Daniel Pink’s 18 min video on TED.com is a great example of how extrinsic motivators (such as financial incentives) have a narrow band of effectiveness and often work in reverse. By tapping into the intrinsic motivations of autonomy, mastery and purpose we can change not only how we do business, but how we work towardContinue reading “Does it Matter? Is It Interesting? Do I like doing it?”
Category Archives: Leadership & Management
New Manager Meeting
A colleague received an unusual e-mail from a new manager of his division: One of the most important responsibilities I have as the [title] is to ensure I help people in achieving their career goals. I’d like to take some time to meet you and to get to know you, your goals, and how IContinue reading “New Manager Meeting”
Activity, Efforts or Outcomes
A recently released report on successful government leaders [http://www.boozallen.com/publications/what-it-takes-to-change-government] lists several characteristics, one of which is “outcome oriented.” Leaders happen at every level of the organization- formal and informally. As we diligently work to do the best we can, we also need to ask the question, “So What?” This is one of the most powerfulContinue reading “Activity, Efforts or Outcomes”
Organizations are People and Practices
How many times have we used the royal “They” to refer to the management or executives higher than us in the organization? Or referred to “them”- the regulatory forces that demand compliance. “They” are the reason, the excuses, or the problem. Organizations are entities made up of individual People; mere mortals like you and IContinue reading “Organizations are People and Practices”
Timing is Everything
Readiness is what I’m thinking here. There are times we just aren’t in the right frame of mind to accept a new idea, or anything different that the current thinking. Sometimes we are ready. This hold true for asking for a raise, more budget, time off, as well as creating a subsidiary, initiating a mergerContinue reading “Timing is Everything”