Energy in the Workplace

How do we get our staff to give their best to the Company?

There were three workers in a factory stitching a well known brand of ladies' hand bags. When the first worker was approached with the question "what are you doing?" He replied "I am earning RM 100.00 a day stitching". The second person said "Stitching the leather together". And the third person proudly said "I am making a branded hand bag so that people will be willing to pay for it".

Which of these 3 workers would you think will look eagerly to the finished work with personal satisfaction and pride? Or which worker would react, and would like to set it right, if a small corner of the leather were found stained and flayed .

Your answer would probably be as good as mine. The first worker would properly ignore it. The second would probably notice it and report to the superior whilst the third would probably fixed it.

How do we create more of the "third worker" in the work place? Let's get back to basic.

Workers, including each one of us, bring along to our work place the physical energy. This energy enables us to work using our physical strengths. Then we have the mental energy, which is the brain work that involves thinking, planning, talking, problem solving etc. Along with these two energies come the emotional energy that helps to keep a person's physical and mental faculties running in momentum to achieve the work for the day. The last but very important energy is the " inner energy". This energy drives and energises the person from within with a strong sense of purpose, vibrancy and a "can-do-and-never-tire-spirit". This energy is powerful and even a boring and mundane job will spring to life and long hours of work will be completed without any sign of  weariness! This energy will drive the finished work to perfection and give the worker a sense of pride in the finished work!

Thus, the quality and speed of work output depends on the degree to which all four forms of these energies are being aligned and engaged in the work place. Leaders and Managers must therefore learn to engage their colleagues in their respective business units where these energies are being productively and efficiently harnessed and directed.