"We all worry … the trick is to minimize the time between your first worried thought and your first action to attack it." - from 107 Ways to Stick to It
I recently traveled to Singapore to deliver a speech and train local leaders. Singapore is arguably, one of the cleanest, safest metro cities in the world. Crime and litter are rarities.
The diverse people of Singapore know that manners matter—respect for people, property and perspectives. After delivering a speech there recently I spent time to experience first-hand what I had heard about for years.
The Singapore government really understands the most important performance management law—what you manage is what you get. So, litter in the streets and you pay a $1,000 stiff fine (no, you do not lose your hand if you spit out your gum). Drive without a license and pay $2,500. Consequences for dealing with drugs or theft are STIFF. The result: a high-performing country with great manners and clean, safe streets. It's the power of implementing clear and consistent consequences... and it yields predictable results at work as well as at home.
Although this appears so intuitive and simple, it is also common to see leaders reinforce behavior X (often unknowingly or implicitly) while they expect behavior Y from their teams. No room for assumptions here.
Everything cannot be critical, so identify the few things that create the biggest impact for your team—what really matters. Look closely at all consequences (positive and negative) to ensure you are in fact managing to the behavior you want.
So, let me leave you with a question that leaders of Singapore can answer with a resounding "Yes!"
