Contented cows give better milk
I was going through my files this morning and ran across an article I clipped out of the Personal Glimpses section of Readers Digest in 1999. It offered interesting insight into how to get people to perform at exceptional levels.
It says, “In his first 12 seasons as manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda led his team to six division titles, four pennants and two World Series victories. After the 1988 Series, sports columnist Jonathan Rand of the Kansas City Star noted: “Tommy Lasorda does not have an ‘off’ switch. Some will tell you Lasorda’s act gets old in a hurry. Many belittle his cheerleading, hugging, and sermons. But nobody can make a good case that Lasorda’s personal touch does not work.
“Lasorda credits the inspiration for his managing style to a can of evaporated milk he spotted on his kitchen table when he was 15. It said, ‘Contented cows give better milk.’ As Lasorda himself put it, ‘I am of the belief that contented people give better performances. I try to make it fun for them. I try to make them proud of the organization they represent.’”
Ken Blanchard, another noted management philosopher and author of the popular book, The One Minute Manager, expressed similar sentiments when he said, “People who feel good about themselves produce good results.” The best way to help people feel good about themselves, he said, is to “catch them doing things right.”
Perhaps there is no greater need in companies today than to employ managers who have the ability to catch people doing things right. We need a more positive focus in our businesses. We need managers who notice the good, express the positive, and reward the achievements of others. We need managers who recognize employee contributions to the success of every project and celebrate those accomplishments regularly and dynamically. Imagine how productive your company could be if all of your workers were content and happy. §
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Mac McIntire is the president of Innovative Management Group, a Las Vegas-based training and consulting firm specializing in strategic visioning and alignment, organizational effectiveness, management development, quality improvement, customer service, and teamwork. He can be reached at 702-592-6431 or e-mail [email protected]. His website is www.imglv.com