My management philosophy: I have an operating philosophy that is at variance with many conventional views of leadership and what it takes to become or create a great leader. This philosophy is outlined below and you should read it carefully. If you find that you do not resonate with this view, we should probably not work together. It will be a waste of your time. If, on the other hand, you find your head vigorously nodding “Yes! Yes!” as you read it, if you find that it expresses ideas that you have held in diffuse form for a long time, if it rings true to you at a deep level, then you should immediately engage with me in what could be a profoundly beneficial association for both of us.
It is not the function of a leader to motivate followers. It is the function of a leader to find out what is demotivating followers and systematically get rid of it. This is not semantic hair-splitting. It is a profoundly different discernment and has many ramifications.
Much of what is traditionally defined as “motivation” is actually sophisticated manipulation to get workers to do what they are unwilling to.
Human beings are inherently motivated. Nobody ever starts a new job intending to be a disgruntled, disengaged employee. That is something that happens to him/her and is a systemic failure. This failure could be in selection, training, supervision, company culture or a host of other factors in combination.
Incentives such as money and perks of various kinds and sanctions such as demotion or threats of being fired simply get persons to play the game. They may ensure some behavioral compliance, but they are not “motivators”. They do have their place but most companies tend to overuse them.
Nobody ever gets up on Monday morning all fired up at the thought of “maximizing shareholder value” or meeting revenue or profit targets or increasing market share or any similar goal. It is the leader’s job to articulate a vision so powerful that it takes over the employee and makes him/her want to rush to work and do what needs doing.
Obviously this cannot be done unless the leader himself/herself is inspired by this vision. This is merely the first step, however. The arduous task of refining and constantly, constantly, constantly communicating that vision in ways big and small lies ahead.
This communicating is not a solitary endeavor. That would make it an overwhelming burden. It is the leader’s function to develop many who fully understand it and can do it as well, or better, than he/she can.
The best, perhaps the only, way to release the motivation inherent in a person is to work to ensure that each reaches his/her highest potential. Most managers, unfortunately, tend to view persons as instruments by which they can achieve their goals. This is not a mindset that encourages persons to unstintingly give what they are capable of.
An employee does not have a “work life” and a “personal life”. He/she has one life and either it is working or it is not. This does not mean that he/she does not have challenges in one or more areas. It does mean that these challenges need to be addressed in a holistic fashion and not a compartmentalized one.
A person needs to be comfortable enough to be authentic at work. If he/she has to put on a mask at work – or, even worse, multiple different masks – then he she is burnt out or heading towards burn-out.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the author of The Little Prince, explains leadership succinctly and powerfully: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
It goes without saying that before you can teach anyone to yearn for the vast and endless sea, you have to experience that same yearning yourself.
My thesis is simple: Do you get up in the morning with your blood singing at the thought of being who you are and doing what you do? Do you come radiantly alive several times each day and feel like sinking to your knees in involuntary gratitude at the thought of the tremendous good fortune that has been bestowed on you?
If you do not feel this way, then you are wasting your life and life is entirely too short to be frittered away.
If this makes complete sense to you, then we should talk about a custom designed corporate program for you.
Application:
1) Please describe your company – revenues, earnings, # of employees, geographic location, products and services and what makes it special and memorable.
2) How did you learn about me and what prompted you to reach out?
3) If we decide to work together, what would you like to have happen?