Focus on Strength

Management Secrets

A story of an Eagle

Mrs. Ranjana Kumar

Today, the world has over six billion people; a population growing rapidly. Each human being is unique and the key to a successful relationship is to find the uniqueness in the person you are dealing with. Extending this logic, one would argue that this theory should, therefore, hold good for the workplace too.

Concepts of strategy, tactics, immaculate execution, review and continuous improvement cannot be practiced effectively unless it is clear who will play what role in the entire chain of tasks. It is said, "It takes 20 percent of our time to decide 'what 'to do and the we spend 80 percent of our time deciding 'who' will do the task." Needless to say, it is imperative for managers to know the strengths of team members and understand who is suited to what role.
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Those who have read about the work done by Marcus Buckingham on the strengths-based approach will know how crucial it is to identify the strengths of the team and best deploy resources where there is a possibility of optimally using each individual's strengths for superlative results.

According to Buckingham, the best managers share one talent - the ability to find and then capitalize on their employees' unique traits. The guiding principle is, 'How can I take this person's talent and turn it into performance?' That's the only way success is possible.

So should we not focus on weakness at all? Yes, we should? Actually, no rulebook says one should not, but it defies logic and common sense. Hence, it makes more sense to allow a person to play to his strengths rather than focus on his weakness. Therefore, weaknesses an organization a concentrating swing on

needs

cultural

towards

strengths since Strengths are the foundation of exceptional performance.

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We are often told that less than 20% of employees play to their strengths every day at work. It surely makes us wonder "So what do the other 80% do every day?" Even a cursory glance at the situation points towards the colossal possibility to improve the productivity of any organization if all

employees can be channelized to play to their strengths.

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Continuous focus on strengths with 'military precision' will prove to be the fulcrum of success across the gamut of HR interventions an

organization adopts for responding to today's changing business needs.

As Jack Welch said: "If you pick the right people and give them the opportunity to spread their wings... you almost don't have to manage them." Giving people this opportunity is nothing but letting them play to their strengths. It is this approach which brings the competitive advantage to any organization.

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Dangers of Criticism
Uninvited Criticism is something we all hate to hear. It breathes Resentment . It can drive us out of our parents house as young adults It has been the cause of many failed marriage Yet many of us make the mistake of bestowing an Uninvited Criticism especially at the work place. Nothing makes us feel more terrible about ourselves than to be criticized for something we did / did not do Criticism means that we got it all wrong and this is not the Right Path for us Criticism is not the way to Inspire Managers It does not make way for lasting change
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Dangers of Criticism
It destroys any kind of Productive Relationship We often dislike those who criticize us, more so , when we know that we had been consciously doing our job --so we literally Shut them up Instead of criticizing the managers when they make mistakes we should try to understand what went wrong and why there was an Error of Judgment. Importantly Pay Attention to Managers and their work environment Learn to Empathize As long as they ( Managers) are taking Intelligence Risks, afford them the luxury of making the Occasional Error / Mistake
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Dangers of Criticism
herefore using Criticism to motivate is futile because it : A) Puts the person on the Defensive  B) Wounds Precious Pride  C) Hurts his Sense of Importance  D) Causes Resentment Give a person or a nation a fine reputation to live up to. Make them guilty and ashamed and they will disappoint you Using guilt is not Productive . Appealing to the greatness of the others is what works , and it will work for you. Instead of Criticizing Managers when they make mistakes, try to understand what went wrong and why there is an error in judgment 14

Power of Praise
We all have the need to feel Important, It is almost Biological The Deepest principle in Human Nature is the need to be appreciated What made Mr. Charles Schwab, the former head of United States Steel Company the most Revered Manager of the day, was not only his knowledge of the steel industry ---- but rather his ability to inspire Enthusiasm in his Employees through Encouragement and Appreciation Quote I consider my ability to arouse Enthusiasm to be my Greatest Asset and to develop the Best that is in a person There is nothing that the ambitions of the person as much as Criticism from the Superiors We must believe in giving people incentive to work , be therefore Spontaneous in your Appreciation and Praise 15

Power of Praise
What is learnt here is that if you praise people for Little Things, they would give even bigger things to praise them at a later date Praise and Criticism are two of the most Important Tools a Manager has at his disposal When used correctly, these tools can Inspire Employees to work hard, be Creative and to achieve Great Success Used incorrectly, They can destroy Drive, Ambition, Creativity, and almost certainly ensure Failure. Therefore learning how to effectively using Praise and Criticism is the Primary Motivational task of a Manager
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Power of Praise
We all crave for praise. Nothing makes us feel better about ourselves , Or inspire us to do better , beginning from childhood, Adulthood and finally at the work place We need praise : It tells us that We are on the Right Path and inspires us to stay on that Path and to do even Better Praise and Spontaneous Praise elevates the work force --- your managers to a Lofty Positions and makes them feel Special Work, then becomes more than just a place to earn your salary , it becomes a place to Boost Self Esteem 17

Ask Questions instead of giving direct orders

Recognize that no one likes to get a Direct Order, Just as no one likes being told what to do Bossy Managers are usually not liked, and are the least likely to Inspire workers to Excel A direct order might work in the Military, but in Civilian life it can cause Lingering Bitterness that Drags on Performance Great Managers give their orders indirectly by way of making suggestions One way to do so is to simply ask questions , for this makes your suggestions more palatable, often stimulates employees to come up with their own ideas for solving the problem
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A few examples of how to use a question to convert a direct order which will offend employees , into a suggestion which will Stimulate them to act Willingly
y Direct order: I want that job done by Monday y Suggestion: It would be great if we could get that job done by y y y y y y y y

Monday; Do you think you can come up with a way to do that? Direct order: Slow down, you are driving too fast! Suggestion: You know the roads are rather slick; do you think that if we slowed down that that would make it safer? Direct order: That is not the way to do it? Suggestion: can you think of a better way to do that? Direct Order: I want you to do it this way. Suggestion: Do you think that if we did it this way that it would turn out better? Direct Order: When we go to the Zoo, I want you to stay my side. Suggestion: When we go to the Zoo, Can you think of any reasons why you should stay by my side?

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Sycophants- Are they an Asset or Liability

Leaders love to be loved, and in the process of needing to be loved, they surround themselves with Yes People . Yes People make their living telling the boss how wonderful he / she is and how great his or her ideas are, even when that is not true. Why don t they tell the truth? Because that isn t their job. Their job is to say Yes to the Boss. For that they are handsomely rewarded. Every business has sycophants, creeping around and corners sucking up to the boss and Reinventing the Truth. Hire an Advisor and his job likely becomes to advice you to do what you wanted to do in the first place. Advisors who voice Dissent to often are soon out of a job. Most people don t keep No men around. What s wrong with surrounding yourself with Yes Man? Nothing, until the disaster that could have been foreseen drops in to your lap and your Board of Directors is asking you to resign. Wall Street is littered with remains of CEOs who let their Yes Man convince them that their company s could manage the Risk of Derivatives. When the CEOs figured out that the risk could not be managed, it was too late for them and their companies. 20

THE STORY OF THE EAGLE

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Never let you ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.
Too often, change is stifled by people who cling to familiar turfs and job descriptions. One reason that even large organizations wither is that managers wont challenge old, comfortable ways of doing things. Real leaders understand that, nowadays, every one of our jobs is becoming obsolete. The proper response is to obsolete our activities before someone else does. Effective leaders create a climate where peoples worth is determined by their willingness to learn new skills and grab new responsibilities, thus perpetually reinventing their jobs. The most important question in performance evaluation becomes not, How well did you perform your job since the last time we met? but, How much did you change it?

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The story of the eagle

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The eagle has the longest life-span of its species 24

It can live up to 70 years But to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision

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In its 40s

Its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food
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Its long and sharp beak becomes bent

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Its old-aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, become stuck to its chest and make it difficult to fly

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Then, the eagle is left with only two options: die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. 29

The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest
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There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out

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After plucking it out, the eagle will wait for a new beak to grow back and then it will pluck out its talons

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When its new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old-aged feathers 33

And after five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for ...

30 more years 34

Why is change needed?

Many times, in order to survive we have to start a change process.

We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits and other past traditions.

Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present

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