Kunio Hara is the creator of the renowned HO-ME-I-KU Method, an effective employee and executive education program for achieving success.
People naturally tend to seek rewards in return for their work. Managers probably hear employees asking for recognition for their hard work, higher salaries, improved working conditions and so on every day.
It is true that giving fair recognition for hard work and rewarding achievements are important in organizational management, and it is also healthy for employees to ask for rewards. Could we, however, act without expecting something in return more often?
Take positive action because it all matters.
In Japan, we have always said, “Otentosama is watching you.” The word “Otentosama” refers to the sun being personated, and it is also a symbol of God. It is often used to admonish people not to do anything wrong because the sun is watching, even if no one is watching.
Yet, there is a different perspective. It is also used to encourage behavior that does not seek anything in return: “Even if no one is watching, the sun is watching. So let’s do good things. The sun is watching over us, so it all matters.” I think a similar concept can be applied in business.
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels is often talked about for picking up trash at stadiums. Surely he does not act so to please his fans. And of course, he does not pick up trash to improve his own reputation. Nevertheless, as a result, many of his fans are delighted, and his reputation is rising.
Start with corporate culture.
How about creating a corporate culture in your company that does not seek recognition in return. Consider adopting a slogan that emphasizes integrity and responsibility.
For example, I wish more employees would pick up trash even when no one is watching. Certainly, picking up trash does not improve personnel evaluations. However, if 100 employees each picked up one piece of trash, 100 pieces of trash would disappear from the company. If they each pick up two, 200 pieces will disappear. Isn’t it heartening to think so?
Just by everyone picking up a little bit of trash—or making a small, positive contribution in another way—the company will become cleaner and full of good vibes. This will surely be a breath of fresh air in the minds of employees as well. Once the working environment is improved, productivity may naturally increase. This could ultimately lead to better business performance.
Remind employees how positivity and success feel.
Obviously, it is not an easy task to allow such a corporate culture to take root. But, keeping in mind your motto, first, reiterate the idea that each action matters—even if no one sees it.
We often judge things as good or bad according to past memories. By retracing old or forgotten memories, we can change our future behavior. If we have a positive memory of a successful and happy experience, we will take the same action. Conversely, if we have a memory of failure and regret, we will take action to prevent it.
Ask each employee to recall a memory of a situation at work and take action according to the memory. If they have a positive memory of a successful outcome, they’ll take the same action. On the contrary, if they remember a failure and regret it, they can take actions to prevent it.
Lead them to move up from the stage of “making efforts to be evaluated” to the one of “taking action as their own way of life and following their heart, even when no one is watching.” In this way, each employee can gain a better perspective. Why don’t we nurture employees who can work in such a way and refine themselves as human beings?
Praise employees to reinforce change.
I would like to make one more suggestion to all managers. When your employees act without asking for anything in return, they may already be satisfied with themselves—because they know what they have said and done since they were born and what they think, said and did today.
As a manager, however, keep an eye out for them whenever possible and praise them for such behavior. It is not necessary to praise them in an exaggerated way. Just wink and say, “I saw that! That’s fantastic!” Although my company’s philosophy of “HOMEIKU” naturally places importance on verbal praise, I believe that making eye contact with the other person and treating the other person in an attitude of sincerity is also a part of praise.
Showing such acknowledgement from management to employees in a visible way can absolutely increase employees’ self-esteem, even though they may not have acted with the intention to improve their evaluations. In my experience, more employees will voluntarily start taking positive actions even if no one else is around, and the behavior of those who see this will also change.
Believe in your employees.
So, how does a manager identify the voluntary actions of employees that they do without seeking rewards? It is not difficult at all.
The first step is for the manager to believe they are doing so. When you recognize such acts, give them a knowing nod or a silent wink of firm appreciation, as if telepathically saying, “Your way of life is really great!”
In our lives, we often judge other people and are judged by others. But the next stage is to try to live in a way that improves all our lives, and let’s practice that!
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