“Do you work long hours?” I asked a young, brilliant, lawyer over lunch. He told me that a normal week was about 60 hours in the office. “You have to do whatever it takes to get the job done,” he said with noticeable resolve in his voice.
He spoke about his firm and how it rewarded high performers monetarily. However, the firm rarely came down on those lawyers that did the minimum required to get by. “Kind of like dangling the carrot, and sparing the rod,” I commented, tongue in cheek. He smiled in approval.
Sometimes, rewarding positive behavior is far more effective than using the stick. People rarely work hard — or smart — when they are scared. Motivation is intrinsically more likely to enhance productivity than fear.
Fear creates low performers. Motivation creates stars.
About Hemant Rustogi