Archive for September, 2009
We’re all in this together….
Sep 24th
Harry Redknapp, commenting on the reaction of Gary Neville when Michael Owen scored the “last minute” winner in the Manchester derby last weekend:
You look at Gary Neville,” said Redknapp ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Preston in the Carling Cup, “a man who has won everything there is to win – championship after championship after championship. The excitement he showed at his team winning and he was only a sub.
“He wasn’t sitting on the bench with his arms folded. He was jumping higher than Fergie when they scored and that’s why they are where they are. That is why they succeed.
“I thought it was amazing to see Neville’s feelings show and the joy he had winning. Can you imagine the dressing room afterwards, even the subs and those who weren’t all come in – brilliant lads!”
Redknapp sees a winning mentality drilled into players at United, something his coaches Tim Sherwood and Les Ferdinand experienced at first hand when the Premier League champions beat Spurs earlier in the season.
“Tim and Les were sat in the stands with the United boys who weren’t subs,” Redknapp said. “They were jumping up and down at every decision and every time they scored. That winning mentality goes right through them.”
Redknapp feels Spurs are on the right track, even if the manager has questioned their attitude in the past;
“I remember losing at Bolton last season, getting beaten and looking at the bench,” Redknapp said. “I think two of them were asleep with hats pulled down and blankets over them.
“I said, ‘I’m sorry to drag you up here, I know it’s cold and you could be home with the missus with a cup of tea. It’s hard for 30 grand a week to watch a game’.”
The question is where and with whom does the team mentality start?
Praise and recognition at work
Sep 18th
Research in America has shown 64% of working Americans leave their jobs because they don’t feel appreciated, while Gallup research shows that 70% of working Americans say they receive no praise or recognition on the job.
Other research in the UK shows that “appreciation for a job well done” ranks highly as a key motivator in employee surveys.
Bearing all this in mind, why are we so poor at it?
How often do we think about how and when to give praise and to recognise people for a job well done?
I once worked with a manger who never gave praise to people working for him. When I asked him why he never congratulated people on achieving a certain task or goal, his attitude was, “well why should I, they are only doing the job they are paid to. Hitting that target is nothing special, it’s what is expected of them.”
He was very good at catching people doing something wrong though, and very quick at pointing it out to them.
When you do give praise to someone it can be surprising just how motivational it can be. In order for it to have maximum impact it needs to be specific and delivered as quickly as possible after the event or action occurring. Explain how when they did x, y happened and this was the positive result. When someone understands why they are getting praise and for what, they will tend to want to repeat that behaviour in order to receive similar praise and recognition.
People, be they employees, customers or friends, want to feel valued. When was the last time you expressed gratitude for a job well done?
Here’s David Brent trying to give some praise and recognition to Dawn in her annual appraisal…..
“pipe dreams” are good….
