Simple is not Easy

Why do so many managers repeat the same mistakes and why don’t they do the things that would make their and their peoples’ lives easier, happier and more productive?

Three mistakes that waste billions and cause untold misery and harm include:
1. paying bonuses and incentives, specially individual rewards.
2. sending people on courses, but not helping them to implement their learning.
3. surveying employees, but instead of acting on the results, surveying them again (and again) and in more detail.

There is compelling evidence that these three things demotivate and disengage people. Research also shows what does engage and motivate people and does create sustained value. These things are simple, if not easy.

In 1967, Peter Drucker said, in “The Effective Executive”, that “The effective executive focuses on their own contribution, which, by itself, supplies the four basic requirements of effective human relations:
1. Communications
2. Teamwork
3. Self-development
4. Development of others”

In 1999, Curt Coffman, in “First Break All the Rules”, cites Gallup’s famous twelve questions that determine profitable engagement, of which the first four are:
1. Do I know what is expected of me at work?
2. Do I have the right materials do my job well?
3. Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
4. In the last seven days, have I received recognition for good work?

In 2009, David Macleod, in his UK Government report “Engaging for Success”, found (again) that people are motivated and engaged when:
1. They know where the organisation is going and their role
2. They have engaging managers who communicate clearly and give them timely, reinforcing feedback
3. They have a real voice that is listened to when giving bad news as well as good.
4. There is real integration of stated values and observed behaviours

So a quick insight is that there are simple things that work when you do them and there are things that cause real, enduring damage.

The things that do the worst harm are rewards, courses without implementation and surveys without action. I will look at each of those in detail later, but for now, I will just note that these three things seem relatively easy to make happen and give the early impression of positive action, even though they lead to negative effects later. They also get ever more complicated and worse, the more that managers try to make them work.

The things that bring the greatest benefits are all simple, but demand constant self-awareness and sensitivity to others, sustained discipline and resolution. They also require sufficient self-confidence to be able to enthuse and trust others and to be persistent and patient enough to allow the results to mature, blossom and bear fruit.

There are some leaders who do consistently do the right things and whose firms and people thrive. Some of them achieve fame and fortune and others succeed quietly. There are plenty of examples when we seek them, but even so, there are many more managers who hear the stories, who read the reports, who note the principles, but continue to mislead themselves and others by not following the examples, integrating the principles or implementing the learning. I wonder why?

In future posts I will suggest some reasons why well-intentioned managers consistently harm themselves, their people and their organisations. It has to do with illusion, self-delusion, and mistaken focus on the past and on possession. The best leaders keep very aware, focus on the future and act positively.

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