How to keep the momentum? (I)

I thought the most headache issue in management is how to persist with some best practice or one can interpret how to keep the momentum.  It is human nature to get bored with the following:

1. repeated object
2. repeated action
3. repeated target

Even though one is doing what she loves do, when it is repeated 100 or 1,000 times, it is boring and the happiness of doing it is diminishing.

In Economics, we call it Law of Diminishing Return.  Paradoxically, Economics emphasizes that equilibrium is always the target of competition.  But can the equilibrium state persist?  Definitely, not.

In psychology, it is telling that human will try to get satisfaction when certain needs is not fulfilled (ID).  The force being generated to get satisfaction is Ego.  While Ego is working, Superego is to ensure the Ego is not going too far to violate the norm acceptable by the general public or herself.  What matters is if there is limited number of needs or wants.  1 need/want is satisfied means that another need/want is emerging.  Only dead body does not have any need/want.  Change is the norm.  Change is the equilibrium.  Metabolism has proved that new replaces old is necessary.  But it has to happen at the right time.

Few days ago, I met with Helen – one of my ex-colleague.  She bought me dinner.  She was removed by me because I found that she appeared to be bored with her job for long time.  She lost any momentum with her job.  At the time of the confrontation (actually, the atmosphere was not bad and we are friends all the time), she was losing emotion but I remained calm all the time (of course, I could and I had to).  I only said that leaving a quiet and boring land was absolutely beneficial to her.  And only under such circumstance could she introspect and correct any weakness she acknowledged on heart.  She left after all and she keeps contact with me.  I acted as her referees 2 times of successful headhunting.  You know what!  She is currently the HR manager of a FMCG factory with >10,000 in the single facility she stays.  She is not teasing me – she thanks me for letting her go and providing her valuable advise in career development.

Who should be the mediator?

A & B are working in the same company.  A & B have some disputes about their own interest.  C is their manager while D is a manager of the other business unit.

Who should be the mediator?

C.  It is because he knows both B & C.  It is easy for him to get respect from A & B.  It is also easy for him to understand the detail of the dispute.

D.  It is because his judgment will be fair as an outsider without any bias on either A or B.

Recently, I read a book of Cultural Psychology and read the above story (I summarize it as the above story).  According to the author, Asian people will choose C while western people will choose D.  There is pros and cons for either answer.  What matters is the reasoning behind the decision: respect vs. no-bias.

I am always a junior manager with unhealthy thinking – I thought those who choose C may think that he/she can influence the mediator’s decision because he know the mediator well and know what can influence his decision.  As a result, he can win because of this tacit intention.  Both may have the same thinking.  And the mediator, if not fair enough, may enjoy the flattering from both parties.

Well, I must recognize that I am a bad guy with negative view on human beings!

I won’t miss any chance to move forward!

It is not an uncommon situation in mainland China, particularly in small cities or town that when I am in an unclear queue (getting in to the aircraft or in McDonald/KFC, or in queue to get in to the bus), if there is some space or chance for a stranger to skip the line, he/she will take it.  What will be your reaction:

1. Keep silent and let him/her skip the line
2. Voice out his/her rude behavior
3. Move forward immediately to block his/her rude behavior
4. Or others

Before I go further to the above question, I would like to make a declaration.  My wife (Lisa) is a national Chinese which often like to dress colorful and looks pretty.  Occasionally I, her and my aged 4 son (Dickson) are in Luo Hu bus station in Shenzhen, at the beginning, we are in a long queue and she is carrying Dickson; when the bus arrives, if she sees the people at the back are flooding to skip her, she will move faster in a manner even skipping the people in front of her; then she gets in the bus and occupies her seat together with mine.  Usually, I stay in my originally position in the queue, move slowly with toleration of the rude people skipping me and get in to the seat she occupies for me late.  She is wise as she never reproaches me for my unwise behavior.  I never reproaches her because I can take a good seat of her smart behavior. 

I name myself as a by-stander.  But I am quite worried what behavior Dickson will take in the future.

I don’t like people skipping my position; therefor I start to block those rude people in low profile, like use my body or my luggage to block the person at my back and sometimes I will use my luggage to slightly kick him (if he is a man).  If he sigh for the pain, I will say sorry to him.  As a result, I never get any revenge.  Luckily, since Lisa is more concerned the future of Dickson, she intends to be in line with my courtesy behavior gradually.  But I do not tell her my way to punish the rude people.

I have ever seen someone voicing out and reproaching those rude behavior; however, it will end up with quarrel and sometimes the rude person will hurt the other.  The rude will get furious for any finger-point of his rude behavior.

Believe or not: I am using the same strategy to those who try to get advantage of some gray area in the organization.  I will try to block their rude behavior in low profile, or with some slight punishment but I won’t voice out.  To certain extent, they get some respect and will not try a second attempt in the future.  Hopefully, this can be a reference.

Let me get passed FIRST

I am sure that if you have ever been driving or taking a ride in any road of China.  You should be well aware that the driving habit of the drivers next to your car is following the titled quote, “let me get passed first” and “I couldn’t care less about the cars at my back”.  I do not have a driving license, let alone driving in China.  I thought I am safe to certain extent, at least free from any collision caused by me.

As a leader, one of our major difficulties is to balance the needs of the members under the constraint of limited resources – limited money instead.  I am always a junior manager.  What is consuming my limited working time is the general administration of the factory.  The operators always criticize the quality of living condition, food served, dormitory condition and pay scale.  Though it has been repeatedly answered, there are still many operators claiming that why a defect found in a line causes cancellation of bonus for the whole production lines.  The penalty should only be imposed to the particular work station worker that cause to this defect.  It is not difficult to envision the extreme case that no output at all due to defective product while bonus needs to be released to all other operators while it is nothing to the particular work station who cause the defect.  But needless to say, there is no money for bonus due to no acceptable output.  Is this mindset similar to “let me get passed first”?

You cannot find an organization without emphasis on teamwork.  But it is difficult to find one which can implement teamwork effectively.  More emphasis on one thing means less effectiveness or even nothing at all.  This is the unwritten rules I learn in China, particularly when reading the news.  When the news is promoting against corruption, it means there is severe case of corruption.  Be pragmatic is the key.  Emphasis on teamwork should be corroborated with what has happened currently.  It will be more convincing and easy to get the empathy of the mass.