Page 198 - How Great Leaders Build Abundant Organizations That Win

THE WHY OF WORK

A senior manager asked his financial head this question
and discovered that she wanted the chance to run a business.
When reassigned as a business leader, she flourished. She not
only grew the business beyond expectations but also expe-
rienced personal growth in her new role. Employees have
opportunities for growth through temporary job changes,
project assignments, professional development experiences,
promotions, or other challenges at work. Leaders give
employees opportunities for growth by asking employees to
do difficult things that might be outside their comfort zone.
Then leaders need to give employees transparent and honest
feedback on what worked and what did not. While outwardly
inconsistent with the “build on your strengths” mantra, this
approach assumes that employees who do new things may
build new strengths.

Visibility. Work may vary according to how much visibility or
recognition the employee gains from doing the work, both
inside and outside the company. In Philosophy 101 we ask,
“If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, did it make
a sound?” In Abundance 101, leaders ask, “If an employee
did a good job and no one noticed, did it contribute to the
employee’s sense of abundance?” Sometimes employees are
so self-motivated that they only want to prove to themselves
what they can do. But more often employees want to be rec-
ognized for their contributions. If the Olympics were held in
private, Michael Phelps might still have won 14 gold medals,
but his impact on the world of sports and its impact on him
would have been reduced.
Leaders need to recognize good employee performance
appropriately and publicly. Some of this visibility shows up in

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