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Saturday, May 30, 2009 10:44:17 PM
"...The lesson is illustrated by the ancient parable of the farmer who lit a fire under his donkey, only to see the animal move out of the way of the fire and end up putting the cart right over it."
See below.
Solving the People Puzzle By Gary English
http://books.google.com/books?id=X9rRi5moDR8C&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=light+a+fire+under+someone&source=bl&ots=TCYs-jHCyb&sig=h70MiZqCeKPrnDXDuVm2fluvbxo&hl=en&ei=VMIhSqq3GIrKtgextuzVDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6
Lighting the Fire Within....
"Authority-based decisions carry with them the threat of penalty. Threats like "we need to put a fire under him" will usually generate compliance on the part of those subject to the authority, but it is likely to be minimal. People will do only what is necessary to stay out of trouble. If management lights a fire under someone, that person will move until the temperature is more comfortable, and then stop. The lesson is illustrated by the ancient parable of the farmer who lit a fire under his donkey, only to see the animal move out of the way of the fire and end up putting the cart right over it.
Threats or even the application of penalties, however, will not get people to work to their potential. Only a commitment on their part will do that. If a job requires at least two people-one person to do the work and one to make them do it-then performenace becomes obedience, not a creative investment of one's true and total ability. The goal is to stay out of trouble.
The object of good management, then, is not to light a fire under someone, but in someone: to create in people a desire to perform to their best, even under difficult circumstances. If people work for you, then it is you that is the focus. If people work with you, then the work becomes the focus. When the boss is the focus, we do what we must in order to stay out of trouble or to gain favor. When the work is the focus, we do what is required for success in the work.
When a manager is performance-focused rather than authority-focused, workers are empowered to share their collective strength. The manager then defines performance as helping the team succeed, a plus for the company that pays them. when management is authority-focused rather than process-focused, managers do not know how to get a team to perform."
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