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Targets Don’t Work!

23 January, 2017 by James Lawther 3 Comments

Cheat

A management education 21 years ago I was a bright young thing.  I was single, had a good job and I was determined to make my way in the world.  I am a strong believer in education so I decided to study for an MBA.  I learnt about: Operations Marketing Information Technology Human Resources Finance I […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: motivation, objective setting, performance management, SMART goals, targets

Targets Work!

21 January, 2017 by James Lawther 2 Comments

Goal

In praise of the goal On the 25th of May 1961, in a speech before the joint session of Congress, the President of the United States set his country a goal: This nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: motivation, objective setting, performance management, SMART goals, targets

Half Full or Half Empty

23 January, 2016 by James Lawther 6 Comments

half full or half empty

Which are you? I was talking to a rugby player yesterday. I don’t like sporting analogies much; just because you can run 100 meters faster than anybody else doesn’t make you a great manager.  But he told me a fascinating story about coaching… An odd approach His best coach had a strange post match strategy. When […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: blame, human nature, management style, motivation

Paying People to Lie

3 October, 2015 by James Lawther 1 Comment

The best way to fill your organisation with liars… Is to set up an incentive scheme.  I guarantee at least two deceptions: The first deceit The lying starts with the debate about the target: What service level can you meet? What can you shave off your budget? How much extra can you sell? 10%? 20%? 30%? If someone has a bonus […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: employee performance measures, human nature, incentives, motivation, performance management, targets, video

Glory Lasts Forever

9 May, 2015 by James Lawther 7 Comments

I have a problem with motivational speeches I watched “The Replacements” last night.  I can’t urge you strongly enough to avoid it.  The plot went something like this (and I am not spoiling it, the director did that). Shane Falco (Keanu Reeves) flunks it as an Ohio State University quarterback. A national team “The Washington Sentinels” go […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: communication, motivation, rhetoric, systems thinking, video

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