Out of the Crisis.Org

[Louis Altazan]

Part Five

Sincere expressions of appreciation of work well done is a sign of leadership. Appreciation can be monetary, though it need not be. Sometimes a sincere thank you is worth more than money. Opportunity is also very important. People generally like to feel they are advancing in their career.

Opportunity can take the form of additional training, additional responsibility or even time to work on a project that is important to the employee. What is not helpful is disingenuous praise. Saying "good job," every time a person does their normal job is easily seen as what it is. Rather sincere concern and recognition is the hallmark of a leader.

I have found a group vacation given as an expression of appreciation very effective. This can have the added effect of helping to build a team environment. This allow people to spend time together away from the work environment. How is this different from an incentive? Simple, there are no conditions placed on it before hand and it is given as a thank you. It is not employed to influence a person’s performance.

I feel maximum potential can be obtained from people freed from the constraint of worrying about their income. This can be accomplished when their financial needs have been met. In my opinion, once this point is reached, production, quality, and cooperation can be improved to levels presently not obtainable.

While all of this is in the best interest of management, it is in the best interest of the employee as well. If a company is to be a united organization, I do not think it possible to be otherwise. "No house divided amongst itself will stand."

(End of article)

Link to Part four: http://www.outofthecrisis.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56

_________________
Louis Altazan
Owner/Manager AGCO Automotive Corporation
Baton Rouge, LA