Motivational Management: Inspiring Your People for Maximum Performance

Introduction

Managers have a tough job. By definition, they must accomplish their goals and do their work through the work of others. The old saying that ''If you want something done right, do it yourself'' has a ring of truth to it, because it is usually harder to get employees to do a challenging job well than to do it yourself. Yet managers must let go of their own urge to just step in and make things right, and they must instead nurture the necessary competencies and commitment in their employees.

Achieving difficult goals through the work of others is of course an age-old challenge. Whoever built the pyramids must have wrestled with it. But in some ways, the challenge is a new one for us today. As we'll explore in Chapter 1, managers now face ...