THE IN BETWEENIE

Douglas Mc Gregor in his book “The Human Side of Enterprise” examined two types of theories; X and Y of human motivation at work.

 Let’s relate to an experience many are familiar with; the education system. In school there exist scholars that are towed to class; these have extremely low levels of motivation. They only perceive yoke to revise once exams approach, lest they be unsuccessful. They possess not an ounce of intrinsic motivation within their vessels. In the typical Ugandan education system (one I undertook).  They need a whip to be reminded they’re in school. These are whom Mc Gregor refers to as the theory X.

On the other hand, theory Y proponents are the brood that is much focused and love to study. In the Ugandan setting these don’t need a whip to apprehend the rationale for their existence in school. They manufacture results much effortlessly. Now I am not saying that the theory X proponents don’t produce results. I am simply saying the former yields much more effortlessly.

The Intrinsic and Extrinsic motivation are highly essential

Today’s work force is predominantly representative of neither of the theories. On the other hand we seem to have inhabitants of their middle ground; in between the two theories.  These I have grown to call the “in betweenies”. These neither ascribe to the X nor Y. They are in between the necessity for some sort of motivation to work and self motivation. They create a balance between the intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Their motivation is arguably seasonal.

My experience with the in betweenies in school is that they seem to pass and excel holistically. They excel past class work to other sectors of life.

According to Douglas Mc Gregor’s theories, workers that ascribe to theory X have very limited motivation to work and can hardly work without maximum supervision. On the other hand, the ones that ascribe to Y require minimum supervision to accomplish their tasks and can work effectively without supervision.

It has come to my attention that the best people to hire are not necessarily those that ascribe to theory Y but rather the “In Betweenies” since a combination of these two yields much more than any of the two.

A combination of the two yields much higher motivation.

Do not seek the extreme; the in betweenies are the way to go.

MEDITATIONS OF THE RACIST TIMES

Ever wondered what it felt like to live under racism?

 Being black, I would have been one of the most frustrated people alive. Imagine living a life whose value was determined by a ruthless master.

On the other hand, I have heard of testimonies of slaves whose masters treated with lots of respect. Then I realized not every white person then was racist. In the experience of a non-racist white man, black is white! Because of faith”…calleth those things that be not as though they are…” (Romans 4:17 KJV).

This surely was an act of faith since the bible defines faith as the evidence of things not seen and substance of things hoped for. We can verily affirm that such men had faith. How then was this faith manufactured?

Visualize with me, the white man sees black but perceives white. If we are to judge the man’s eyes. He is racist. The perceptive faculty of his mind on the other hand isn’t. Would you rather judge the eyes or the mind? In fact, had all white men of those times carried this mind, racism would not be one of those topics embedded in history text books today.

Similarly many scenarios bring a temptation of judgment and reaction by the eye. What differentiates the ideal manager is not how they see but rather how they perceive. The implication is that personal and society opinions need to be set aside for one to judge by the mind. Otherwise how would you explain a manager who still believes in their staff even when they fail at something consistently?

We ought to judge and react by perception and not sight

As a result of the faith a few white men had in the black, racism came to an end. Your sub ordinate’s success at something is highly dependent on how you react to their initial failure at it. However your reaction is entirely dependent on what you decide perceive with; the eyes or the mind.

The next time you boast of having faith in your employees (sub ordinates) be sure that it is of this kind and nothing less. Carry a testimony of them achieving what you hope them to. Don’t let their current results determine how and what you perceive them as. That is Faith!

Faith moves mountains; it moved racism and separated the red sea. An employee’s under performance is extremely micro!

THE NOW EXPERIENCE!

As a man thinketh so he is.

As a man thinketh...

This gives an experience of a man being. Not of a man hoping to become! It actually affirms that a man is as he thinks.

Well the dictionary defines branding as the process of making something.

I beg to differ; you cannot make something that is already made. A house is not made in ten years. No. The ten years are simply a process of bringing to sight what is already existent in the mind. No wonder “…things which are seen were not made of the things which do appear…” (Hebrews 11; 3 KJV)

As educators, we are constantly training staff in organizations and youth to create their own brands, they have been trained to brand themselves and therefore become that which they intend to.  Well it’s high time the order switched. Branding is not a “to-be” practice. It is a “now” experience. It is an”I am” experience and not an” I want to be/ I will be” experience.

True branding is when you make your house and spend a year building it. This clearly shows a distinction between making and building.

Make your brand!

Making is when you create something! Building is when you gather bricks together to put in place that which you have already made. Surely one cannot hire a structural engineer without an architectural plan.

In regards  to organizational branding, It is not an aspect of working towards becoming something but rather acknowledging that you are(make) and thence working towards building that which you already are(build).

The best youth empowerment team does not have to strive with actions geared towards becoming what it already is. It simply has to act and behave as the best youth empowerment team there is. That is true branding

True branding is a now experience!

Branding is a now experience. Do not act, behave, administer, talk, walk or consult a particular way to become that which you want to be. Simply make yourself and build the brand. Do not do anything to become the best banker. Make yourself the best banker. The building the brand will edify you as the best banker.

THE HONEY COMB SYNDROME

Recently I shared a moment with a friend of mine who happens to be one of the best civil engineers in the making. We shared grievances about a particular building under construction that had something he called a Honey Comb (Must be one of those engineering terms).

Filled with anguish, he grumbled at the little proportion of material the cite engineer had used in comparison to what was actually needed to set up the building’s foundation and by virtue of my limited knowledge in this field, I probably did not fully comprehend his distress.

A Honey Comb( Engineering Terms)

 I later on learnt that the only solution to a stray construction is demolition with purpose of renovation or worse still; collapse which obviously is not an option many would take  given the atrocities with which it comes. Truth infallible is there is no shortcut to solving the Honey Comb syndrome.

Going deeper, I learnt that this syndrome is rooted majorly in two factors; Time & Resources. It is a result of engineers working shadily to save either on the resources or to redeem time.

In a report made by Construction Review Online, around 60 lives were lost during collapse of buildings around Africa. The recently collapsed building along Sir Apollo Kaggwa road around Kampala city center cannot go unmentioned. Should we really put more lives at risk with dangerous buildings erected due to the Honey Comb syndrome?

An increased rate of buildings collapsing is as a result of the #HoneyCombSyndrome

Currently many managers cut down costs of staff development and training, bonding and team work because of high training costs or even claims of limited time. The bitter truth is that this only leads to failure. However the timing of the failure is highly relative.

Not until we get rid of this Honey Comb syndrome shall we hear no more of organizations failing and collapse of buildings.

Astute managers therefore ought to resolve to spend now and save much more in the future for it is wiser than saving now and spending then.

 Get rid of the Honey Comb syndrome. Take your staff through capacity training, bonding sessions, and many more.  The cost is worth it.

 Get rid of the Honey Comb syndrome.

COUNT ALL LOSS!

I have for long seen people very agitated about results in various aspects. Many a times the cause of their agitation is simply a perception of unequal harvest in comparison to sow.

The Bible says that if a man wants to build a house, they must count the cost!

“For which of you, intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost, whether he has sufficient to finish it?”  Luke 14:28(KJV)

 This is the reason we have architects in this world. Such is also the reason men set long and short term goal. It is the reason their exist something called B.O.Q’s. (Bills of Quantity)

Therefore if a man wants to excel at his job or even their managerial position, there is a cost that they need to incur and as the Bible says; what guarantees the success of their intention is actually foreknowledge and planning of what they need to incur.

Many a time men sacrifice and do not get as much as much result as the cost they incur. I once read that a result is simply the measure of the effort incurred. This means that it is impossible for one to work harder and reap any less.

Let’s look at the experience of a man who greatly experienced the grace of God and ended up writing a great portion of the New Testament; Paul. He says he counted all but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

“…I count all things but loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my lord…”
Philippians 3:8(KJV)

Paul did not look to gaining mere knowledge or even mediocre knowledge of Christ but rather the excellence and for that reason he had to count all loss. This means there are times we count loss but not loss of all.

An excellent loss is an ALL loss

Therefore if we are to experience an excellence in the work we do we need to count ALL loss. Not only few things for that ultimately leads to mediocrity and ordinary results.

It is expedient to acknowledge that that which should be reckoned loss is relative depending on that which we intend to achieve.

I choose to count all!

THE FRUIT OF MANAGEMENT #1- THE OVERVIEW

”A part of the plant that contains seed capable of generating a new plant” Sound familiar? Yes! That’s the Merriam Webster definition of a fruit. The mention of a fruit brings forth a refreshing and nourishing taste. A smothering one with a relaxing and hydrating effect.

 However, it is argued among some circles that not all fruits bring forth a similar experience. “Extraordinary Facts of Plants (EFP) rates lime and lemon as the world’s most sour fruits. Isn’t it amazing that some people enjoy the lime and lemon? I guess pleasant taste is surely relative.

When one takes on or is assigned a managerial/ leadership role, a seed is sown. The manager becomes a plant that must produce fruit to be pleasantly enjoyed by the people they lead for a plant cannot enjoy its own. In fact the plant keeps the fruit for as long as it can to the point of dropping if no one plucks it.

The Fruit Of Management #1
Photo Credit; Karama Ralph

All fruits have seeds within them which can consequently grow into other plants. That is the concept of replication; the ability to replicate only that which you are. No impatient plant can reproduce a patient fruit. The beauty actually is that from one fruit can come various plants since it has multiple seeds.

Managers today ought to produce fruit for those around them to enjoy but most importantly one with seed to plant and reproduce others of its kind. That’s the concept of multiplication under the “Fruit of Management” principle.

The life of the fruit is not a straight forward one from planting to harvest. But rather does come with a number of technicalities.

Every manager should therefore commit to the process of bringing forth this fruit of management.

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THE RECYCLE

Our comfort zones have over time proven to be our greatest hindrances to realization of our full potential. Sadly many people think that comfort zones are only those in which we place ourselves consciously. Well no! We do enter some obliviously. The worst part is when we think only the worst of these comfort zones. I now realize that a number of good things accompany our comfort zones, weaknesses and challenges.

Seat down and meditate on how strong & knowledgeable we would be if we overcame our weaknesses. Or further ponder on how much more progress we would make if we jumped out of these comfort zones. Yes! Un-measurably strong. Imagine having both your weaknesses and strengths at your mastery.

So the beauty in a weakness and a comfort zone is that it simply gives us an insight on what we can perform at and do better.

Look at it this way; Jesus knew Judas Iscariot had trust and betrayal issues but still entrusted him with the disciples’ treasury. Why? I have a feeling he wanted to prove something. The Bible says “… For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12; 10 KJV) the implication simply is that your weakest point is actually your strongest. When you think you are at your weakest is when your strength is made perfect and manifested. Overtime I have learnt that the biggest weaknesses, fears and challenges that I had turned out to be some of the greatest strengths I brag about today simply because I made an outlet for the fear in my spirit and pursued ways in which a could better my stand as far as these phenomena were concerned.

Look through your work and search out for the challenges you have long faced, the weaknesses you have long kept and the comfort zones you have for long dwelt in. Only this time do not look at them as challenges but rather strengths that await you to take the first steps into obtaining them.

A mastery of this concept will get us to the realization that our feeble areas are not weaknesses but merely residue awaiting recycle into what could be our greatest strength.

Make your fear a strength
Photo Credit: Shutter stock

Recycle them today…