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The Human Factor

By David Smith
President, The Employers’ Association
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Most people have met inspirational leaders during their lives. These individuals tend to be rather understated. They rarely seek attention for what they do as they prefer to find recognition in what has been accomplished rather than worrying about who gets the credit. They are typically the first to accept responsibility for failure and among the first to praise others for success. They tend to go through life as the base of a pyramid, providing support rather than seeking to be the stone elevated to the top.

Inspirational leaders are not necessarily the captains of industry — they can often be the power behind the throne, making things happen through their subtle influence rather than their obvious demands. They are typically great communicators — be it through the written or spoken word or through a poignant pause, a raised eyebrow, a strengthening smile or an encouraging nod of the head. I lost such a leader in my life recently with the passing of my mom. Though mentally able to accept her moving from this life to the next as being the best thing for her, our human emotions tend to sneak up and whack me up side the head when I least expect it. In her passing, this world lost a gentle soul who touched many lives through her creative spirit of service, who influenced many to succeed through her tender encouragement, and who made others stronger by minimizing herself. She leaves behind, in her understated way, many of her gifts, much of her sensitivity, and a good measure of common sense I hope I can adequately exhibit to those around me. She sought to influence others by motivating them to find what was important and encouraging them to achieve it — but to follow suit we must first understand what motivates others.

Different things motivate different individuals, but we are all motivated by something. Money? Success? Comfort? Recognition? When we manage people it is imperative that we identify what motivates those we influence. Recognizing that “mature” workers prefer rules (and their consistent application) to an individualized approach of employee discipline helps us understand why they might react differently than a worker just out of college to the absolute interpretation of a rule or procedure. Understanding that sales people often prefer public recognition, freedom from structure and broad measures of accountability while administrative professionals would like enforceable standards of conduct and measurable objectives clarifies the friction that often exists between accounting and sales personnel. Values, experiences, socio-economic status, learning styles, and “stage-in-life” all strongly influence behavior, but there are several less objective, harder to define characteristics we should always examine if we are to succeed within (and contribute to) society.

Beyond age, aptitude, experiences and social status, there are many subtle motivational influencers we must acknowledge when managing others. These less obvious critical human factors would include how one wishes to be recognized for their accomplishment, when (and in what manner) credit is given for a good idea, how much freedom an individual is given to learn from failure without fear of reprisal, and in the confidence that comes from knowing someone is there to “pull you along” rather than to “push you into unchartered waters.” Leveraging these subtle characteristics helps us to motivate others to achieve their highest potential. As a parent would raise a child, a manager often finds him or herself in the situation where both praise and punishment must be administered — and understanding an individual’s personality, upbringing and values become invaluable when leading them to seek success without inhibiting their growth.

A good leader demands respect — a great leader receives it without asking. A good leader is able to accomplish change — a great leader initiates change exponentially greater than he or she could anticipate by leveraging the creative power of each individual working for him or her and channeling it towards the accomplishment of a common goal. A good leader pushes his or her people to perform — a great leader creates a vision then gets out of the way so that his or her people can move forward towards its accomplishment. A good employee does what he or she is told — a great employee accepts the empowerment to move beyond stated expectations. A good person recognizes who they are and what they can do — a person moving towards greatness recognizes and accepts both his or her strengths and weaknesses. Recognizing our own motivators will help us to be better leaders — understanding them will help us to become better individuals.

Truly great and inspirational leaders put others ahead of themselves as they become the wind beneath the wings of those that soar to great heights. They rise with those they encourage, being pushed upwards by their accomplishments rather than stepping upon them as they climb the ladder to personal success. This column is meant as a tribute and memorial to those who have had an influence on our lives through their selfless leadership and a reminder to live out their influence through every action we take and every decision we make. Rather than mourning our losses, join me in celebrating the time we could spend with such individuals and the influence they shared.

In memory of Beatrice Irelene Smith (1925 — 2010)

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