by Peter Berglund Reprinted with Permission © 2003 Peter J. Berglund

Growing up on the farm in North Dakota, we took pride in a job well done. We had good reason to feel proud: we actually got something done. "Getting something done"—what a great concept! When you bale the last of the hay, you’re done. When you plant the last row of corn, you’re done. After the last acre is plowed, you’re done! There was a sense of pride in knowing the chore was completed, and you could actually see the results of your work. What a great feeling—no wonder farmers exude confidence. Contrast this with today’s office work. The work seems to come as a river with no end. It goes on and on. You leave at the end of the day and when you come back the water’s still rising. It doesn’t seem to matter whether you’re even there or not—the work just keeps coming. There isn’t anything you can see or hold to take pride in and say, "I did that!" Just wait, here comes the next wave of paperwork. No wonder office workers can feel like they’re doing nothing but rowing the boat with the guy cracking the whip. Lacking this sense of accomplishment, is it any surprise that surfing the web, personal emails and office politics creep in and provide some relief and distraction? Something is going to fill this void, and in today’s tight economy you simply can’t afford to have it be a bunch of unproductive behavior. You can show the motivational "FISH" video only a few hundred times. After that, you have to find something else to keep workers focused on the job. Age-old tactics include giving workers even more work or putting up motivational posters. But you already know those methods. Besides, this isn’t about your employees screwing around; it’s about you, as the boss, taking steps to create a work environment that gives people a sense of accomplishment for doing their job well. Look at the farmer again. The fact that the hay is baled doesn’t mean the job is completely over. The hay will have to be hauled to the barn, unloaded and then fed to the cows, the corn field tilled, harvested and so on. But at least each task has a clear beginning and ending—which creates an environment where there is at least a chance that people could take some pride in their work. Ultimately, work is personal. We have to get a sense of satisfaction out of what we’re doing. If we go about our jobs with no sense of accomplishment or value, what do you think it does to us over time? "Hey, where’s the water cooler?" If we’re lucky enough to have a job where we enjoy the fruits of our labors, or at least see what we’ve accomplished, chances are we’re far more satisfied in both our professional and personal lives. As the boss, you want your employees to not only get things done, but also to gain a sense of accomplishment. Although there certainly isn’t a magic elixir that can remedy the problem, here are some ideas to consider: • Make the work have clear beginnings and endings. Turn work into projects if possible. • Break a long unending task into smaller tasks with endings that can be celebrated. If you simply can’t find a good end point, try to use a visual method like that big thermometer that shows progress. It’s not perfect, but at least it lets you know you’re getting somewhere. Don’t use fancy graphs or hide it in the computer; make it simple and visual. Put the results up in front of everyone so they don’t have to ask. • Show appreciation for the work. Celebrate as a group. In the end, work is very personal. It can be hard to see meaning or value in some office work, so it’s your job to articulate in the simplest terms the value the work has to the company and to you. Surgeons, factory workers and even letter carriers can see what they’ve accomplished and take pride in their efforts. But not all of us have those kind of jobs and, like it or not, the paperwork keeps on coming. If you make the work visible and consistently personalize its value, you’ll energize your group and accomplish big things. It’s a great feeling at the end of the day when your employees can look around the office and be proud of what they’ve done. Peter J. Berglund, CPIM, is a strategic planner, speaker and writer who never really lived on a farm. But he likes farmers. Peter can be reached at 612-616-3822 or peter@riqadvisoryservices.com.

APICS TOPICS - The Educational Society for Resource Management Wichita Chapter 71 · October 2003, Page 6

Inside this issue: (1.) SEPTEMBER PDM, (2.) PRESIDENT'S CORNER, (3.) APICS CALENDAR OF EVENTS, (4.) SOUTHWESTERN COLLEGE CLASSES,  (5.) 2003 ANNUAL CONFERENCE,  ,  (6.) RECERTIFICATION INFORMATION ,  (7.) STRAWBERRIES & WORMS (8.) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION