Organic Performance

Everything about Performaning

Doing Work That Matters!

The best advice one can get in any stage of their career is simple – do what you like and like what you do! Unless this is truly internalized, chances are that this state of mind will be a flip-flop – triggered by external, circumstantial influences, is very high! Fragile, Oscillatory and not sustainable!

Sustainability is associated with Happiness! – most sought after state of mind! If happiness is your business model, there is a different need – Doing Work That Matters!

Yesterday, met a water pump mechanic who is always busy finding & fixing problems with a bright smile on the face – glued permanently. He is known for not being on-time, generally expensive and adventurous! Interestingly, people are ready to wait for him, pay as much he demands and willing to let him try innovative solutions!

He sounded rich in experience and money! It seems he has the habit of working on own with couple of helping hands employed as trainees for 6 months! There is a queue of people interested in working with him on probation. Mostly, these folks start own business after the training! Imagine – a master, training and building a base of competition for his own business!

Ask how does this work for him – He says: “I love seeing the smile on the face of my customers when their problem is solved. I have been lucky to put people in their happy zone once I solve their water problem. People call me ‘Bagiratha’ the saintly king who was instrumental in getting Ganga down to earth!. I count the smiles, the money follows. Will not charge any thing if I don’t solve the problem or my solution fails! When it is fixed, I ask for 10, people give me additional 100! My trainees are happy to learn and be on their own. They will never compete with me – in fact, they form my independent network. End of the day, I make my customers happy, employees happy and I am happy! I think the work I do matters a lot to everyone around me, so I have stuck to this business in this fashion for over 20 yrs!”

Doing work that matters!

Knowing that our work counts is to know that we count! A definitive goal for the year is – to explore and do what really matters!

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Bring out that tiger!

A man walking through the forest saw a fox that had lost its legs and wondered how it lived! Then he saw a tiger come with game in its mouth. The tiger had his fill and left the rest for the fox.

The next day too God sent the tiger to feed the fox. The man began to wonder at God’s greatness and thought, “I too shall lie in a corner trusting the Lord to give me all I need.”

He did this for a month, and was almost at death’s door when he heard a Voice that said, “O you, who are on the path of error, open your eyes to the Truth! Imitate the tiger not the fox!”

For some of us, it might be the right time to take an oath to bring out that tiger within us, at least – this new year 2011!

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Pygmalion Effect in action!

It is hard to disassociate  Pygmalion Effect from teachers – @school, @home or @work! Effective teachers, parents and mentors are the masters of this powerful expectation management principle.

Positive Pygmalion Effect makes you a brilliant star while the negative ensures a complete villain! They both create wonders almost from nothing!

As the master puts it –

“A backlog of challenge, freedom, respect, warmth, control and success develops positive self-images in students (employees) and encourages academic (professional) achievement. The absence of these factors makes for the person who is crippled psychologically.” ~ W.W. Purkey

To see the magic of Pygmalion Effect in action, it is important to build a life style around the characteristics described by  W.W. Purkey.

CHALLENGE: proposing high and achievable levels of accomplishment good enough to let the person (student/employee) discover their capacity for greater achievement – to ensure increase in Self-Esteem!

FREEDOM: allowing & accepting failure, mistakes so that they learn to take decisions on their own – without fear of rejection/humiliation! – to improve Self-Esteem!

RESPECT: authentic respect towards the individual to increase their self-respect and helping them learn to show respect to others. – improves Self-Esteem!

WARMTH: cordial relationship with the individual to ensure self-esteem.

CONTROL: control the feedback loop for sustainability of self-esteem

SUCCESS: style appropriate to facilitate & celebrate success v/s underscore & correct mistakes! Meaningful praise is more impactful than punitive criticism / correction. Reinforces Self-Esteem!

Pygmalion Effect

It appears that working on “Self-Esteem” can guarantee to bring the magical power of Pygmalion Effect into action!

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