Whipping Doesn’t Work
It’s interesting being in a position of having to manage people and to get them to perform at their best. Human behavior has become a fascinating subject to me over the years.
For any new leader or manager or anyone in a position of having to get people to perform at a specific level I’m willing to wager that one of the first instincts you had or at some point had was to “whip” people into shape or those that didn’t perform. To demand action and hammer them or come down on them until they get the results. This seems to be a natural urge for anyone in charge of other people and their production.
But experience has shown me over and over and over again that the only thing that works is to encourage, inspire, coach, help, teach, train, acknowledge progress….
The urge is to whip but you need to withhold that urge and help them instead. Firing people or whipping people is typically a backward step. Trust me, you’ll hit many times when you want to but it’s rarely the answer.
Work to push your people to their best. To attain their potential.
It starts with you being the best leader, manager, coach or in-charge to inspire, motivate, encourage, teach, train and help them get there. Throw away the whips, they won’t help.
