OPINION: A Soldier’s Story
A colonel and his driver were driving through the countryside when they noticed a pair of soldiers, with their kit bags, standing on the side of the road. Stopping, they offered the two privates a lift into the city. What does this have to do with management in business?
In the countryside one chilly August afternoon, a colonel and his driver spotted a pair of soldiers on the side of the road. The colonel instructed his driver to stop and offer the soldiers a lift, which they accepted.
On the way the colonel engaged the two young conscripts in conversation. He asked where they were from, what unit they were in and how they were enjoying their time in the army. He asked them about their families and what they hoped the future held in store for them. He was genuinely interested in the lads and he thanked them for the contribution they were making to their country.
When they arrived at their barracks and stepped out of the car, one of the non-commissioned officers told them that the colonel was a renowned leader of a crack infantry brigade which had a reputation for being fierce fighters and had been highly successful in warfare. The colonel was revered by the troops and he was known to be key to their outstanding performance. The two young soldiers came away from that encounter encouraged and keen to make their military career the best it could be.
This is an illustration of a management style that is so important, especially when it comes to business. Zig Ziegler, the well-known motivational speaker makes the comment, “Behaviour that is recognised and rewarded is repeated.” Recognition and reward are vital if we want to get the best out of our employees. And it needs to be genuine. For it to be really true the leader needs to take an active and conscious interest in the person he or she is hoping to motivate. False compliments or feigned interest is quickly recognised and will only produce cynicism amongst your workforce.
We often describe management as either being task- or goal-driven or being people- or socially-driven. Both extremes are not successful at achieving real success. A good manager needs to have a balance of both in her management style. Genuine recognition will only happen if the leader has a real interest in his people, but motivation can only occur if there are understood and achievable goals. Any person who leads others needs to find that critical balance between the two extremes.
Bear in mind as well that that talk is cheap, but money buys the whiskey. Reward is important, but must never happen in the absence of recognition. Reward should be appropriate to the achievement. It need not be hugely generous and sometimes even a token reward is enough for an employee to feel appreciated.
So in the final analysis, it is imperative managers take a genuine interest in her people. Celebrate their achievements, however small. Encourage them to take bigger steps. If they fail, help them to recognise their failure as a learning opportunity and let them try again. Finally, make sure that there are some tangible rewards that will make them feel valued.
Jonathan Meintjes is the managing director of Innovation Alliance, a company dedicated to encouraging innovation in industry.
