own progress. After two months, the production output fell by 20 %. Monitoring progress is not about not trusting others. In fact, it has a positive psychology effect on people if it is done the right way.
According to Peter Drucker, the father of management,“ What gets measured, gets done”. To prevent complacency in the workplace, it will be useful for leaders to remember the adage“ People do not do what the manager expects and they do what
the manager inspects”.
5
Hold People Accountable for Results: There is magic in holding people accountable for results. It conveys two very important messages. One, the belief in the person’ s ability. The other, the importance of the responsibility the person play. To be effective, this must be communicated in a positive and confident manner.
It is not about telling people to do whatever they can and“ to try your best”. It is about communicating to people that their result is an important part to complete a puzzle. The success of the company depends on each one delivering the results that they are accountable. In essence, when come to the company’ s success, everyone is a VIP( Very Important Participant).
6
Discipline Non-Performers: As a consultant who have worked with many companies, I notice that most Asian managers are poor disciplinarians. They are better at playing the good guys and delivering the great news. Discipline does not mean shouting and threatening people although some managers seem to falsely believe that is the case.
I once asked a manager why he screamed at one of his staff. His rationale at justifying his behaviour was most telling,“ Well, some people have to be shouted at, otherwise they just don’ t move”.
There is a better way. One simply has to be firm and fair in disciplining and penalise non-performers. Firm in that one is unwavering and not give in to sob stories. Fair in the sense they were provided the training, resources and ample notices about their poor
performance before action is taken on them.
7
Reward And Recognition Based on Performances: Human beings are just too predictable. They have needs to be met. Not just basic needs. They have other needs to be nourished emotionally, psychologically and intellectually. People want to feel important. They want to be recognised for what they have done. They want to belong. They are driven by ego and a need to achieve.
Ultimately, they want a sense of fairness in terms of recognition and reward for the effort they have put in. If humans are so predictable, how is it that leaders find it so hard to motivate people to perform? Motivation in organisaation has been stained by company politics, human flaws of favouritism, conflict of interests, selfdriven agenda and other motivationdampening behaviours. To motivate people to perform, leaders simply have to reward and recognise people based on performance.
In essence, during the current challenging times, leaders need to seize the bull by its horns and make some unpopular decision to enable their businesses to both survive and thrive.
Dr Victor S. L. Tan is the founder and CEO of KL Strategic Change Consulting Group which specialises in change management consulting and training. He is the bestselling author of Changing Mindsets. His latest book is on Lessons of Success. For a free mindset profile survey tool for leaders, e-mail him at victorsltan @ klscc. com.
ISSUE 2: 2016 | ASEAN COMMUNITY OF ENTREPRENEURS 37