Tag: Pentagon

Recognition as motivator

Ceremony has its place in every culture.

It’s an occasion for recognizing distinctive people or acts of valor.

As opposed to guilt and shame, praise and recognition validate achievement.

Maslow ranks this need right above survival and security need. Self-esteem.

Martial Arts and Military subscribe to ranking and recognition more than often:

black belt and red belt, purple heart and silver star.

As of this writing, the Pentagon has just lifted the ban on women in combat.

Half of the population has just been recognized.

Long way from those bras-burning days.

Students got special stickers from teachers; workers special parking.

Sales folks are paid by performance, but non-sales counterparts should also be recognized for their contribution (1001 ways to reward your employees).

Knowledge workers volunteer their best minds, software coders give up their sleep.

Best way to recognize go-beyond-the-call-of-duty is to point it out publicly.

Applause does wonder to the soul, brings tears to actors at Golden Globe Awards.

There is nothing staged when being recognized. Instant elation.

It touches us. We are more than a profile. We are proud people.

We rise above ourselves and our circumstances. We enlist and enlarge qualities long laid dormant: heroism, sacrifice and quick reflexes.

Those soft skills and abilities are not activated until circumstances call them out (United flight 93 over Pennsylvania on 9/11, for instance).

Kids should be exposed to many worlds: Sahara, Salvador and Saks Fifth. And not just Saks Fifth. We will never know how we act when in want. But people do survive the worst of times, selflessly and secretly. Mother Theresa identified with the poorest of the poor. In losing herself, she ended up being recognized. Survivors of the Holocaust still have tales to tell.

Recognition, while a reward for excellence, is also a motivator, from the standpoint of management. Recognize your employee of the month, but spot and validate their initiatives every day (positive reinforcement). People and company, military or martial arts, all need to build up ranking and recognition into their reward system.

Praises go a long way, while put down is counter-productive.

Motherhood, Madness and Meditation

Seeing a photo of a grey-hair guy, on bike and  backpack, riding home with bouquet of flowers in the front basket, reminded me of International Day of Women.

There is no doubt, according to an Australian’s observer, that women are bosses here in Vietnam.

Tiger Mom.

To punctuate this point, I was sitting at an outdoor cafe at 7:30 AM, when three different women, on bikes, taking turn showing up for work across the street.

Despite traffic congestion, pollution, heat, and child-care, they were on the dot.

In fact, I did not need to verify this point.

I lived with a few: mother, sister, cousin, nieces and wives.

The women I know have been remarkably strong, resilient and yes, slightly masculine in the sense that they did not mind the menial work.

Now, with I phone, I pad and scooter, they are on a level playing field.

multitasked, multi-talented and multi-facet.

Women respond to stress much better than men.

Phone companies love female customers: they chat, text, and send pics.

When e-commerce fully takes hold here,  we can be sure that women will spend a chunk of  change online.

Still at early stage of mass market, Vietnam , and its female consumers, are well on the way to fulfill life’s dream: motherhood, madness (shop till they drop) and yes, meditation.

My mom showed me that these two extreme can co-exist. In fact, they need each other to balance out a person, a woman at that.

On this Women Day, let’s salute that we all come from the same Womb, and Technology finally erases the inequality of the sexes (caused by agrarian  culture and industrialization).  Two Vietnamese women came to mind: one at the Pentagon, invented heat-seeking bomb, and the other, in the US Air Force , known for precision strike.

I wish a lot of luck on those husbands whose wives have out-achieved their dreams. May they seek comfort in the company of good men who do not succumb to madness, but to meditation.  A woman’s glory is also a man’s joy. Just have to update your version of software. Think different. Collaborate and not compete.