All ... are equal

And there you go, Drucker has confirmed my strong belief that all men (and women of course!) are created equal! Everybody is just fine the way they are, there is no real need to change everything upside down. It is all about the image you carry in your head.

Let me make my point without further ado...

"Among the effective people I have known and worked with, there are extroverts and aloof, retiring men, some even morbidly shy. Some are eccentrics, others painfully correct conformists. Some are fat and some are lean. Some are worriers; some are relaxed. Some drink quite heavily; others are total abstainers. Some are men of great charm and warmth; some have no more personality than a frozen mackerel. There are a few men among them who would answer to the popular conception of a “leader.”

But equally there are colorless men who would attract no attention in a crowd. Some are scholars and serious students, others almost unlettered. Some have broad interests; others know nothing except their own narrow area and care for little else. Some of the men are self-centered, if not indeed selfish. But there are also some who are generous of heart and mind. There are men who live only for their work and others whose main interests lie outside—in community work, in their church, in the study of Chinese poetry, or in modern music. Among the effective people I have met, there are people who use logic and analysis and others who rely mainly on perception and intuition. There are men who make decisions easily and men who suffer agonies every time they have to move."

- The effective Drucker

So what motivates people?

Really, there is no one answer! Drucker says it is a futile exercise to find one right thing that suits all. I obviously have had my share or should I say my attempts at motivating people. It is more on the lines of mindful influencing by tapping into the realms of motivation.

Anyway, I found a very interesting one today. It is... Beliefs about what makes us effective that decides our motivation. If we pick a task and we think it will not make us "effective" - in terms of money, position, power etc whichever is important to that person, then he/she will not be motivated to do that task. I think this  is called the utility value of task or something on those lines.

Eons ago I had read something about Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory. I did not realize how important and how meaningful it was back then. Maslow himself did not believe that the theory was complete enough to be adopted. I like it though and it is something I sometimes rely upon as well. You can read more here...
http://www.businessballs.com/maslow.htm

-Sandeep kowshik

P.S - Now, try asking developers to do some testing!

Knowledge workers

So, who is a knowledge worker? And why is he is so important in today's world?

Knowledge workers are generally professionals such as teachers, lawyers, architects, physicians, nurses, engineers, and scientists. Peter Drucker, my favorite management guru first coined the word.

Knowledge workers are not subordinates; they are ‘associates.’ Beyond the apprentice stage, knowledge workers must know more about their job than their boss does—or else they are no good at all.
In fact, that they know more about their job than anybody else in the organization is part of the definition of knowledge workers.

Management though he argues should: make people capable of joint performance through common goals, common values, the right structure, and the training and development they need to perform and to respond
to change.