Interview Tom Foster (Management Skills Blog) – Part 2 of 6

Dr Lisa: Tom in your speech you mention the “best efforts” contract that exists between an employer and employee. Could you elaborate on what that is?

Tom:
There is a widely held notion that to get the best efforts from a person, management must engage in a game of trickery, using manipulation, incentives and bonuses to extract the last ounce of willingness from their employees. The notion concludes that employees are basically lazy and to get their best efforts, management must withhold some benefit or some money until that best effort is observed.

Under that notion, the contract reads like this: For your salary or standard compensation, I expect you to show up and trust that you will deliver less than your best effort. At the end, after you have delivered less than your best effort, if I can get you to deliver a little more than less your best effort, I am willing to pay you more.

How silly is that?

It does nothing more than breed mistrust and sets up an incentive system that employees will manipulate. It is a destructive game that tears at the fabric of most intentional cultures.

Now, try this contract: For your salary, or standard compensation, I expect you to show up and trust that you will do your best.

That's it, no games, no manipulation.

...to be continued.

Here's to maximizing YOUR profits!
Dr Lisa Lang
(c)Copyright 2008, Dr Lisa, Inc. All rights reserved.

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