their personality becomes central to the culture of the organization.

ACTION POINT: Identify the unwritten cultural imperatives for your organization.

Being Responsible

It is important for managers to develop their own ethical boundaries

Ethics is important for everyone in an organization, particularly as some unethical acts are also illegal. Many organizations want employees to behave ethically because such a reputation is good for business, which in turn can mean larger profits. However, acting ethically is especially crucial for managers. The decisions a manager makes set the standard for those they are managing and help create a tone for the organization. If employees believe all are held to high standards, they are likely to feel better about themselves, their colleagues, and their organization.

The behavior of managers is under more scrutiny than that of other members of staff, and misdeeds can become quickly and widely known, destroying the reputation of the organization. It is important for managers to develop their own ethical boundaries -- lines that they and their employees should not cross. To do this, you need to:

• Know and understand your organization's policy on ethics.
• Anticipate unethical conduct. Be alert to situations that may promote unethical behavior. (Under unusual circumstances, even a normally ethical person may be tempted to act out of character.)
• Consider all consequences. Ask yourself questions such as : "What if my actions were described in detail on a local TV news show or in the newspaper? What if I get caught doing something unethical? Am I prepared to deal with the consequences?"
• Seek opinions form others. they may have been in a similar situation, or at least can listen and be sounding board for you.
• Do what you truly believe is right. You have a conscience and are responsible for your behavior. You need to be true to your own internal ethical standards Ask yourself the simple question: "Can I live with what I have decided to do?"

ACTION POINT: Set and demonstrate high standards for your team.

Just to Be

What we have to be is what we are. -Thomas Merton

Humility of heart is the capacity just to be for the sake of God. he called us into being. What more could one ask than the enjoyment of it? We did not ask for it; we did nothing to attain it. It is; and yet we cannot fully enjoy it without humility of heart. We always want to know, "what am I going to do with this being? Do I like it or don't I?" We are able to ask this because we are free to be. And that freedom is what distinguishes us from the rest of material creation. One way of entering into this fundamental Christian attitude is to learn once again what it means just to be -- to allow ourselves to rest before God with the being he gave us, with no other intention, effort, or purpose, except to surrender that being back to him. This is the orientation of contemplative prayer and the ultimate purpose of every genuine spiritual exercise.

Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Leading Others

Managers need to lead their team

Leadership is the process of providing direction, influencing and energizing others, and obtaining follower commitment to shared organizational goals. Managers need to lead their team, setting ethical boundaries for them to follow, developing a power base for influencing them to change in positive ways, and helping them improve through coaching and mentoring.

Few of us would be likely to steal or cheat, but how principled would you be, or should you be, when faced with a routine business situations involving ethical choices? As a leader, you need to have a clear understanding of your ethical principles and set a consistent example for your team.

Ethics refer to the rules or principles that define right or wrong conduct. In the workplace, acting ethically is not just an abstraction, it is an everyday occurrence. Consider the dilemma; an employee, after some pressure from you, has found another job. You are relieved because you will not have to fire him; his work has been substandard for some time. But your relief tuns to dismay when he asks you for a letter of recommendation. Do you say no and run the risk that he will not leave? Or do you write the letter, knowing that you're influencing someone else to take him on?

ACTION POINT: Establish ethical boundaries for the guidance and operation of your team.

Conducting the Appraisal Interview

Ask yourself...Am I prepared for the appraisal?

Start with the aim of putting the person at ease. Most people don't like to hear their work criticized, so be supportive and understanding and create a helpful and constructive climate. Begin the interview by explaining what will transpire during the appraisal and why. Keep your appraisal goal-oriented, and make sure that your feedback is specific. Vague statements provide little useful information. Where you can, get the person's own perceptions of the problems being addressed--there may be contributing factors that you are unaware of. Encourage the person to evaluate themselves as much as possible. In a supportive climate, they may acknowledge performance problems independently, thus eliminating your need to raise them. They may also offer viable solutions.

At the end of the interview, ask the recipient to rephrase the content of your appraisal. This will indicate whether or not you have succeeded in communicating your evaluation clearly. Finish by drawing up a future plan of action. Draft a detailed, step-by-step plan for improvement. Include in the plan what needs to be done, by when, and how you will monitor the person's activities.

ACTION POINT: Ask yourself...Am I prepared for the appraisal? Have I carefully considered the employee's strengths as well as their weaknesses? Can I substantiate, with specific examples, all points of praise and criticism? Have I thought about any problems that may occur in the appraisal interview? Have I considered how I will react to these problems?

Appraising Performance

Appraisals allow you to set goals and monitor achievement

As a manager, you must ensure that objectives are met and also that employees learn how to enhance their performance. Providing structured feedback through the formal performance appraisal process can increase productivity and morale and decrease absenteeism and staff turnover.

Giving feedback in a formal way in performance appraisal interviews conveys to those you are managing that you care about how they are doing. Appraisals allow you to set goals and monitor achievement, helping to motivate your team to perform to a higher level. They allow you to tell each individual how well they're progressing, which can reinforce good behavior and and extinguish dysfunctional behavior.

However, the interview itself should be the final step in the performance appraisal process. Appraisal should be a continuous process, starting with the establishment and communication of performance standards. Continually asses how each individual is performing relative to these standards, and use this information to discuss a person's performance with them in the appraisal interview.

ACTION POINT: When giving your appraisal, avoid absolutes such as "always' and "never"--if the person you are appraising can introduce one exception to your statement, it can destroy the entire statement's validity and damage your credibility.

Motivating Your Team

Make sure that every individual realizes the link between their performance and the rewards.

There are other methods of motivating employees in addition to direct positive reinforcement. These include:

• Strengthening effort-performance-reward expectancies. To get the best from your team, emphasize the anticipated reward value, whether extrinsic or intrinsic. Make sure that every individual realizes the link between their performance and the rewards. Even if you organization does not provide performance-based pay, you can bestow other extrinsic rewards, such as allocating more favorable job assignments.
• Giving performance feedback. Provide feedback to demonstrate that you know what the members of your team are doing and to acknowledge improved performance or a job well done. Especially when individuals are unsure of themselves, you should point out ways in which the person is improving. Praising specific accomplishments will help to bolster the person's self esteem.
• Reinforce the right behavior. Quite often what managers say they want, what they reward, and what they get from their teams are quite different. If you verbally espouse innovation but reward doing things by the book, you are sending mixed signals and reinforcing the wrong behavior that you want to see repeated.
• Empowering employees to achieve. Empowering the people you are managing, by giving them the authority, information, and tools they need to do their jobs with greater autonomy, can greatly improve their motivation levels.

ACTION POINT: Reinforce right behavior and empower your team for independence.

Using Positive Reinforcement

Try to understand whether each individual you are managing values intrinsic or extrinsic rewards more highly.

Rewarding progress and success and recognizing achievements are powerful ways to motivate your team. By rewarding someone for doing something right, you positively reinforce that behavior, giving them an incentive for doing it again. There are two basic types of reward: extrinsic and intrinsic. Many people depend on and highly value extrinsic rewards that are externally bestowed, such as praise, a promotion, or a pay raise. Others place a high value on intrinsic rewards, which originate from their own personal feelings about how they performed or the satisfaction that they derive from a job well done.

Try to understand whether each individual you are managing values intrinsic or extrinsic rewards more highly. If you always praise achievements, for example, a motivated person who excels largely for the feelings of intrinsic satisfaction will probably begin to view you as superficial. The professional may think, "I know I did a superb job on this project. Why is my manager being so condescending?"

People also desire different types of extrinsic rewards. Praise may be perfectly acceptable to the person motivated by acceptable to the person expecting a more tangible reward, like money. Typical extrinsic rewards are favorable assignments, trips to desirable destinations, tuition reimbursement, pay raises , bonuses, promotions, and office placements.

ACTION POINT: Use intrinsic and extrinsic rewards to reinforce your teams efforts.

Spiritual Attentiveness

O taste and see that the Lord is good...

Psalm 34:8

[Psalm 34:8]...suggests the mystery of love, the fact that we know God and attain to a deep knowledge of him through love rather than by intellectual reflection. ...According to the psalmist, we must first taste, enjoy, and then understand...The spiritual senses are an analogy of the material ones: sight, hearing, touch and taste. In bodily things, taste and touch are the most intimate because an object is present directly when you taste or touch it. It is less directly present when you see it, hear it, or smell it. Touch is experienced when an object is present inwardly. God is substantially present in the inmost depths of our soul, and if he makes his presence felt there, the most appropriate analogy of it is taste -- the most intimate, the most direct experiences of the senses. It is an analogy; not a sensible reality, but a spiritual experience.

Psalm 34:8 O taste and see that the Lord is good; happy are those who take refuge in him.

Motivating Others

There are two aspects to what makes a person perform well: ability and motivation.

Everyday, people make decisions about how much effort to put into their work. Managers have many opportunities to influence these decisions an motivate their team by providing challenging work, recognizing outstanding performance, allowing participation in decisions that affect employees, and showing concern for personal issues.

As a manager, you need to understand what drives your team to do the best that they can. American psychologist Abraham Maslow proposed that every individual has a five-level hierarchy of needs that they are driven to attempt to satisfy. Once a lower-level need has been largely satisfied, its impact on a person's behavior diminishes, and they begin to be motivated to gain the next highest level need.

There are two aspects to what makes a person perform well: ability and motivation. Ability is the product of aptitude, training, and resources, while motivation is the product of desire an commitment. All of these elements are required for high performance levels. If someone is not performing well, the first question you should ask yourself is: "Is their poor performance the result of a lack of ability or a lack of motivation?" Motivational methods can often be very effective for improving performance, but if the problem is lack of ability, no amount of pressure or encouragement will help. What the person needs is training, additional resources, or a different job.

ACTION POINT: Evaluate your team through the lens of ability and motivation.

How to Delegate

Let everyone who may be affected know what has been delegated to whom and how much authority has been granted.

Getting things done through other people is most effective when the following steps are considered:

• Clarify the assignment. Explain what is being delegated, the results you expect, and the time frame.
• Set boundaries. Ensure that the delegatees understand precisely what the parameters are of the authority you are bestowing on them.
• Encourage participation. Involve delegatees in decisions bout what is delegated, how much authority is needed, and standards to be attained.
• Inform others. Let everyone who may be affected know what has been delegated to whom and how much authority has been granted.
• Establish controls. Agree on specific time for completion of the task, and set dates when progress will be check and problems discussed.
• Encourage development. Insist from the beginning that when delegatees come to you with a problem, they also bring a possible solution.

ACTION POINT: Use the steps above when delegating to others.