Most managers are unaware of the fishbowl in which they live. Years ago, I received some sage advice from one of my scoutmasters as a young patrol leader. “When you look at your own behavior in front of the other scouts, remember, you can’t go take a pee without everyone knowing about it.”

Every move a manager makes is amplified and remembered. If a manager arrives at work and walks past the receptionist without saying, “Good morning,” well, then, the business MUST be going down the tubes.

Jules Pfeiffer, a famous cartoonist, used to have a series he called, Little Murders in which he depicted the little murders we each commit every day. Little Murders we commit, often without intention or even awareness. We may not be aware, but it is still a Little Murder.

Who did you walk by today, without stopping, without a cheery remark, without a smile? How many Little Murders did you commit today? Remember, amplification works in the other direction, too. A few moments, a kind word, a warm handshake, a listening nod may make all the difference in a team member’s day. -TF

• Familiar Turf
• Cheering Crowd

Why do sports teams statistically have better records for home games than road games? In their championship series, why do sports teams jockey for playoff positions that award home-field advantage ? What impact does home-field advantage have on Motivation?

The locker room for the home team has individual accomodations, with names on each locker. Each player sleeps in their own bed the night before, life routines are simply routine. If a problem arises, any team member (including coaches and administrative staff) can tap into readily available tools, or hit the supply cabinet (readily stocked).

The visiting team is in unfamiliar surroundings, life routines are interrupted. Accomodations are adequate but anonymous. If a problem arises, the team member might have to improvise or “do without.” No hugs from family here, just the cold hard reality of a rival field of play.

Though there may be occasional fans supporting the road team, the majority of the cheering crowd is firmly in support of the home team. What is the impact of an engaged stadium full of “positive noise?”

What are the lessons in home-field advantage for the working manager?

• Identity
• Comfortable familiar environment
• Problem solving systems
• Available resources
• The right tools
• Ample supplies
• Hugs (Support from the extended team)

The challenge for the manager, in the supervision of a team is to create an environment of home-field advantage in the workplace.

My kid is in the back seat on the way home from school. I want him to put on his seatbelt. “Son, I tell you what, you put your seatbelt on and we’ll stop at McDonalds so you can have vanilla shake.”

Motivation or manipulation?

Okay, it’s positive reinforcement, but is it motivation or manipulation? Positive manipulation?

“Son, I tell you what, you put your seatbelt on or else, when we get home, there will be no computer access for the night.”

Motivation or manipulation? So, this is more clear cut. Negative manipulation. So, whichever carrot or stick I use, my kid puts his seatbelt on, what do I care? When, as a manager, you want your team members to do something, and they do it, what do you care how you got them to do it?

“Red Team, I know it’s Friday and it’s 5:00pm and most of you are ready to go home, but if we could all stay another half hour, we got pizza coming. If everyone stays, we can get this project finished in the next 30 minutes.” Motivation or manipulation? If everyone stays, what do you care?

Don’t get me wrong. Manipulation is not necessarily a bad thing. I have always said the manager carrying a well-maintained sidearm is a force to be reckoned with… But here is the critical difference for managers.

Manipulation gets short term compliance as long as the Manager is present. And sometimes, that’s enough. The critical criteria are:

• Duration of the behavior
• Compliance
• Presence of the Manager

Motivation gets longer term commitment and the presence of the Manager may not be required. The same criteria exist:

• Duration of the behavior
• Commitment
• Presence of the Manager

Before the Manager makes a decision about the current ploy to gain cooperation from team members, these are the questions to ask:

• How long do I need the behavior to last?
• Do I need commitment, or will compliance be good enough?
• As the Manager, will I be present, or do I want to be present for the duration of the behavior?

Understanding these three differences between Motivation & Manipulation will help you decide which approach you want to use. Motivation takes time to figure out, but the impact lasts a lot longer. —TF

As we approach the intensive holiday part of the year, I am always asked about company policies relative to holiday time off, skeleton crews and differential pay for holiday work. It seems there is a growing tension during this time between the needs of the company for productive work and the needs of the team member for family time.

I am often asked, “Why do people always seem to bring their personal lives to work?” The answer is very simple. People bring their personal lives to work because they have personal lives. All of this talk about separating personal lives and work lives, striking a balance between work life and home life is mildly amusing. I never ask how I can keep them separate. I always ask, “How can our lives, at work, support our individual needs for family, religious observance and recreation (re-creation)?” and “How can our personal lives, our family life, our ethics, our re-creation support our lives at work?”

Stop the schizophrenia. We are all whole people, with needs for important contribution at work and needs for family and individuality.

As we roll into this holiday season, I hope you get lots of presents under your Turkey. —TF