” yet it isn’t simply done ”
“If you want people to do a good job, give them a good job to do.”
—Frederick Herzberg, Management Theorist, as quoted in Bob Nelson’s 365 Ways to Manage Better
Odd moniker ”I wonder if Mr. Herzberg called himself a “Management Theorist,” or if that was Mr. Nelson’s doing?
Rosa, I love that quotation. And it is so true. I am currently working on an unfunded but mandated data project for the state. It is the worst project I have ever had to deal with. Unrealistic deadlines, constant server crashes, and unintelligible instructions.
I’m going to post this quotation on my wall…
Thanks,
John
Aloha John, thanks so much; I appreciate knowing that the quote resonated with you – though I’m sorry to hear about the difficulty of the project.
The underlying message of MWA is that we who are managers have a pretty profound effect on people, and while we easily understand this in regard to our personal management and leadership styles, we just as easily miss the mark with the work we design for others. We dismiss it as “just stuff, and not personal” when that “stuff” is indeed a result of our personal influence!
Projects can raise some pretty big red flags, however we tend to think all will go away when the project is done, and we don’t consider how the irritations started in the first place! As the saying goes, we let those sleeping dogs lie…
Good luck, I hope it gets better for you. On second thought, scratch the luck part, for knowing you, I’m sure you’ll be the catalyst to make the improvement happen!
My favourite quote was from an old pre-war generation Aussie tradesman-turned-employer:
“I always give the hardest job to the laziest person because they’ll find the quickest way to do it.”
Priceless Pete!
The Year of the Joyful Learner
Aloha my fellow JJL-ers! Hau‘oli Makahiki Hou, as we say in Hawai‘i ”“ Happy New Year! Just back from my holiday ho‘omaha (a hiatus to rest and refresh) and easing in this week, and it does feel great to be