How to be a better manager? Get these two things right
This lockdown we faced two problems
Problem 1
My nephew started playing FreeFire (a game similar to #PUBG) a lot
Problem 2
He used to cry and complain that teachers are giving so much work and wasn't willing to study
We tried solving it the EASY way
Told him to stop playing FreeFire for a month
Asked him to study for a minimum of 2 hours
I believe this is what MOST OF US do
Results
He started timing his study hours and was only passing time to finish 2 hours
He started watching FreeFire live streams on YouTube
We failed
New Approach to the same problem
I called him and asked him if he wants to play the game to which he replied in affirmation
I told him then he will have to earn it
He asked, "how?"
I gave him a context of how his father spends 10-12 hours of his day working and that's how he earns. I told him how I work for 10-12 hours daily and how at the end of the month I receive the salary which I can spend as per my choice
Similarly every hour he studies, he unlocks 8 minutes of FreeFire. He is free to play or watch during these 8 minutes
He agreed.
NOW
He tries to study for a minimum of 2-4 hours to earn sufficient times of playing. Even on Saturdays and Sundays, when he has no homework, he insists on us taking tests or teaching him something so that he can play
What I learned
Two things are important to make your team more productive
Get the CONTEXT right
Know what motivates your team members
With the right motivation and context, your team can work for you on holidays too.
To explore what motivates your team members, you can read Daniel Pink's book: The Surprising Truth of what motivates us
A team member leaves your side only when he thinks your actions are going out of context or if they aren't rewarded as promised. So now I also earn 8 minutes of PUBG for every hour I work and occasionally he gets an extra game of free fire when he performs well in the tests or is willing to learn his mistakes post the test and re-do the wrong answers :)
Also, motivation and context are not fixed. So this is an ongoing exercise.