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INDUSTRY NEWS
Work is Contractual - Effort is Personal
By Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden
Unless you were in a self-imposed news blackout during the last week of 2004,
you probably know about what USAirways CEO Bruce Lakefield called an "operations
meltdown" - the fiasco of epic proportions that besieged the bankrupt |
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airline when "a large number" of flight attendants, baggage
handlers, and ramp workers called in sick on Christmas weekend. Some of you, we're sure,
were part of the story, as yours was one of the nearly 400 flights cancelled and/or the
10,000 or so pieces of luggage that ended up short of their final destination.
Union leaders denied any organized effort to slow operations. Of course there
was no organized effort.
None was needed. Maybe there
was a little "peer encouragement", |
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but by and large, all it took was for each of those USAirways employees to decide on his or her own to
withhold their services for a couple of days. As the work rules allow people to call in sick, no rules
were broken. |
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Which brings us to our point. Work is contractual; effort is personal.
As many of you know, we're in the throes of writing a book that deals with the whole topic of "Discretionary
Effort" (DE) - that increment of human labor whose expenditure is entirely at the discretion of
the individual who owns it. Some (not all) of the articles in our Fresh Milk series this year will
explore what we're learning about DE.
In purely economic terms, Discretionary Effort is by far the most profitable morsel of
human effort ever offered up to employers. By definition, you can't pay for DE; you can't beat,
cajole, or entice it out of anyone. It's what we do willingly, because we want to.
“A” Game vs. “C” Game
While we're sure that most of you who read “Fresh Milk” are above average on the DE scale,
we'd all probably have to admit that there are days when we play our "A" Game, and other days when we
offer no better than our "C" Game. |
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Studies have repeatedly shown that, in fact, most of us operate far short of our potential much of the
time. In 2004, we asked 158 of our “Fresh Milk” readers to complete a survey on DE. Correction - we
asked all 5000 of you do the survey; 158 of you obliged. What you told us suggests that most people
routinely expend only about 62% of their physical, mental, and emotional capacity while at work.
Everyone's entitled to a bad day now and then, but that's like taking every Thursday afternoon and
all day Friday off! |
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By their own admission, 41% of the respondents to our survey indicated that they "could contribute
substantially more at work, if they wanted to." Fewer than 30% disagreed with that statement.
Calling to mind our respective performance on the last few 'honey-do' lists we each attempted
around the house, we suspect this phenomenon isn't confined to the workplace.
Another part of the equation - and from what we can tell so far, a large part of it - simply has
to do with how we're wired. Call it what you like - character, Commitment, work ethic - some of
us are simply more devoted to giving our all than others, regardless of the presence or
absence of outside motivators. Everyone has an "A" Game and a "C" Game. But for some folks,
"A" just seems to be the default condition.
So What Can You Do?
Hire people with a proven record of going the extra mile.
Look for it in resumes, and listen for it in interviews. Watch for signs of
self-initiated development efforts like taking
courses outside of work, taking on unpopular assignments, and volunteering in the community.
Take strident efforts to build, maintain, and protect trust between you and the people you work with.
We'll do an awful lot for those we trust, and precious little for those we don't.
Don't take undue advantage of those who customarily give their all. Everyone has a limit. The
fastest route to an "A" player's "C" game is to make "heroic" efforts the norm. If you expect
people to work 70 hours week after week after week, with no end in sight, you'd better be
putting something mighty tasty in the Kool-Aid.
When people do, indeed, go above and beyond the call of duty,
let them know you appreciate it.
Really appreciate it. Thank them, genuinely. Reward them, acknowledge their work as truly special,
and let them know you know the difference between doing the minimum required, and playing one's "A" game.
Richard Hadden and Bill Catlette are the authors of Contented Cows Give Better Milk and speak to leaders worldwide
about the bottom line benefits of creating a great place to work.
Click here to read the article in its entirety.
Source: Contented Cows, January 2005
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INDUSTRY TRENDS
Greatest Motivational Potential Lies at Esteem
and Social Acceptance
Remember Abraham Maslow's theory of motivation [from Psych 101]? Maslow's pyramid of
psychological needs provides us with insight on ways to motivate people to work harder, longer and more
intelligently.
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According to Maslow, we are motivated by unfilled needs. Since the first two need levels
are generally satisfied they offer employers little motivation potential. The highest need level,
self-realization, is influenced gradually and not immediately. Therefore, the greatest motivational
potential lies at the esteem and social acceptance levels. These are the levels where you can best
fill your employees needs with planned motivation programs. |
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Pure cash awards seldom work to motivate in programs.
Cash is a satisfier– not a motivator –and usually gets spent on some every day necessity and
is very easily forgotten. Programs that offer a combination of recognition and tangible awards
work the best to motivate in specific circumstances.
Suppose you need to reduce the accident rate in your warehouse, increase attendance in your data entry
department or measurably increase your customer satisfaction rate. Suppose you wish to get more ideas
on cutting costs or increasing productivity from your front line staff. A motivation program that is
well designed to increase and reward the specific behaviors you want repeated can be remarkably and
quickly successful.
Click here to
learn about a 4-step process to ensure the success of your next employee or consumer incentive program.
Source: Turning the Cycle of Failure to the Cycle of Success by JoAnna Brandi.
JoAnna Brandi is Publisher of the Customer Care Coach ™ a weekly training program on mastering "The
Art and Science of Exquisite Customer Care." She is the author of "Winning at Customer Retention,
101 Ways to Keep 'em Happy, Keep 'em Loyal and Keep 'em Coming Back" and "Building Customer
Loyalty - 21 Essential Elements in ACTION" she writes a free email tip on customer caring.
You can sign up at customercarecoach.com or customerretention.com. |
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GIFT CERTIFICATE CENTER NEWS
& ENHANCEMENTS
The Finest Merchant Selection Gets Better |
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Smith & Hawken offers products of
uncompromising quality for the garden and home through 56 retail locations, a comprehensive catalog, and online
at
Smith & Hawken.com. |
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| Founded in 1979 as a source for well-crafted garden tools, the company has expanded its offerings to include heirloom teak furniture, unusual plants |
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and containers, garden ornament and structure, weekend work wear, and a
wealth of other products inspired by the garden. |
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Burdines-Macy’s is “The Florida Store” and operates 63
locations and is world famous for offering an incredible range of fashion and gifts by top designers. |
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They have exactly what you are looking for,
including the finest gold and gemstone jewelry, beautiful designer shoes, handbags and accessories to finish any look, plus a spectacular array of home accents.
Since 1987, Lobster Gram® has specialized in delivering Maine and exotic lobsters “Ocean-fresh from shore to door”.
Choose from gifts featuring ocean-fresh live Maine lobsters with all the trimmings, exotic lobster tails, gourmet steaks, luscious appetizers and desserts, and so much more! |
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Barewalls.com
offers the fastest, easiest and most affordable way to decorate at home or in the workplace.
Visitors to Barewalls.com easily browse more than a quarter
million posters and prints online |
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to find their favorites— fine art, photography, movie posters, vintage
advertising and more. Their custom framing options include wood and metal frames,
canvas transfers and board mounts.
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It’s not about having the right tools for the job...it’s about
finding the right job for the tools. Northern Tool + Equipment
carries everything needed to build and repair
stuff. That’s why Northern is the place where warriors prepare for battle, with tools and equipment as strong
as they are.
Shop online at NorthernTool.com, where over 14,000 products are just a click away. You'll also find additional
sale and clearance items, new product previews, |
and much more!
In addition to our web site, you can also shop by
catalog or stop in at one of our 47 retail stores in 10 different states. |
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Click here to view our national merchants.
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The Perfect Award Every Time
We recently updated and refreshed our award background selection at
PremiereChoiceAward.com. We're excited to introduce the following two
new designs! |
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“Achievement”
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Tradition-Inspired
Select this design for service anniversaries, retirement, completion of an undergraduate,
MBA and other work-related courses. “Achievement” replaces the “Marble” design and is
suitable for framing. |
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“Celebration”
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Gift-Worthy
“Celebration” is perfect for employee welcome gifts, employee appreciation day, Administrative
Professional Day®, festive occasions like birthdays, service anniversaries, holiday and year-end gifts.
This design replaces the “Gold Bow”.
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