Motivational Management

When an eruption in my left eye prevented me from studying full throttle for a professional examination, I decided to abandon the attempt altogether and requested the Branch Manager to reject my leave application. I was working in a bank at the time.

The Branch Manager said nothing to me initially but after 'day end' that evening he came by my cubicle and said softly ," Come over to my cabin for tea."

So I went and he inquired about my eye condition,my level of preparation for the examination and what was it that prompted me to take such a drastic decision.

"Is it fear of failure?" he asked me upfront.

I explained, "Well..yes..I am not exactly in a high state of preparation for the examination and I don't see the point in going there under the circumstances.....in fact I am thinking of giving up the course altogether. Six months back,I lost the June attempt because of an intestinal swelling. I am fed up of these obstacles.".

The Branch Manager said ," Its up to you....cancelling your leave is a small matter but remember one thing...if you take the examination and pass, you will be nearer to qualifying as a Cost & Management Accountant and if you don't, you lose six months at best. I feel you should take the attempt. No one is ever fully qualified for a professional examination."

I said nothing and went home. Ten days later, I realized that he had still not rejected my leave application. In fact, he came by my cubicle a second time and queried, " All set ?"

I replied," No...its no go...I have decided that enough is enough...am giving up the course altogether."

He called me to his cabin again that evening and asked me pointing towards a chair," Do you see that chair?"

It was the Branch Manager's chair and he had often remarked in the past that it was a sturdy old fashioned chair. He then looked at me straight in the eye and asked, "Would you like to gain prestige in life because of this chair or would you prefer the chair to gain prestige because you occupied it ?"

I was a little nonplussed by the question initially and replied slowly, "Well..ideally....it would be the latter.''

He smiled and said," Good...I am glad you see my point...its all settled then...you are taking that examination.Your leave is approved. Best wishes!"

He gave me a strong handshake as he said these words and we parted.

I went home thinking about the Branch Manager's words and decided that I would take the examination after all. It wasn't easy, especially on the second day of the examination but I passed with flying colors. It just so happened that what I had studied was asked in the question papers. Luck had smiled on me and if I had not listened to the manager's positive advice, I may never have qualified.

Looking back, the manager's motivational one liner had propelled me towards the examination hall. A lesser individual may well have accepted the leave application cancellation request and my life would have taken an altogether different turn.It was a defining moment during my stint in the bank , one that has stayed with me to this day.

Motivational management is like that - inspirational, instinctive and rewarding in its impact.

Generally speaking, managers who have the ability and willingness to motivate others are individuals with values and are genuinely interested in talent development.These are managers who live by the philosophy that an organization is only as good as the individuals who comprise it and that if you ensure the well being and growth of the employees you also ensure the long term well being and prosperity of the organization. However,such managers are not common place. Rather, they are a rare breed.

Then, there is the other side of the picture. What do you do when you are managed by an individual who tends to get unsettled and feel insecure by your successes to the point where he starts to manifest unreasonable ,even boorish behavior? That is the worst nightmare for any talented individual and yet, people face it in every sphere of life. As the saying goes, you are a 'nice guy' in everyone's eyes till you are perceived as being competition.

That then is motivational management .There are managers who will see the roses and there are managers who will see the thorns. I guess I was fortunate back then to be mentored by a manager who preferred to see the roses rather than the thorns.

#leadership #management