Apr 21
ErinGarbage Leadership, musings
I prefer training my team using the pavlovian conditioning, with a slight bias in negative reinforcement. This has drawn the ire of the Human Resources department in the past.
The reinforcement that I usually employ is done via penalties. The penalties are monetary in nature, and increases in severity if the infraction happens close to each other. An example is a first violation is worth Php50, but any violation in the next 2 weeks will incur a higher penalty of Php100, and so on until a set limit (normally Php500 per infraction). If there is no violation after 2 weeks then the penalty goes back to Php50 as the next violation will be treated as a first offense. The reinforcement is only effective if the team sees that I have my skin in the game too. If the violation is something that applies to me then the same penalties cover my violations. Usually I also sweeten the pot wherein if there is no violation for 2-3 consecutive periods then I automatically contribute the highest penalty amount to the collected funds. I “lose” either way but my goal is not to collect funds but to make the team learn a certain behavior.
The funds collected do not go to my own pocket. The team decides what to do with it. Normally the team spends it on a lunch-out or a series of snacks. I had one team donate the collected funds to charity.
The whole point of negative reinforcement is to make sure that the subjects do not deviate on the prescribed behavior as it will be too inconvenient. Positive reinforcement on the other hand makes it pleasant to meet the prescribed behavior. I just prefer the former because I find it more effective in getting results in a much shorter time.
ciao!
May 02
ErinGarbage, Work communication, Garbage, Leadership, life, people management, Work
Holding a ball in one hand in front of you illustrates the common fact that two or more sides of the truth can exist without negating other truths. This boils down to perception; and managing the perception of the other viewers.
My co-lead in the project was getting some reputation flak for his leadership style. When we talked about it he raised a good question: “I used the same tone and method you used a few days ago when you addressed the team. What makes my delivery different (and unacceptable)?”
It was good question because I agree that our leadership styles have a lot of similarities. How come one can get away with using that style while other people have a negative reaction? Is it the context/personality of the person using the style and the preconceived notion of the audience about the person that makes a difference? This makes me think of the social experiment wherein random people were made to taste cakes. In one experiment there was a tag price in front of the cake where the slice came from and one is expensive while the other is affordable. In one variation there are no price tags but one of the cakes were placed in a plain platter while one was in an ornately gilded tray. A lot of the people said they preferred the more expensive cake (or the one in the more expensive looking tray) better stating that it is finer and has a more chocolaty taste. The catch is that all cakes used in the social experiment were IDENTICAL.
Presentation and context may be the critical factor in play here.
Oct 30
ErinGarbage, Work Leadership, opinions, policies, Work
At any given point we are either a follower or a leader. In some rare scenario we fulfill both roles.
I am getting a reputation at work for a troublemaker when in fact I am only clarifying glaring holes in policies that are too specific or useless. These are the same policies that, to paraphrase one of my recent statuses, people wield like a paper shield that wont even muster against the slightest reason. Pitiful that the instigators of these policies are the same people that I should be relying on to look after my welfare as a follower.
In these cases I take up the mantle of being Captain Obvious. It may come across as troublesome but being a leader means you need to take the road that is not going to be comfortable. If nobody complains then it is the same as being complicit to something that you do not believe in.
Follow or lead? Do you take a chance in participating in a battle that can be the turning point of the war; or sit quietly in the corner reminiscing the “what if” of an opportunity that has long gone by? Choose your own poison.
ciao!
Jun 07
ErinRubbish Leadership, musings, Work
For somebody who grew up with major inferiority complex I do talk a lot whenever we have somebody new in the team. I usually have a few pointers and expectations but I am consistent in conveying what my goals as a leader is. This has always been my challenge to my new members:
MAKE ME OBSOLETE. ONCE THAT IS DONE THEN I HAVE DONE MY WORK PROPERLY.
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