TheWISDOM

of the

FLYING PIG

Guidance and Inspiration for

Managers and Leaders

Jack Hayhow
TheWISDOM

of the

FLYING PIG

Guidance and Inspiration for

Managers and Leaders

Jack Hayhow

Designed by Brian McMurray

Illustrated by John Mahomet

Edited by Carol Talley

Published by Opus Communications, Inc.

www.opustraining.com
Dedicated to
Jack Hayhow, Sr., and Wilmetta Hayhow
As close to perfect as parents could possibly be.

� copyright 2005 Jack W. Hayhow Jr.

All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

First printing: September 2005

ISBN: 0-9715440-6-9

Opus Communications, Inc.

www.opustraining.com
Acknowledgments

I�m not sure I�m capable of adequately acknowledging the

support I�ve received from my wife, Joyce. For over thirty years of
marriage she has supported my every dream and every effort, no
matter how misguided. Along the way, she has contributed her
insight and wisdom. Much of what I know about management
and leadership and life I learned from her. I love you, Joyce
Ann.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to my friend and mentor, Rick

Krska. I stand in awe of his caring and compassion. At some
point, every leader has dark moments and long, sleepless nights.
Rick�s guidance and belief carried me through those times. Rick,
thanks to your help, the pillow really is softer now.

For many years our company has been blessed by great clients,
friends, and advisors. Special thanks to Tom Bash, Nelson Mann,
Joy Wheeler, Jim Heeter, Mark Johns, Bob Shoop, Mike Grogan,
Danny O�Neill, Charlie Arrambide, Dave Whitney, Jack Cooney,
Kathy Burgio, and Gary Weinberg.

To those who read and commented on drafts of the manuscript,

I thank you: Julie Nelson-Meers, Bob Shoop, Carmen Sigler,
Mike Grogan, and Joyce Hayhow.
I�ve also benefited immensely from my relationship with those
trudging the road of happy destiny. The people around the
tables have touched my heart and changed my life. Especially
these people: Wes C., Janet R., Diane A., Nancy P., Bob I., and
Jayme F.

And last, but certainly not least, thanks to the gang at Opus.
Your talent and commitment are stunning. I�m honored by your
presence.
Contents

i
Preface

Section One: Management

2
Managers don�t get paid for what they do, they get paid for what
their people do.

4
Reciprocity is a fundamental law of life and an indispensable lever
for management effectiveness.

6
In the year 2000 alone, forty CEOs of the top two hundred companies
on the Fortune 500 list were fired or forced to resign.

8
�Be subject to one another! Don�t you think you might find some
relevance in Verse 21?�

10
As your managers get better, the performance of everyone in your
company will improve.
14
�The job of the manager is enabling.�

16
�It was impossible to get a conversation going�everyone was
talking too much.�

18
Don�t try to teach a pig to sing�it wastes your time and it annoys
the pig.

22
�To build on a person�s strength, that is, to enable him to do what he
can do, will make him effective�to try to build on his weaknesses
will be frustrating and stultifying.�

24
The most compelling, satisfying, and motivating force in the universe
is achievement.

26
Each of us has a profound need to be unique and an equally profound
need for a union with something greater than ourselves.

28
Great achievement is always preceded by great expectation.

30
The number one reason people don�t do what you want them to do?
They don�t know what you want them to do!

32
Great managers provide the information and resources to do the
job right.

34
Measurement just might be the magic potion. With proper
measurement, productivity can double.

38
�The deepest craving of human nature is to feel appreciated.�

40
�There are only two things people want more than sex and money�
and that�s recognition and praise.�

42
No one responds well to manipulation�no matter how cleverly or
skillfully the manipulation is done.

44
According to research by Dr. Gerald H. Graham, �the most
powerful motivator was personalized, instant recognition from their
managers.�

46
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the number one reason
people leave their jobs is they do not feel appreciated.

48
Contrary to what you might have heard, there IS a secret formula.
50
�To care for another person, in the most significant sense, is to help
him grow and actualize himself.�

52
Caring isn�t about how you feel�but it IS about how they feel.

54
Are Management and Leadership the Same?

Section Two: Leadership

58
�What is the point of this story�what information pertains? The
thought that life could be better is woven indelibly into our hearts
and our brains.�

60
�For myself, I am an optimist. It does not seem of too much use
being anything else.�

64
People will invest their effort and commitment in direct proportion
to their belief in the leader.

66
�A mind once expanded by a new idea never returns to its original
dimension.�

68
�I don�t know who discovered water, but I�m pretty sure it wasn�t a
fish.�

72
�I think without that feeling of affection and connection with other
fellow human beings, life becomes very hard.�

74
The essence of leadership is relationship. The essence of relationship
is emotion.

76
Thanks, Herb

78
The gift of great leaders is that they rally the collective passion of the
enterprise toward a better future.

80
The defining characteristics of the most productive cultures are
participation and choice.

82
�Conviction is worthless unless it is converted into conduct.�

84
�If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is
good.�

86
�The essence of economic activity is the commitment of present
resources to future expectations, and that means uncertainty and
risk.�

88
�No more pigs! You can�t top pigs with pigs.�
92
�There is no higher religion than human service. To work for the
common good is the greatest creed.�

95
Epilogue

99
A Ridiculously Incomplete List of Books that Matter to Me

102
About the Author
� i �

Preface

This is a book for managers. And for the leaders who rely on
them.

Within these pages, you�ll discover (or rediscover) principles

and practices that can propel you along the path to a better
department or a better company. There is guidance. Much of it,
startlingly simple. Some of it, wrenchingly difficult in practical
application. All of it, I believe, worthy of your consideration.

There is inspiration. Stories and ideas and questions of

significance. As you think about what you encounter here, you
may clarify your own concept of what it means to be a manager
or, for the first time, come face to face with the profound
responsibilities of leadership. Maybe your gut will tell you
what�s next.

Perhaps you�re looking for straight answers to pressing,

pragmatic problems: How do I motivate my direct reports?
What can I do to increase productivity? Is there a way to stop
the revolving door�a way to keep my best people? Why don�t
people do what I want them to do? How can I possibly get my
own work done when someone always needs something from
me? What about the troublemakers?

Bad news�there is no panacea. Good news�there is hope,

and there are realistic approaches�sometimes even a solution
lurking about. You�ll find many of them here.

There is also a chance this book will lead you to a better way
to live your business life. A better way to relate to and work
with your subordinates and your boss. A more productive way
to deal with the stress and conflict that arise in even the best of
workplaces. And, most important, a way to experience the joy
and satisfaction that come with achievement.
Section One

Management
The Wisdom of the Flying Pig

� 2 �

� 3 �

Managers don�t get paid for what

they do, they get paid for what their
people do.

Several years ago, on an early August afternoon, my friend

Bill Hanson was managing a kid�s baseball team in a suburb
of Kansas City. August is hot and humid in Kansas City, this
particular August more oppressive than most. In the late innings
of a play-off game, Bill�who has always been a little excitable�
suffered heat exhaustion and collapsed on the bench.

A couple of the parents carried Bill into the shade and wrapped
a cold towel around his neck. A few minutes later, Bill�s eyes
uncrossed and he glanced up at the scoreboard to see his team
had scored three runs and taken the lead. Bill chuckled and
said, �Great managing.�

�When I was a small boy, a friend of mine and I went

fishing. I told him I wanted to be a real major league
baseball player. My friend said he�d like to be president
of the United States. Neither of us got our wish.�
Dwight D. Eisenhower
34th President of the United States

Imagine tomorrow is opening day at the

ballpark in your hometown. You just got a call
inviting you to the game�box seats behind the
third-base dugout. No question, you�re going.

But there is a question. If you go to the game,

but all of your direct reports show up at work as
scheduled, how much of the work that is supposed
to get done will get done?

Now let�s turn it around. If all of your direct

reports take off and go to the game, and you alone
show up for work, how much of the work that is
supposed to get done will get done?

Your answers to those questions should make

it clear that you need your direct reports more
than they need you�and that your time is best
invested in clearing the obstacles and providing
the support your people need.
Reciprocity is a fundamental law of
life and an indispensable lever for
management effectiveness.

Next time the holidays roll around, try this. Open the phone
book and pick some names at random. Close your eyes if you
want. It doesn�t matter who you pick as long as they�re complete
strangers. Now, send each of those strangers a Christmas card.

Then watch your mailbox. You�re going to get holiday greetings

from a bunch of people you�ve never met. How do I know?

Because psychologists Phillip Kunz and Michael Woolcott

proved it some years ago. As a part of their research, Kunz
and Woolcott sent Christmas cards to 578 complete strangers.
An amazing 117 of those complete strangers reciprocated by
sending a card back to the psychologists.

I�ve experienced the fundamental law of reciprocity, and I�ll

bet you have, too. When someone does something for us we
are obligated (and maybe driven by our very nature) to return
the favor.

Management is the process of working with and

through other people to accomplish the goals of
the organization AND the goals of the people in the
organization.

In 1956, William Whyte described the

Organization Man: �They are the ones�who
have left home, spiritually as well as physically,
to take the vows of organization life�� Scary.

Today, the vows of organizational life are but

a quaint artifact, and the Organization Man is,
for practical purposes, extinct. The balance of
power in the employment equation has tilted
precipitously away from the employer and toward
the employee. Managers must face the stark reality
that in today�s workplace, effective management
must be concerned with the goals of the workforce
as well as the goals of the organization.

When you demonstrate a commitment to

improving the lives of the people you manage,
then, and only then, will they demonstrate a
commitment to you and the goals you�re trying
to achieve.
In the year 2000 alone, forty CEOs of
the top two hundred companies on the
Fortune 500 list were fired or forced
to resign.

I�m not sure how many managers get fired every year, but I�d
guess it�s a pretty big number. I�d also guess that some significant
fraction of those terminated managers don�t have a clue why
they�ve ended up pounding the pavement.

Managers are ultimately judged by two criteria. The first

criterion is the productivity of the manager�s workgroup. How
much work gets done, and what is the quality of that work?

The second criterion is about the people. Are they learning

and growing and becoming more valuable to the organization?
And just as important, how long are they staying? Turnover is
crippling to productivity, and it�s expensive.

Are your people more productive working for you than

they would be working for someone else? Are they
growing more?

Dr. Elliot Jaques, author of Requisite

Organization, suggests an eminently practical
definition of management: �We define a manager
as a person who is held accountable for the
outputs of others and for sustaining a team
capable of producing those outputs.� So we�re
back to productivity and people.

If a manager isn�t adding value to the work

of subordinates, or if the manager isn�t helping
to increase the personal capability of those
subordinates, that manager is superfluous in the
organization. At the end of the day, every manager
needs to produce two distinct results:

The manager needs to make sure 1.

some work gets done. Whether
that work is manufacturing widgets
or crunching numbers or making
sales�it�s the manager�s responsibility
to mobilize the people and resources
to get the assigned objectives
accomplished.

The manager needs to tend to the 2.

satisfaction and growth of every direct
report, because employee satisfaction
and growth have important bottom
line benefits.
�Be subject to one another! Don�t you
think you might find some relevance
in Verse 21?�
The West Wing, Season 3

I am in no way qualified to comment on the instructions

of Saint Paul in the Book of Ephesians, but I did understand
Martin Sheen�in his role as President Jeb Bartlett�to suggest
that we should serve one another. This is especially true for
managers. In fact, in a certain light, service is the core function
of management. Here�s why. The best tests of service are these
questions: Has the person being served grown? Is that person
more knowledgeable and more capable? Is that person more
confident and, therefore, more likely to contribute to the success
of the organization?

If a manager�s subordinates are more knowledgeable, capable,

and confident, that manager has served well and succeeded in
one of the vital management functions.

�The work exists for the person as much as the person

exists for the work.�
Robert K. Greenleaf
Servant Leadership

In his wise and wonderful book, Servant

Leadership, Robert Greenleaf suggests that a
business exists as much to provide meaningful
work for the employee as it exists to provide a
product or service to the customer. A good number
of managers, leaders, and owners I�ve met might
take exception to this idea, and maybe you do as
well. So let�s think it through.

What happens as a result of providing meaningful

work? Meaningful work usually inspires significant
effort. Significant effort often leads to exceptional
performance and achievement. And achievement
is the single most important factor in motivation
and job satisfaction�both of which, by the way,
dramatically impact productivity, retention, and
profit.

Meaningful work has both bottom line and

metaphysical benefits. Makes it worth thinking
about.
As your managers get better, the
performance of everyone in your
company will improve.

The performance of your managers has more impact on

your productivity and profit than any other controllable factor.
Research from the Gallup Organization has made it startlingly
clear�the quality of the relationship between supervisor and
subordinate has a dramatic impact on almost every critical
business factor.

It�s just this simple: Good managers get more work and
better work from their direct reports. Even relatively small
improvements in management knowledge and skill can magnify
productivity throughout the organization. When a manager does
his or her job better there is a multiplier effect�it improves the
performance of everyone in the workgroup. We think of this as
management leverage.

�They all excel at turning one person�s talent into

performance. This, in all its simplicity, is the role of great
managers.�
Marcus Buckingham
The One Thing You Need to Know

Great managers find a way. A way to help

their people understand what needs to be done.
A way to provide the resources their people need
to do the job right. A way for every direct report
to have a shot at the satisfaction that comes
from achievement. A way for each person to feel
recognized and cared for.

Great managers don�t see departments�

they see individuals. Great managers see with
exquisite clarity what average managers often
miss completely�that the only way to grow an
extraordinary department or an extraordinary
company is one person at a time. It is this intense
focus on the individual that lies at the heart of
every great manager�s effectiveness.
The Wisdom of the Flying Pig

� 13 �

� 12 �

When a manager does his

or her job better there is a
multiplier effect�it improves
the performance of everyone in
the workgroup. We think of this
as management leverage.
�The job of the manager is enabling.�
Robert Noyce
Founder, Intel

There was a time when the term manager implied someone

who controlled. Today the manager must facilitate. In the past,
the manager kept people in line. Today the manager must lift
people up. Today, the manager�s most vital role is to make sure
every employee is performing at the highest possible level.

That means managers should be concerned with getting the

barriers out of the way so people can do the things they do well.
Managers add value when they clear the obstacles. Managers
add value when they find ways to make people more productive.
When a manager focuses on these vital tasks, subordinates do
more work and better work.

�Business is simple. Management�s job is to take

care of employees. The employee�s job is to take
care of customers. Happy customers take care of the
shareholder.�
John Mackey
CEO, Whole Foods � Forbes, February 12, 2005

It really is simple. Focus your time and energy

on four key activities and your success as a
manager is virtually assured:

Communicate explicit expectations.1.

Provide the information and resources 2.

to do the job right.

Measure, recognize, and celebrate.3.

Show you care by encouraging 4.

growth.

If you accept the premise that as a manager you

don�t get paid for what you do, you get paid for
what your people do, it naturally follows that the
best use of your time is helping your people be
more productive. And here�s what your people
need to be more productive: Your people need
to know exactly what you want them to do. Your
people need certain information and resources to
do the job right. Your people need to know how
they�re doing and to be recognized when they
succeed. And finally, your people need to know
you care.
�It was impossible to get a
conversation going�everyone was
talking too much.�
Yogi Berra (of course)

One of the giants of modern-day marketing communications

was Bill Bernbach, founding partner of Doyle, Dane and
Bernbach Advertising. Mr. Bernbach once commented that a
writer is concerned with what he puts into his writing while a
communicator is concerned with what the reader gets out of
it.

One of the core skills of great managers is the ability to

communicate effectively. But even more important than the
ability to communicate is the understanding of precisely what
should be communicated.

Every employee comes to the workplace with one burning

question: What are we trying to do? The most basic and most
productive information you can communicate to your direct
reports is the answer to this question.

The most important list you�ll ever make is the list of

things you�re going to stop doing.

A woman I know runs a highly profitable

business unit for a major national company.
She is an experienced, successful, and hugely
conscientious executive. She is also often
overwhelmed. A year or so ago, while visiting
with her mentor, this executive was bemoaning
her massive to-do list. The mentor listened for a
bit and said, �You know, you could stop doing
about 80 percent of the stuff on that list and no
harm would be done.�

William Jennings Bryan once commented,

�Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter
of choice.� Success requires choices�you must
choose what to do and what not to do. Success
demands that you focus your personal efforts,
your people, and your resources on the vital few
activities that have the power to help you achieve
your objectives. Great managers shine a light on
�what we�re trying to do� through their actions
and their expectations.
Don�t try to teach a pig to sing�it
wastes your time and it annoys the
pig.

Napoleon Hill once said, �Anything the mind of man can

conceive and believe, it can achieve.�

Hogwash.

The idea that we can do anything we want as long as we

work hard enough is just plain wrong. Think about this: I can
conceive of playing in the NBA, and with enough self-delusion
I might even be able to believe it. But I won�t achieve it because
you can�t coach tall�or fast. In other words, I don�t have the
talent.

So I�d like to suggest an adaptation of Mr. Hill�s bromide:

�Anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve�
as long as the required talent is also present.�

�Talent is the capacity for near-perfect performance.�

Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.

Beginning in 1991, I had the opportunity to

meet and spend some time with Don Clifton. Don
was a pioneer in the field of positive psychology.
He founded a company called Selection Research,
Incorporated, and was later chairman of the
Gallup Organization. Don�s insight and research
into management excellence have changed the
face of modern management.

As I understand it, this is Don�s central message:

Everyone has talent�of some kind. Everyone
has the capacity for near perfect performance�
in some area. But each of us also has areas of
non-talent, things we just don�t do very well and
probably never will. One of the most important
responsibilities you have as a manager is to
identify the talent of each of your direct reports
and to match that talent with a task that needs to
be accomplished.
One of the most important
responsibilities you have as
a manager is to identify the
talent of each of your direct
reports and to match that
talent with a task that needs to
be accomplished.
�To build on a person�s strength, that
is, to enable him to do what he can do,
will make him effective�to try to build
on his weaknesses will be frustrating
and stultifying.�
Peter Drucker

In my seventh-grade year, I was assigned to the shot put event

for my school�s track and field day. That was a bit of a problem.
I wasn�t what you would call skinny�I was downright scrawny.
I could barely pick up the shot put, let alone heave it across the
field. Let me tell you though, I was scrawny, but I was scrappy,
too. I practiced hard. The gym teacher worked with me, and day
by day I got better. It hurt and I hated it, but I got better. On track
and field day I threw the shot put farther than I had ever thrown
it. It was a personal best. And I came in dead last�thirty-seventh
out of thirty-seven boys. I had worked hard, I had gotten better,
and I had gone from poor to just a little less poor. My hard work
went largely unrewarded. That�s what happens when the talent
doesn�t match the task.

Make sparing use of your red pencil.

Many of us learned most of what we know

about management in grade school. Remember
handing in an assignment? The very first thing the
teacher did was pick up her red pencil, primed to
start scratching and circling�pouncing on even
the most insignificant of mistakes.

That�s how managers often operate. They spend

their time looking for what�s wrong. They spend
their time looking for what their people can�t do.
That�s a bad idea. It doesn�t work and it destroys
people. If you�re doing this, please stop.
The most compelling, satisfying, and
motivating force in the universe is
achievement.

In the January 1968 issue of Harvard Business Review,

psychologist Frederick Herzberg published the results of
his metanalysis of all motivating factors contributing to job
satisfaction. Far and away the leading component of extreme
job satisfaction was achievement. Thirty years later, the National
Study of the Changing Workforce concluded that �factors such
as a sense of accomplishment and the challenge of work�are
far more important than salary or fringe benefits in improving
job satisfaction, commitment, retention and performance.�

Great achievement demands great ability.

Great achievement most often occurs when

people are making use of the ability (talent) they
were born with. Keep this in mind: Talent can be
developed, but it probably can�t be created. No
amount of training or practice can take the place
of inherent talent. That means you must figure out
what your people are naturally wired for. There
are three reliable indicators of talent:

Passion1.

Rapid learning2.

Glimpses of excellence3.

When you spot any of these indicators, be

especially thoughtful. Remember, when you
match the talent with the task, great achievement
is possible.

So here�s the drill. First you find someone

doing something right. Then you recognize the
performance and give that person an opportunity
to do more of that kind of work. Because when
people are using their natural talent, they�ll grow
and get better, and they�ll achieve more than
anyone ever thought possible. And you�ll see for
yourself that achievement is the most motivating
force on the planet.
Each of us has a profound need to be
unique and an equally profound need
for a union with something greater
than ourselves.

Sometimes managers think employee satisfaction is mostly

about money or prestige. And without a doubt, money and
prestige play a role. But as Tom Morris said in his stunning book
True Success,

The desire to have, to acquire and possess, is in principle

insatiable, and rarely generates the sense of fulfillment
and happiness it promises. By contrast, only the desire
to do, to produce, to contribute, or to give can reliably,
when acted on, yield the true sense of satisfaction we all
deeply need.

When you offer employees a way to make a unique contribution

to a team pursuing a worthy goal, their needs to be unique and
in union are both served.

�Mobilize your people around a common goal. Help

them to feel part of something genuine, special and
important, and you�ll inspire real passion and loyalty.�
Michael Dell
Direct from Dell

I�ve often thought that one of the most important

roles of the manager is to provide context.
Managers have a responsibility to help employees
make sense of an increasingly complex, often
confusing, and startlingly fast-changing world. As
a manager you have a responsibility to help your
people understand their place in this world, how
they fit in, and how they contribute. You have the
unique opportunity to help your people connect
their efforts to the objectives of the department,
the company, and the clients you serve.

Providing context communicates respect. It

makes people feel good about how they spend
most of their waking hours. Providing context
makes it clear that your people are doing
something important�for the company and the
clients, and also for themselves.
Great achievement is always
preceded by great expectation.

One of the most important lessons I�ve learned as a manager is

that great achievement is always preceded by great expectation.
Great expectation has three components. First, great expectation
explicitly communicates the specific results you�re looking for.
Second, great expectation is based on the skills and abilities of
the individual. And third, great expectation causes people to
stretch and grow.

�It is the nature of man to rise to greatness if greatness

is expected of him.�
John Steinbeck

If we want outstanding performance, we must

first expect outstanding performance. But we
have to be careful because expectation can be
dangerous. Which of the following statements
would you say is most true?

If two people are doing the same 1.

job, it�s only fair to expect the same
performance from both.

The job description defines the proper 2.

expectation.

Expectation is about the individual, 3.

not about the job description.

I hope you picked number three. As you�re

developing expectations for each of your direct
reports, your first considerations must be, What is
this person capable of? What knowledge, skill, or
ability does this person have? And perhaps more
important, What knowledge, skill, or ability does
this person NOT have? Be mindful�expectation
must always be congruent with capability.
The number one reason people don�t
do what you want them to do? They
don�t know what you want them to do!

You might not believe this, but there are a bunch of people
stumbling around out there who don�t have a clue what�s
expected of them�50 percent of all people if you pay attention
to the research. Some of these people report to you�and
as frustrating as you might find this, they simply don�t know
precisely what you want them to do.

Communicating explicit expectations may well be the most

difficult aspect of a manager�s job. But it is absolutely essential
to creating a high performance workplace. At the very least,
the expectations you communicate to your direct reports must
include quantity, quality, and time frame.

I suggest you find a quiet room and start making a list of what
you expect from each of your direct reports. A specific list. You
might be surprised how difficult this is. Then meet with each of
your people individually. Ask them what they think you expect
of them. Ask them what specific results�including quantity,
quality, and time frame�they think they�re responsible for. It
will make you want to scream.

But it�s worth it.

�People can�t do anything well unless

they can define it in a way that they and
others can understand.�
Philip Crosby
Absolutes of Leadership

It often seems that when people describe

someone as a �good communicator,� what
they�re really saying is that the person is a �good
speaker.� Certainly communicating can, and often
does, involve speaking. But I�ve always thought of
communication as something far more profound
and productive than simply flapping my lips. I
think of communication as the creation of mutual
understanding.

The first key activity of great managers is to

communicate explicit expectations. To me that
means great managers must create a mutual
understanding of what�s to be accomplished.
Without such an understanding it is unlikely that
employee efforts, however intense, will lead to
optimal business results.
Great managers provide the
information and resources to do the
job right.

After reviewing extensive research from the Saratoga Institute,

Leigh Branham determined that people leave their employers
because the employer is not meeting one or more basic human
needs. In his book The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave,
Branham identifies these four needs: the need for trust, the need
to have hope, the need to feel a sense of worth, and the need to
feel competent.

When employees don�t have the information and resources

to do the job right, their sense of competence is compromised,
they become discouraged, and ultimately they�re more likely
to leave. Having the right tools�that is, the information and
resources to do the job right�is fundamental to a sense of
competence, which is, in turn, fundamental to retention and
productivity.

As we�ve said, managers don�t get paid for what they do; they
get paid for what their people do. So, as a manager, it�s up to
you to find out what your people need and get it for them.

Did you ask any good questions today?

Isidor Issac Rabi came to America as an

Austrian immigrant. From the public schools on
New York�s Lower East Side, he became one of
America�s most outstanding physicists, winning
the Nobel Prize in 1944. When asked of his
influences, Rabi often mentioned his mother,
who each day asked him, �Did you ask any good
questions today?�

What�s true for a Nobel Laureate is also true for

managers. Questions are important. If you pose
questions like the following to your staff, you
might be amazed at what happens.

What tools or materials would give �

you the ability to do your job better?

What obstacles are you encountering?�

What information would help you do �

your job better?

How can I support your efforts?�

Measurement just might be
the magic potion. With proper
measurement, productivity can
double.

If you expect people to produce specific results, you must

measure their performance. Without measurement your
expectations have no validity; they are little more than idle
conversation. Simply put, measurement tells you whether or
not your people have done what you expected them to do. Isn�t
that something you�d like to know? Isn�t that something your
boss would like to know?

What you measure and how you measure it will be unique to

your particular workgroup. But keep in mind, in every workgroup
there are a critical few activities that drive productivity. We call
these critical activities key drivers. Identify the key drivers and
measure them relentlessly.

Measurement improves performance and changes how

people experience their work.

As a sous-chef in a large kitchen, Mike H.

manages half a dozen cooks. He told me this
story. Cooks in Mike�s kitchen rotate through
several stations. Cooks hate the broiler station. It�s
hot, it�s hectic, and they avoid it if they can.

Early in a promotion featuring strip steaks, at

the end of the shift when he was doing the steak
count, Mike happened to mention to the broiler
man that he had cooked 100 strips that night�
well over the average of 30 strips per night. The
cook was excited and told all the other cooks.

From then on, every night the cooks hung

around for the steak count to see if they beat the
previous record. They stared vying for a chance
to be on the broiler. The cooks even started
exhorting the servers to sell more strip steaks.
Instead of approaching that job with dread, they
looked forward to their turn on the broiler. And
by the way, one night they sold 276 strip steaks.
Without measurement your
expectations have no validity.
�The deepest craving of human
nature is to feel appreciated.�
William James

My friend Greg Kirsch is a wonderful trainer and keynote

speaker. As you might imagine, his work requires extensive travel.
He told me this story of the road and recognition recently.

When I checked into my hotel room, I had mixed

emotions. Santa Fe is a striking city, and I was excited
about the group I was speaking to the next morning. But I�d
spent most of my Sunday traveling, and I missed spending
that time with my family. I was feeling melancholy and
more than a little lonely. When I opened my suitcase I
discovered a note tucked into the corner. I recognized
my daughter�s handwriting immediately.

Hey, Pop. I wanted to wish you good luck on your

presentation. Thanks for all you do. We miss you.
Luv ya. Love, Erika. P.S. Luv ya again.

Greg went on to say.

As you can imagine, that note made

me feel great. My daughter�s expression
of appreciation and affection touched
me deeply. I wasn�t quite so sad. I wasn�t
quite so lonely. And the next morning I
was inspired to do what turned out to be
maybe the best performance of my life.

Recognition brings out the best in each of us. It

energizes us. It causes us to stretch and to grow.
When our efforts are recognized, we feel valued
and our satisfaction surges. As our satisfaction
grows, our loyalty grows. And one person at a
time we build a strong and vital organization.
�There are only two things people
want more than sex and money�and
that�s recognition and praise.�
Mary Kay Ash
Founder, Mary Kay Cosmetics

I think Mary Kay�s message is that recognition is an elemental

force. It propels our achievement at work and profoundly impacts
the satisfaction we experience in our lives. And research seems
to prove the awesome power of recognition.

In their book First Break All the Rules, authors Marcus

Buckingham and Curt Coffman reveal Gallup research that ties
recognition to the critical business outcomes of productivity,
profitability, retention, and customer satisfaction. In the largest
study of its kind ever undertaken, Gallup discovered six questions
with the strongest links to the most business outcomes. One of
those six questions is,

In the last seven days have I received recognition or

praise for good work?

Proper recognition can be a powerful business tool. But

there�s something else you should think about. When you praise
people�when you tell them how much you appreciate them
and what they do�they�ll feel great and you�ll feel great.

Management genius is the ability to see

what�s right with people.

A number of years ago I had the opportunity

to work with a remarkable guy, Bill Erickson. Bill
is vice chairman of Kenexa, a leading provider
of talent acquisition and talent management
solutions. He is also a fascinating storyteller
with a unique ability to make the most arcane
management research accessible through an
entertaining tale. One of his stories was about
some research conducted by the University of
Nebraska.

In this particular project, �average people� were

asked to stand on a street corner and record their
observations of the people walking by. When
evaluated, the observations of average people
were 70 percent negative.

The study was then repeated, except this time

outstanding managers were placed on the street
corner. When the observations of great managers
were evaluated, those observations turned out to
be 70 percent positive.
No one responds well to
manipulation�no matter how cleverly
or skillfully the manipulation is done.

The first principle of effective recognition: Provide recognition

in an honest and authentic way.

Some managers think any recognition is good recognition.

That�s just not true. If your objective for giving praise is to get
something in return�stop immediately. That�s manipulation, and
it is overwhelmingly likely to do more harm than good. People
can spot manipulation a mile away, and they hate it. Recognition
must always be attributable to honest efforts and/or successful
results. Anything else undermines the manager�s credibility and
the employee�s passion, loyalty, and effectiveness.

Ideally, the manager creates a climate of support,

achievement, and recognition that people recognize as
genuine.

We learn a lot from the managers we work

with. One of these managers told us about the
recognition technique that inspired the title of
this book. We�ll let her tell you the story of the
flying pig.

One of my favorite recognition tools

is the �When Pigs Fly� award. I�m sure
you�re familiar with the expression �when
pigs fly.� That expression usually means
something is impossible. Well, I was
walking through an airport, it was in Las
Vegas I think, and I saw one of these silly
flying pigs. I thought, WOW! That would
be a perfect award when people do
something really tough. So I brought one
of the flying pigs home. Every so often we
let our team decide who has accomplished
the most impossible task and that person
has the honor of displaying the coveted
Flying Pig.
According to research by Dr. Gerald
H. Graham, �the most powerful
motivator was personalized, instant
recognition from their managers.�

The second principle of effective recognition: Be specific and

timely.

The goal here is to provide immediate positive feedback for

effort and results. The sooner you�re able to recognize good
performance, the more powerful the recognition will be. The
same goes for specificity�tell people exactly what they did that
was praiseworthy. That way they�ll know what behavior they
should repeat.

So be on the lookout for positive behavior. When you see

it�say something, do something. It doesn�t have to be a parade
(although that�s not a bad idea). It can be a simple word of thanks,
appreciation scribbled on a sticky note, a cookie or a star sticker
like you got in grade school. If you haven�t praised each of your
staff at least once in the last week, you have an inadequate staff,
OR your performance as a manager is deficient.

It�s pretty simple, really, people want to feel appreciated

for their work and they want to enjoy their workplace.

Some time ago our company moved into new

facilities. We were all excited because, after years
of sharing offices, everyone was going to have a
private workspace. During that same period we
committed to some very aggressive growth goals
and adopted some new processes.

Over the course of a few weeks I noticed a

malaise enveloping our company. Finally, late
one Tuesday afternoon, one of our most engaged
and productive people came into my office and
told me he had dreaded coming to work the
day before. I was stunned. But as we talked, we
discovered where the wheels had come off.

It seems we had let our new private offices isolate

us. Our goals and deadlines and processes had
supplanted the exhilarating creative collaboration
that had characterized our company from its
inception. No one�most conspicuously, me�
was recognizing the enormous effort and results
of their coworkers.

The lesson I learned? Look for what�s right every

day. Today when I see great effort and great results
I shout it out, right then and right there. Forgetting
the power of specific and timely recognition
almost cost us our culture.
According to the U.S. Department of
Labor, the number one reason people
leave their jobs is they do not feel
appreciated.

The third principle of effective recognition: Individualize

recognition.

In order to properly recognize your people, you need to know

them well enough to be absolutely certain the recognition
you provide is welcome. Both the symbol of your recognition
and the setting in which you deliver that symbol are critical to
providing recognition that is rewarding and inspiring. Please
remember recognition is NOT a one-size-fits-all proposition.
Recognition that is inspiring to one person could be worthless
to another. Recognition that is affirming to one person may be
humiliating to someone else.

Not everyone loves plaques.

People are different. For example, I think

brussel spouts are nasty. But there�s a guy in my
office who loves brussel sprouts. I�m aware that
some people don�t get jazzed up if they win a
trip. Other folks don�t assign much value to a
plaque. In fact, I heard a story about a guy who
was absolutely incensed when his company
gave him a plaque. The guy�s name was Lou,
and apparently Lou was the hands-down leading
producer in a large sales organization. Every year
he won the plaque. And every year he told them
he didn�t want the %*#%&^ plaque!

This particular year the group had gathered in

Maui. There had been several days of meetings
and speakers, as well as a number of outdoor
activities that included tropical drinks, which
may have contributed to the looming fiasco.
Once again, Lou was the leading producer. But
this time, as they unveiled a stunning plaque and
called his name, Lou stood up, flipped off the
executives standing on the dais, and stomped out
of the ballroom.
Contrary to what you might have
heard, there IS a secret formula.

The fourth principle of effective recognition: Praise often.

This seems intuitive, but there is empirical data that lends

credence to the idea. I first heard about some fascinating research
in a terrific book by Tom Rath, How Full is Your Bucket.

According to positive psychology expert John Gottman, there

is a secret formula in relationships. Gottman�s research revealed
that marriages are significantly more likely to succeed when
the interactions between the couple are five to one, positive to
negative. In 1992, Gottman recruited seven hundred couples
who had just received their marriage licenses. A fifteen-minute
conversation between prospective husbands and wives was
videotaped, and the number of positive and negative comments
was counted. Then, based on the five to one ratio, Gottman
predicted whether each couple would stay together. Ten
years later, Gottman�s predictions turned out to be 94 percent
accurate.

The secret formula is simple: Praise often.

Research from the American Management Association

reveals that less than one-third of all people report they
frequently receive praise or recognition.

A few months ago I had the opportunity to

teach (and learn from) some managers working in
a casino in northern Nevada. I worked intensively
with a group of ten managers who had been
identified as thought leaders. Most of these
managers were deeply committed, working hard
in hectic, often difficult, situations.

But there was one who didn�t seem to get it.

At all. When we started talking about recognition
he said, �I don�t praise people because that just
makes it harder when I have to fire them.� (Sound
of me pounding my head on the table!)

Later he asked, �Don�t you think you can give too

much recognition?� Well, I guess it is theoretically
possible to give too much recognition. But from a
practical standpoint, if you�re always recognizing
honest effort and positive results it seems virtually
impossible to give too much recognition.
�To care for another person, in the
most significant sense, is to help him
grow and actualize himself.�
Milton Mayeroff
On Caring

Great managers understand two important ideas about caring.

First, caring is an activity, not an emotion. How a manager feels
about a person has little to do with the responsibility of caring
for that person in a managerial sense. Second, because caring is
primarily about helping people grow and develop, it is among
the most pragmatic and productive activities a manager can
undertake.

Think about it this way: At its core, business is fundamentally

about people completing tasks. As people grow and develop,
they get better at completing those tasks. So in a very real sense,
caring is a direct link to productivity.

How can I best help each of my people grow and

develop?

You can�t care unless you know. You can�t help

people grow and develop until you understand
who they are. What is their talent, their unique
capacity for near perfect performance? What are
their limitations and their needs? How do they
experience meaning in their work? You have
to know, because the only way to grow a great
business is one person at a time.

Some miniscule percentage of managers has

the gift of naturally perceiving every individual
as unique. The rest of us have to work at it. We
have to consciously and consistently seek ways
to discover what our people are capable of and
what we need to provide in order for them to
realize that capability.

I don�t think psychologist Carl Rogers was

thinking about management when he made the
following statement, but it applies just the same:
�The degree to which I can create relationships
which facilitate the growth of others�is a measure
of the growth I have achieved in myself.�
Caring isn�t about how you feel �but
it IS about how they feel.

Would it be good if productivity went up in your workgroup?

What if your employees missed fewer days of work�would that
have a positive effect? How about if there were fewer accidents,
fewer worker�s compensation claims, and less theft? Well, here�s
the deal. All this stuff improves when your employees feel cared
for. Common sense tells you this should be true, and about a
jillion research studies confirm it.

The field of play for managers�the arena in which they can

make their unique contribution�is defined by the relationship
they have with each of their direct reports. The professional
challenge for managers is to make each employee more
productive than that employee would be working for some other
manager. There is only one road to this result�your people
must be possessed of the genuine, unshakable belief that their
success is your primary objective.

�As a manager, the one signal you need to steadily send

to your people is how important they are to you. In
fact, nothing is more important to you.�
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Former Commander, USS Benfold

Captain Abrashoff�s counsel is not what I would

normally expect from an officer in the United
States Navy. But in his book It�s Your Ship, there
are numerous surprises, including this one: �My
experience has shown that helping people realize
their full potential can lead to attaining goals that
would be impossible to reach under command and
control.� A military man disparaging command
and control? What�s up with that?

Here�s what: No matter what type of organization

you manage, gaining the trust and commitment
of your people is paramount. And it is a cosmic
truth that people will trust you and commit to
your goals to the exact extent that they believe
you care about them.
Are Management and Leadership the
Same?

Although the terms management and leadership are often used

interchangeably, they are, in theory and in practice, very different
disciplines. Please understand, management and leadership are
both honorable and vital pursuits. And they are both central
to organizational success. But the roles and responsibilities of
managers and leaders are fundamentally different.

Without question, the roles often overlap. Managers sometimes

lead, and leaders often manage. But at the end of the day, while
managers make their unique contribution in one particular way,
leaders contribute in quite another. In overly simplistic terms,
managers look first to the individual, in the present moment.
Leaders look first to the group, and toward the future.

Managers help organizations grow one person at a time. As

I�ve emphasized in the preceding pages, the focus of all great
managers is on the individual. Great managers help each
employee discover his or her own talent. Great managers
provide the opportunity and resources for employees to use
their talent in pursuit of achievement and personal satisfaction.
And great managers revel in the accomplishment and growth
of individual direct reports. The playing field for managers is
the present�today, this week, this month. The manager�s focus
is always locked on to what is happening with his or her direct
reports in real time.

On the other hand, every leader on the planet

woke up today thinking about tomorrow. The gift
of great leaders is that they rally the collective
passion of the enterprise toward a better future.
Great leaders use their talents of optimism,
believability, and lifelong learning to inspire
widespread, shared commitment to a new
reality.

Managers and leaders have profound impact on

the culture of the organization and on the lives
of the people who comprise the organization. It
is sadly and unfortunately true that in the current
environment, managers are sometimes vilified
while leaders are glorified. To say this attitude
is small-minded and wrong-headed doesn�t go
anywhere near far enough. No organization can
excel without extraordinary performance from
both managers and leaders.

So the answer to the question, Are management

and leadership the same? is no. Emphatically, no.
Management and leadership are most certainly
not the same.

And now a few words about leadership.

Section Two

Leadership
�What is the point of this story�
what information pertains? The
thought that life could be better is
woven indelibly into our hearts and
our brains.�
Paul Simon

I�d like for you to use your imagination for a moment to picture
a group of people. In this group there is one leader. The rest of
the people are followers. In your mind�s eye, where is the leader
standing?

He or she is probably standing in front. That�s because the

very essence of leadership is about going out ahead to point
the way. Ask yourself this: If you don�t have a better idea about
where the company is going, why would anyone follow you?

Leaders are obsessed with a vision of a better future�and a

compulsion to arouse the enthusiasms of others that they might
join in creating that better future. This obsession is the defining
characteristic of all great leaders.

�Leaders . . . know their constituency is tomorrow. They

rally around a vision of what the business can become.�
Jack Welch

Get this: Vision is not soft. It is not amorphous

or ephemeral. It is the rallying point�the point at
which people are most likely to join the crusade.
Vision is nothing less than a hard-edged, pragmatic
tool wielded with mastery and consistency by
the best leaders. Vision accomplishes three
compelling purposes:

Vision builds a bridge from the 1.

present to the future. It sharpens the
focus on what can be. It helps people
believe that where we�re going is
more important than the obstacles
that stand in our way.

Vision molds meaning for everyone 2.

in the organization. It explains our
connection to something larger than
ourselves. It articulates what we do,
how we do it, and who we are.

Vision attracts commitment and 3.

energizes people. It gives people a
way to get on the bus. It gives them a
chance to say, �If that�s where you�re
going, scoot over because I�m coming
too.�
�For myself, I am an optimist. It
does not seem of too much use being
anything else.�
Sir Winston Churchill

While I readily admit that I am not personally acquainted

with every great leader who has ever walked the planet, I will
nonetheless declare: All great leaders are optimists. Optimists
have a tendency to dwell on the best of all possible outcomes.
They believe deeply�and probably instinctively�that the
future will be better than the present or the past.

It�s as simple as this: There can be no leadership without

optimism. To be a leader, you must have followers�people who
willingly and enthusiastically commit their hearts and minds
and sweat to the attainment of your vision. Can you imagine, for
even a moment, that anyone would commit so much of himself
or herself to a person who is pessimistic about the future?

Leaders are driven to make things happen. They have a

dream about creating something that has never existed before.
Optimism is one of the indispensable tools great leaders use to
make the dream come true.

�The grand essentials to happiness in this

life are something to do, something to
love and something to hope for.�
Joseph Addison

There is, it seems, an almost universal fear of

the future. Lurking in each of us is the concern
that, somehow, the uncertain future conspires to
diminish our comfort, our security, our status, or
our enjoyment of life. And therein lies the great
opportunity of optimism.

We�ve learned from Martin Seligman and

others in the positive psychology movement that
success is often rooted in optimism. And for very
good reason. Optimism defeats fear. Optimism
creates hope. And hope inspires confidence and
enthusiasm and energy�the positive emotions
that propel extraordinary effort and extraordinary
results.
There can be no leadership
without optimism.
People will invest their effort and
commitment in direct proportion to
their belief in the leader.

Above all else, leaders must be believable. And while this

should come as no surprise, believability begins with honesty.

For over twenty years, James Kouzes and Barry Posner have
been asking people what they expect from their leaders. In their
seminal work, The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner
report, �In almost every survey, honesty has been selected more
often than any other leadership characteristic; overall it emerges
as the single most important ingredient in the leader-constituent
relationship.�

Of course, honesty requires that you tell the truth. But it goes
much deeper. You must always do what you say you will do.
Your actions must be absolutely consistent with your words. If
you don�t walk the talk, you can�t be believed.

According to Watson Wyatt�s WorkUSA survey, the

rate of three-year total returns to shareholders is almost
three times higher at companies with high trust levels
than at companies with low trust levels.

For people to willingly enroll in your quest,

they must be confident of your honesty, but
honesty alone is not enough. They must also
have an abiding faith in your competence. If you
expect extraordinary effort from your people and
extraordinary results from your organization,
there can be no question about your ability to get
things done, to execute.

Your people must believe that you have the

courage to confront reality and acknowledge
problems rationally. Your people must be certain
of your ability to focus the right people and the
right resources on the right task. And you must
demonstrate through your actions that you are
willing to make the hard choices, and to do what
needs to be done.

And through it all, your people must know in

their hearts that you are as committed to improving
their lives as you are to building your business.
�A mind once expanded by a new
idea never returns to its original
dimension.�
Oliver Wendel Holmes

Currently, there are between six and seven billion people

inhabiting planet Earth. A billion is a very big number. To provide
a context for just how big, think about this: A million seconds
pass in a little over eleven days. A billion seconds, on the other
hand, take almost thirty-two YEARS.

So with over six billion people wandering around, you have

to assume that somebody, somewhere, has a better idea. Great
leaders live with a compulsion to find that better idea and
put it into action. That means leaders are learners. Leadership
experts Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus have gone so far as to
say, �It is the capacity to develop and improve their skills that
distinguishes leaders from their followers.�

When an old pond gets a new frog, it becomes a new

pond.

Learning is the catalyst for growth and

progress. Learning leads to new connections,
new ideas, and new actions�which, in turn,
spark innovation and greater productivity. But for
the leader, learning offers an even more profound
opportunity, an even higher purpose.

From the leader�s perspective, learning is more

than the mere accumulation of new facts and
new techniques. Learning is transformational. It
is about fundamentally recreating who the leader
is through the integration of new ideas and new
experiences. A leader grows by becoming more
honest with himself or herself, more aware of the
environment and its influences, and more willing
to make decisions without either conforming
to prevailing wisdom or compulsively rejecting
accepted practices.

When seen in this light, we understand why

President John F. Kennedy said, �Leadership and
learning are indispensable to one another.�
�I don�t know who discovered water,
but I�m pretty sure it wasn�t a fish.�
Marshall McLuhan

Sometimes one of our most difficult tasks is to see what�s

staring us right in the face. My guess is there are lots of reasons
for that, some of them completely rational. But far too often the
reason we don�t cop to reality is some combination of fear and
denial. And in sufficient doses, fear and denial are terminal.

If you aspire to greatness as a leader, it might be helpful to

ask yourself these questions: Are you willing? Are you willing to
see the truth? Are you willing to do what�s necessary? Are you
willing to act decisively, evaluate honestly, and adapt?

Most of us don�t get it right the first time, or the second, or the
third�or even the forty-third time . Winston Churchill once said
that success is the ability to go from failure to failure without
losing your enthusiasm. Leaders have to do that. As tempting as
it is at times, we can�t perfume the pig. We have to fess up and
then move on.

Get the cow out of the ditch.

I read an interview in the March 21, 2005,

issue of Fortune that just killed me. The CEO of
Xerox, Anne Mulcahy, talked about some advice
she got from Albert Black, President of On-Target
Supplies and Logistics.

When everything gets really complicated

and you feel overwhelmed, think about it
this way: You gotta do three things. First
get the cow out of the ditch. Second, find
out how the cow got into the ditch. Third,
make sure you do whatever it takes so the
cow doesn�t go in the ditch again.

When the cow is in the ditch, great leaders

admit it.
When the cow is in the ditch,
great leaders admit it.
�I think without that feeling of
affection and connection with other
fellow human beings, life becomes
very hard.�
His Holiness the Dali Lama
The Art of Happiness

If you read much about leadership, or if you visit even casually

with your friends and associates about the topic, the concept of
relationship comes up pretty quickly. But what is relationship?

One serviceable definition of relationship is �the way in which

two or more concepts, objects or people are connected.� To
me, the dominant words there are the way in which . . . people
are connected.

If you work with other humans�no avoiding it�there

is a connection. The question is, what is the nature of that
connection? In what way are you connected to people at work?
Is your connection characterized by trust, openness, and mutual
regard? Or is the connection sullied by suspicion, secrecy, and
self-centeredness?

Self-centeredness will kill your business�and it might

kill you.

I�ve long been of the opinion that self-

centeredness is a disease that is rampant in
American culture. But until I read about research
conducted by Dr. Larry Scherwitz and his
associates, I didn�t know self-centeredness could
kill you.

In a study of the risk factors for coronary heart

disease, Dr. Scherwitz determined that self-
involved (self-centered) people were more likely
to suffer from coronary heart disease and more
likely to die when they experienced myocardial
infarction. Self-centeredness is equally devastating
to your business.

Leaders are responsible, not only for their own

personal relationships, but also for the relationship
environment that exists in the companies they
lead. When you care enough to listen to every
voice, others in the organization will listen as
well. When you emphasize the value of every
contribution, those contributions will be valued
throughout the company. And when you insist on
dignity for every contributor, dignity will reign.
The essence of leadership is
relationship. The essence of
relationship is emotion.

In reasonably effective companies, most employees operate on

a continuum somewhere between compliance and commitment.
Compliance can be enforced in a number of ways�rules,
procedures, threats, and bribes, to name a few. But compliance
has serious limitations. It is seldom associated with innovation,
breakthrough, or exceptional performance.

Commitment, on the other hand, knows virtually no bounds.

Most forms of organizational capacity, power, and competitive
advantage are generated by commitment. But commitment
springs only from the heart. It can�t be coerced or legislated.
Commitment is an emotional response, a response that almost
always results from a meaningful connection�a relationship.

One of your crucial tasks as a leader is to create a climate

conducive to an ever expanding web of connection between
people throughout the organization.

Relationship develops when one person acts for the

benefit of another.

Think about the people you�re most committed

to�the people you�d be willing to do almost
anything for. Now a question: How do those
people feel about you? I�m willing to bet that,
without exception, every single person you�re
committed to cares deeply about you. This isn�t
rocket science. We care about people who care
about us.

When someone acts in a way that benefits us, a

positive connection is established. Over time, as
that person continues to act for our benefit, we
begin to believe that person cares about us and
the relationship deepens. Then, and only then,
will commitment spring from our hearts.

Ultimately, leadership success is contingent

upon employees believing the leader cares.
Thanks, Herb

For remembering every one of our names.�

For supporting the Ronald McDonald House.�

For helping load baggage on Thanksgiving.�

For giving everyone a kiss (and we mean everyone).�

For listening.�

For running the only profitable major airline.�

For singing at our holiday party.�

For singing only once a year.�

For letting us wear shorts and sneakers to work.�

For golfing at the LUV Classic with only one club.�

For outtalking Sam Donaldson.�

For riding your Harley Davidson into Southwest �

Headquarters.

For being a friend, not just a boss.�

Happy Boss�s Day from Each One of Your 16,000

Employees

On Boss�s Day in 1994, the employees of

Southwest Airlines bought and paid for this ad in
USA Today. That�s relationship.
The gift of great leaders is that they
rally the collective passion of the
enterprise toward a better future.

The work environment is the field in which the collective

passion of the enterprise takes root and grows. How people
experience the work environment�the culture�has dramatic
impact not only on individual satisfaction and motivation, but
also on organizational performance and success.

Consider this: According to research conducted by John

Kotter and James Heskett (Corporate Culture and Performance),
when strong culture firms are focused on the right values, they
radically outperform their competitors. Here�s what happened
at strong culture firms focused on the right values:

Net income increased three times more than direct �

competitors.

Profit performance was over 700 percent higher �

than direct competitors.

Return on invested capital was almost 50 percent �

higher than direct competitors.

There is no one right culture.

It�s abundantly clear that the culture of an

advertising agency might be different from the
culture of an accounting practice�or that a bank
might have different values and practices from
a bakery. But there are some characteristics that
distinguish effective cultures. The first of these
characteristics is that the culture makes sense
strategically.

To evaluate the strategic fit of your culture, ask

yourself, Do our values and practices provide a
point of difference the customer cares about, a
competitive advantage? Does our culture speak
to the needs and desires of employees? Does our
culture contribute to becoming the employer of
choice?

Fundamentally, does the culture fit the context�

does it offer a productive response to the world
as it is? But even more important, is the culture
adaptable? The world will change. The culture
must be capable of adapting to that change. One
of the leader�s critical tasks is to create and grow
an effective, ever evolving culture.
The defining characteristics of
the most productive cultures are
participation and choice.

In her book Mindfulness, Dr. Ellen Langer tells this story:

One day, at a nursing home in Connecticut, elderly

residents were each given a choice of houseplants to
care for and asked to make a number of small decisions
about their daily routines. A year and a half later, not
only were these people more cheerful, active and alert
than a similar group in the same institution who were
not given these choices and responsibilities, but many
more of them were still alive. In fact, less than half as
many of the decision-making, plant-minding residents
had died as had those in the other group.

If participation and choice can actually sustain life, imagine

their effect on productivity.

�For the type of engagement that promotes optimal

problem solving and performance, people need to be
intrinsically motivated.�
Edward L. Deci, Ph.D.
Director of Human Motivations � University of Rochester

Take a guess about what creates intrinsic

motivation.

Right. Participation and choice. Research proves

that when the culture encourages employees to
participate in the choices that affect their work,
their intrinsic motivation soars. That means you
can forget about trying to motivate them because
they�ll motivate themselves. And they�ll be more
committed to the task. Humans just seem to be
hardwired to take responsibility once they�ve
made a choice of their own volition.

But there�s even more good news. In research

conducted at the Xerox Corporation, when
managers offered participation and choice,
�workers were more trusting of the corporation,
had less concern about pay and benefits, and
displayed a higher level of satisfaction and
morale.� (Why We Do What We Do)

The more seriously leaders take the challenge

of weaving participation and choice through the
fabric of the organization, the more productive
the culture will be.
�Conviction is worthless unless it is
converted into conduct.�
Thomas Carlyle

Most of the smart guys who teach and write about leadership
will tell you values are important. They point out that shared
values give people a common understanding and a common
language. They say that clearly understood values contribute to
commitment and enthusiasm.

And while I suspect all of that is true, sometimes it�s easy to get
twisted up in values. First of all, the terminology is excruciating.
There seems to be precious little clarity or consensus about what
differentiates a value from a purpose, a mission, or a vision. My
other issue with values is that they tend to get laminated instead
of acted upon.

But I�ve found the ideas of the late Milton Rokeach helpful.
Dr. Rokeach defined a value as an �enduring belief.� Then he
organized values into two sets: goals (ends) and means. Here�s
how that translates for me: Values are long-term beliefs about
what we�re going to do�and how we�re going to do it.

�Core values are essential for enduring

greatness, but it doesn�t seem to matter
what those core values are.�
Jim Collins

From what I�ve observed, Collins is right.

There is no magic set of values common to all
successful companies. Every company gets to
pick its own. But whatever values the company
adopts, it�s crucial those values be widely shared
and strongly held. Charles O�Reilly, a professor
at the Stanford University Graduate School of
Business, says that a strong culture exists only
when values have intensity and consensus at every
level of the organization. According to O�Reilly,
�There is an important difference between the
guiding beliefs held by top management and
the daily beliefs or norms held by those at lower
levels of the organization. The former reflect top
management�s beliefs about how things ought to
be. The latter define how things really are.� The
values in the executive suite have to match the
values on the shop floor.

The bottom line on values is that everyone has

to be pulling in the same direction. It�s up to the
leader to make sure that happens.
�If you never did, you should. These
things are fun and fun is good.�
Dr. Seuss
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish

What airline is fun? Where do fish fly? What high-flying retailer

hit a bull�s-eye?

Southwest Airlines�Unless you�ve been comatose for a couple

of decades, you know Southwest built the most profitable major
airline in the country on a foundation of fun. It began in the
early seventies with hostesses in hot pants (gasp!). It continued
when Chairman Herb Kelleher arm-wrestled another CEO to
settle a lawsuit. And it lives and breathes today.

Pike Place Fish�Where fishmongers chant your order and

fling your fish. Pike Place Fish has inspired books and videos
and become world famous by making play the first of their four
operating principles. I�ve never seen any numbers on sales, but
I�m guessing Pike Place Fish sells more fish per square foot than
any market in the United States.

Tarzhay, of course. From whimsical television commercials to

high-design toilet bowl brushes to over $100 million in charitable
giving each year, Target has imbued discount retailing with fun
and humanity. Oh, and sales are closing in on $50 billion.

�Girls just want to have fun.�

Cyndi Lauper

So do boys. It doesn�t matter if they�re customers

or employees, most people want to have fun.
Fun is a promotional tool, a sales tool. It�s also a
recruitment and retention strategy�which could
be important.

If the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics is right,

sometime in the next few years there are going
to be more jobs in this country than there are
workers to fill them. Forget about whether those
workers are qualified or motivated�we�re talking
about not having enough warm bodies!

In her book Fun Works, author Leslie Yerkes

reports on research from Lou Harris and Associates.
When peak performers were asked what kind of
workplace they would be reluctant to leave, 74
percent responded, �One that promotes fun and
closer work relationships with colleagues.�

Fun creates a unique connection. Increasingly,

employees expect more than a paycheck, and
customers are interested in the experience as
much as the product. Great leaders consider the
role fun can play in their enterprises.
�The essence of economic activity is
the commitment of present resources
to future expectations, and that
means uncertainty and risk.�
Peter F. Drucker

Because their central challenge is to rally the collective passion

of the enterprise toward a better future, leaders live their lives
in the vortex of change. Innovation is the tool leaders use to
profit from change. As Drucker says, �Innovation�is the act
that endows resources with a new capacity to create wealth.�

Innovation and leadership are intimately connected. Both are

oriented toward the future, and both require the willingness to
act in uncertainty. Innovation and leadership are both driven by
what is possible, not by what is probable.

The best leaders have an ability to imagine how that change

might create value in the future, and a willingness to move
forward in the midst of doubt and uncertainty.

�To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard

old questions from a new angle, requires creative
imagination and marks real advance.�
Albert Einstein

Every productive enterprise begins with an

idea. If that idea is genuinely new, you can�t test
it�you have to try it. Market research simply
cannot tell you whether or not you�ve invented
the new New Thing.

If you doubt this, please learn from the past:

A number of successful companies �

turned down patents on the Xerox
machine because market research
showed nobody would buy one.

Most executives at Sony (except �

President Akio Morita) thought the
Walkman was a bad idea.

At one point Howard Schultz left �

Starbucks because the original owners
weren�t interested in Schultz�s concept
of serving espresso in a caf� setting.
That was about 10,000 Starbucks
stores ago.

Charles Kettering, one of America�s great

inventors, once said, �The opportunities of man
are limited only by his imagination. But so few
have imagination that there are ten thousand
fiddlers for one composer.� Leaders must be
composers.
�No more pigs! You can�t top pigs
with pigs.�
Walt Disney

Perhaps you�re one of the many people reading this book who
have enjoyed success. I�m guessing this success emanated, in
large part, from hard work and perseverance. And you�re to be
congratulated.

But to some extent, your success proves only that you can solve
problems that no longer exist. The game is always changing.
Customers in every category expect more today than they did
yesterday. Way more in most cases. And your competitors are
willing to give it to them.

Great leaders live with the undeniable truth that the most
important thing in business is quite simply the next sale. Here�s
another truth: The likelihood of making the next sale increases
exponentially when you offer the customer something new and
different.

Walt Disney didn�t want to make a sequel to the wildly

successful Three Little Pigs. Ultimately, he gave in to the pressure
from his associates to make another Pigs movie. It wasn�t new. It
wasn�t different. It bombed.

�You never change anything by fighting

it. You change things by making them
obsolete through superior technology.�
R. Buckminster Fuller

At one point in her career, my wife sold

typesetting. Very successfully. But Apple more
or less destroyed the typesetting industry with
the introduction of the Mac. A simple, startlingly
inexpensive desktop computer made the old
typesetting process obsolete.

The drive to new and different is powerful.

And inexorable. And profitable. Think about the
industries that for the most part didn�t exist a mere
thirty years ago: mutual funds, overnight package
delivery, big-box discount retailing, home video,
coffee bars, cell phones.

Leaders are tempted to ask, �What�s next?� But

the better question is �Will it really matter?� And
the best question is: �Will it change the game?�
Great leaders live with the
undeniable truth that the most
important thing in business is
quite simply the next sale.
�There is no higher religion than
human service. To work for the
common good is the greatest creed.�
Albert Schweitzer

A couple of years ago, I was discussing the topic of leadership

with my friend, Bob Shoop. Bob is a kind man, a brilliant
professor, a prolific author, and the cofounder of the Leadership
Studies program at Kansas State University. (His books, Leadership
Lessons from Bill Snyder and A University Renaissance, are
must-reads for anyone interested in leadership.)

In that conversation, Bob spoke of leadership as a covenant.

For some reason, the word covenant struck me as profound
within the context of leadership. I think of a covenant as a
solemn�perhaps even a sacred�bond, a promise to work
in harmony for the common good. To my mind, leadership
simply cannot be separated from responsibility for the common
good. When you accept the mantle of leadership, you assume
responsibility for your institution�which means responsibility
for everyone the institution touches, from customers to employees
to shareholders to members of the community.

The price of greatness is responsibility.

Here�s something most leaders (including

me) probably don�t think about nearly enough.
Employees spend around half of their waking
hours at work. To a very large extent, the leader
determines the nature of the environment at
work. The workplace can be harsh and critical
and cruel, or it can be kind and supportive and
compassionate. Going to work can inspire dread,
or it can instill hope. Your people can be lifted
up by what they encounter in the environment,
or they can be beaten down. They can go home
happy and fulfilled and satisfied, or they can go
home, growl at the kids and kick the cat.

You�re the leader. You�re responsible. It�s up to

you to determine what the work environment will
be like. I hope you�ll do it thoughtfully.
Epilogue

My current understanding of management and leadership has

evolved through study, experience, and reflection.

Because I intend to keep studying, I am certain to discover

new ideas�ideas that will, no doubt, influence my approach to
management and leadership.

Because I am engaged in the practice of leadership on a daily

basis, I suspect my understanding of what it means to be a leader
will be refined through the fire of practical experience.

And because I am committed to introspection and reflection,

I believe my study and experience will produce insight and
clarity as I move along the path.

As a result, I�ll have more to share. In fact, there is already

more � you can find it at:

www.JackHayhow.com

A couple of decades ago, one of my mentors characterized

me as a �chronic learner.� I�ve always considered that an apt
description. After many, many years of study, my passion for
learning remains steadfast. In my life, new ideas are manna.
But true satisfaction comes only from sharing what I�ve learned.
I hope one of the ideas in this book makes your life better�
more productive, more satisfying, or more enjoyable. If that
happens, or if you have a comment of any kind, I�d love to hear
from you.
A Ridiculously Incomplete List of
Books that Matter to Me

True Success
Tom Morris

Good to Great
Jim Collins

First Break All the Rules

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman

Now, Discover Your Strengths

Marcus Buckingham and Don O. Clifton

Servant Leadership
Robert Greenleaf

The Art of Happiness

His Holiness the Dali Lama and Howard Cutler

Loyalty Rules
Frederick F. Reichheld
It�s Your Ship
D. Michael Abrashoff

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Peter F. Drucker

A University Renaissance
Robert J. Shoop

On Caring
Milton Mayeroff

Guts!
Kevin and Jackie Freiberg

Influence
Robert Cialdini

The Leadership Challenge

James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner

On Becoming a Leader
Warren Bennis

Execution
Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Make it Happen Before Lunch

Stephan Schiffman

Daring Visionaries
Ray Smilor

Why We Do What We Do
Edward L. Deci

Let�s Get Real or Let�s Not Play

Mahan Khalsa
About the Author

Jack Hayhow is founder and

Chief Executive Servant of Opus,
a company dedicated to creating
training people LIKE to take. Since
1990, Opus has broken the mold
of typical corporate training with
productions that are as entertaining
as they are effective. Today, Opus
training programs are used in tens
of thousands of businesses.

Jack has been described as a

chronic learner and is compelled by his passion for helping
people and companies improve performance where it matters
most. He is the author of dozens of training programs including:
The Foundation of Management, Reward and Recognition, Time
Management for Managers, Coaching for Performance, and To
Be a Leader.

He is the co-author of Sexual Harassment in Our Schools:

What Parents and Teachers Need to Know to Spot It and Stop It
(Simon & Schuster, 1994). His most recent book, The Wisdom
of the Flying Pig: Guidance and Inspiration for Managers and
Leaders was published in September, 2005. He is currently at
work on his next book, Ten (Harsh) Truths of Leadership.

From the speaker�s platform Jack focuses on inspiring

outstanding performance through the presentation of practical,
actionable ideas and methods. Jack�s keynotes are unique and
engaging, drawing on a vast library of video components and
extensive audience interaction.

Jack began his career in the advertising agency business,

serving clients such as McDonald�s Restaurants, Wendy�s Old-
Fashioned Hamburgers, Westin Hotels and Lee Jeans. In 1980
he founded Broadcast Marketing Group, providing audience
building and sales promotion services to the radio station
industry. Under Jack�s leadership, BMG became the premier
radio station marketing company in the country.

Today, in addition to his responsibilities at Opus,

Jack serves on the boards of a bank, a specialty coffee
wholesaler and a light manufacturing company. He blogs at
www.JackHayhow.com. A life-long Kansas City resident, Jack
lives in Leawood, Kansas with his wife, Joyce.

� 103 �

� 102 �
The Wisdom of the Flying Pig
Jack Hayhow

Word for word, we intend for this little

book to be the most productive business
reading you�ve ever done.

Stashed between these whimsical covers,

you�ll discover principles and practices
that can propel your company and your
career. There�s guidance. Much of it,
startlingly simple. Some of it, wrenchingly
difficult. All of it worth thinking about.

There�s inspiration. Stories and ideas and really big questions. As

you think about what�s written on these pages, you might find your
way to the very heart of management�or come face to face with the
profound responsibilities of leadership.

Perhaps you�re looking for straight answers

to pressing, pragmatic problems: How do I
motivate my direct reports? What can I do to
increase productivity? Is there a way to keep
my best people? Why don�t people do what I
want them to do? How can I possibly get my
own work done when someone always needs
something from me?

Bad news�there is no panacea. Good news�there is hope. And

there are realistic approaches�sometimes even a solution lurking
about. You�ll find many of them in this book.

Opus Communications, Inc.

www.opustraining.com