A thinkers blog

Employees and Recognition

When it comes to the praise and recognition, managers and their reports have two different opinions, as the former feels ample is being provided and the latter thinks it is absent. Any manager runs a risk of demotivating their employees by not showering enough praises. At the same time the question which we ask ourselves as a manager is, if it is possible to praise excessively and run a risk of sub-optimal performance. Usual answer to such questions lies in finding the right balance. According to Gallup data, the key to effective recognition is that it be honest and based on outcomes that are measurable. They suggest that once every seven days is optimum.

“Once every seven days, all employees should be individually recognized or at least told that they have done a good job or that they have set a record. And you can never give too much recognition if it is honest and deserved.” - Rodd Wagner and James K. Harter, 12: The Elements of Great Managing

This is probably a good way to monitor that we do not miss on this crucial aspect. However, I am not convinced that the answer lies in the 'number of times'. I believe what counts is authenticity. A veracious praise once a month is more effective than four ritualistic praises. To implement this, a leader has to be genuinely interested in his/her people and be an intent observer to catch them doing the right things.

How to find your passion?

We have all heard the advice that if you find your passion then you never have to work. Finding passion is easier said than done, but is worth the search. Methods range from reflecting back on your school days to listening to your heart. However, various loose definitions of passion have resulted in many people mistaking their extra-curricular activities or past time hobbies as their passion, thereby not striving to find their real passion which necessarily requires sacrifices and willingness to take risks. I have found a couple of advices very useful on this subject, one of which from Steve Job's Stanford University Speech:

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.

You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.

This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life. The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle.

Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.

The second is from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in his book Flow: 

When we choose a goal and invest ourselves in it to the limits of our concentration, whatever we do will be enjoyable. And once we have tasted this joy, we will redouble our efforts to taste it again. This is the way the self grows.

A flow activity (can be read as passion activity), whether it involved competition, chance, or any other dimension of experience, had this in common: It provided a sense of discovery, a creative feeling of transporting a person into a new reality. It pushed the person to higher levels of performance.

What is the common thread? It is the willingness to take risks and make sacrifices. It is exhilarating to come closer and closer to self-discipline.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation

Dan Pink makes a convincing case suggesting the mightiness of intrinsic motivation over extrinsic motivation. In past few months, we have heard lot of studies backed findings against the extrinsic motivations from the field of social science. The studies became more frequent as the news related with executive bonuses started making to front pages, due to which I find these skewed.

On the subject of motivation, after Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, I have found Edward Deci as one of the most incisive thinkers. He had his book published in 1995 in which he propagated the concept of extrinsic and intrinsic motivational needs - Autonomy + Competence + Relatedness being the part of intrinsic motivational needs (which Mr. Dan has revised as Autonomy + Mastery + Purpose). Without going in much detail I would draw attention to two important points related with autonomy, as mentioned by Mr. Deci -

1.    Perceived autonomy + perceived competence = high intrinsic motivation

2.    Importance of self-knowledge to distinguish between ‘autonomy’ and ‘individualism’

Mr. Deci has suggested four ways to promote autonomy:

1.    Give choices

2.    Set limits with explanations

3.    Set goals and evaluate performance (involve people in setting goals).

4.    Administering rewards and recognitions (encourage doing best instead of competitiveness).

Mr. Deci states that extrinsic needs are - wealth, fame, and beauty; and intrinsic needs are autonomy, competence, and relatedness. In my opinion, we should not look at extrinsic vs intrinsic, rather we should use combination of both in a balanced way, as the needs are individualistic than general, and also differ based on the level on Maslow's pyramid.