. This newsletter can also be viewed at: http://www.coachingforexcellence.biz/Newsletter.htm
Inside Out |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
October 25, 2006 -- Volume 2, Issue 10 |
||||||||||
A Message from Kim |
||||||||||
If they don't have any record of your order, then go to |
||||||||||
In This Issue |
||||||||||
Feature Article Upcoming Events Book Review |
||||||||||
Punished by Rewards I read Alphie Kohn's book, Punished by Rewards, and was surprised by how much research there is out there that supports the concepts of Choice Theory and Empowered Leadership. I wasn't surprised the research supported Choice Theory and Empowered Leadership, but I was surprised by how much research there actually is. Unfortunately, I know many of you are thinking there are just some people that won’t do anything unless it’s for a reward. You are right and you know what created that condition? Rewarding behaviors for compliance! That’s right. We created the very behavior we are trying to change. Over the years, the majority of us have been bathed in a stimulus-response world. Our parents either rewarded or punished us to do what they thought best. Then we entered school where the teachers rewarded or punished us with the grades they assigned. After that we entered the workforce and rewards and punishments run rampant there, as well. When people have constantly been rewarded, they do develop a dependency on the reward system. It appears that no internal motivation exists. With these people, it is important to explain what you are attempting to accomplish by eliminating rewards and to get their buy-in. Empowered Leadership is the alternative to rewarding. It empowers leaders and workers and strengthens autonomy. It helps to develop internal motivation to produce quality work. With Empowered Leadership, supervisors are trained to create an environment where workers can get their basic needs met at work. They feel safe—safe from physical dangers and emotional harm. They have good teamwork with their co-workers, believe that their supervisor has their best interest at heart and understands that management is interested in them as individuals. They feel important and respected on the job. When they make suggestions, they are listened to. They believe their contribution to the whole makes a difference. They have some freedom on the job. They are not micro managed and can function independently within the boundaries of their assigned job duties. They are adequately trained and have fun at work. It is the supervisor’s responsibility to create this environment for their workers. It is up to the worker to decide whether or not the job meets his or her needs. When it does, the worker will produce quality work because he wants to, not because he is being threatened, punished or rewarded to do it. If you are strictly looking for compliance you can get it through rewards. However, if what you really want is quality work and employees who are satisfied with their jobs, then you really must look at Empowered Leadership or some other internal motivation model where you can create a need-satisfying environment so workers develop that internal motivation to produce quality work. Copyright © October 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved
NOTICE: This article is free and can be copied and reproduced |
||||||||||
*Click Here or to read some of Kim's other articles* |
||||||||||
Teleclasses All teleclasses free, one (1) hour in length and all you need is a telephone. When you register we will send you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of your teleclass. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available. The following Teleclasses are FREE Do you maintain a diverse workforce in your place of business? Do you celebrate diversity? Would you like to learn how to create a diverse workplace that embraces diversity? Register for this call and learn how creating a diverse workforce in your place of business can increase your bottom line and create a more pleasant work environment for you, your co-workers and your employees. Goal Setting & Attainment Come on now; are you serious this time about keeping those New Year’s resolutions? Let’s really get serious about setting those goals for next year. This teleclass will give you a time-proven system for setting and actually attaining those New Year’s resolutions. No more excuses. Register for this call today. All you need is a telephone. Once you register, we will email you a phone number that you will call five minutes prior to the start of this class. You will have the opportunity to ask questions, but if you prefer to just listen that’s all right too. You do not need a computer or Internet, only a telephone. Don’t delay. There are a limited number of slots available. Empowered Leadership How would you like your leaders to be more effective? How would you like to create a work environment that is empowering to your employees? Register for this call and learn the skills necessary to create an empowered workforce for both management and your employees. Choice Theory & Reality Therapy Stop wasting your time attempting to control others and in the process becoming someone you don’t recognize. Discover how when you learn how to focus on your own behavior, you become empowered, more effective and ultimately improve the relationships in your life. Register for this call now and discover how you can be happier and more satisfied by making some adjustment in what you are doing. It’s a very exciting journey! Anger Management (De-escalation Skills) Are you someone who is confronted with angry people in the course of your life? Spouses, children, extended family members, neighbors, community members who have tempers and like to yell at you? Want to learn ways to take the wind out their sails and have them communicating more cooperatively? Then this class is for you! |
||||||||||
Chat Room All Chats are from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. EST |
||||||||||
"Keep your thinking right and your business will be right." --Zig Ziglar I know this application isn't exactly the one Mr. Ziglar was referring to but there are two modes of thought that exist out there. One is the stimulus/response mode and the other is the inside out mode. If we believe in stimulus/response, that is "wrong thinking." If we operate as if we not only have the right, but the morale obligation to make others "do the right thing" and we either reward or punish them into submission, we are operating from a faulty paradymn. People are internally motivated to do things that are need satisfying. Yes, it will perhaps take longer and require greater flexibility and creativity to motivate our workers from within but it is "right thinking." This is how we work. Our business will "be right" when we throw out the old paradymn and begin with the inside out model. Empowered Leadership can help. |
||||||||||
Punished by Rewards The entire article this month discusses my review of Punished by Rewards by Alphie Kohn. I would highly recommend it as confirmation for those who already have an inside out orientation. I would also recommend it for those who believe that rewards and punishment are the preferable, and perhaps the only, way to get others to do what they are supposed to do. You owe it to yourself to understand the research and to expose yourself to another possible view. Check it out. Click here to order this book |
||||||||||
Whenever you are tempted to bribe or reward someone into behavior you want them to exhibit, ask yourself, "Is this really an important thing? What would happen if it didn't get done my way?" A lot of times we insist on certain things that set up adversarial relationships. Is it really important that the employee's desk be cleared prior to him or her leaving for the evening? Is it really critical that employees solve problems in exactly the same way you would? Often times there are things we set up as "musts" when really they are "wouldn't it be nice" things. When we take a step back and review what's most important, we realize that we are insisting on things that really are negotiable. Don't be afraid to pull back and admit that you have found a negotiable area and work toward a solution that will benefit you, the employee and the company. |
||||||||||
Question: I work with a boy in a residential setting who is very institutionalized. He only seems to be motivated by rewards that are offered externally. We currently have him working for good behavior (the absence of physical restraints) so he can go out to the Chinese restaurant for his birthday. Do you think that is the wrong thing to do? Answer: I would not recommend that he be bribed to exhibit good behavior. I have two questions. What do you think will happen if he can't maintain good behavior for two weeks and he loses the opportunity to go out to eat after being good for 13 days and blowing it on the last day? I would go ballistic if it was me. Let's just say he does make it and he is able to eat out, then what will you use to motivate him next week? He has no motivation to being non-aggressive except to get his reward. The answer, instead, is to work on building a positive relationship with this boy. He has no family resources so he should be taken out on his birthday regardless of his behavior, unless you believe he is a safety risk, either to himself or others and then that needs to be explained to him so he has the opportunity to change his behavior. Work on helping him get all five of his needs met within the environment of your program and you will see less acting out behavior. Yes, this will take longer but it will have long-lasting effects. |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
Copyright © October 25, 2006 Kim Olver. All rights reserved. |
||||||||||
Well, I still wish I had definitive news for you about our book promotion 