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Inspire Employees to Find the Importance in Everyday Chores
Routine work is just that--routine--and even the most committed employees become bored at it. It's hard for a leader to inspire people to do these tasks well; it's even harder to create a sense that this drudgery is important to the organization's larger goals. Just as this is true of the paperwork teachers are required to complete for their classes, it's also true in vocations like firefighting. Yet Battalion Chief John Salka of the Fire Department of New York City suggests some interesting solutions in his book, First In, Last Out (Portfolio).
One of the dull parts of a firefighter's life is inspecting buildings for fire code violations. Most firefighters join the department for the high-risk activity of fighting fires. Inspections and paperwork seem miles from where their enthusiasm lies. Salka attacks this problem by bridging the gap between dry administrative duties and firefighting excitement.
Salka accompanies his crews on their inspections to encourage them to take this low-risk activity as seriously as possible. Throughout the inspection, Salka pulls his crew aside and asks them how they would approach the building if it were on fire right then--with questions such as, "How would you react if this door--see the broken hinge--jammed, blocking the exit?" or "How would that fuel oil spill on the basement floor affect your actions?"
Soon the firefighters are taking the inspections as seriously as real fires. After all, the problems they miss in an inspection may come back to "burn" them if a fire starts. The people you lead do better in real-life situations when you show them the significance of even dull tasks.
To Download this article click here.
Inspire Employees to Find the Importance in Everyday Chores
Routine work is just that--routine--and even the most committed employees become bored at it. It's hard for a leader to inspire people to do these tasks well; it's even harder to create a sense that this drudgery is important to the organization's larger goals. Just as this is true of the paperwork teachers are required to complete for their classes, it's also true in vocations like firefighting. Yet Battalion Chief John Salka of the Fire Department of New York City suggests some interesting solutions in his book, First In, Last Out (Portfolio).
One of the dull parts of a firefighter's life is inspecting buildings for fire code violations. Most firefighters join the department for the high-risk activity of fighting fires. Inspections and paperwork seem miles from where their enthusiasm lies. Salka attacks this problem by bridging the gap between dry administrative duties and firefighting excitement.
Salka accompanies his crews on their inspections to encourage them to take this low-risk activity as seriously as possible. Throughout the inspection, Salka pulls his crew aside and asks them how they would approach the building if it were on fire right then--with questions such as, "How would you react if this door--see the broken hinge--jammed, blocking the exit?" or "How would that fuel oil spill on the basement floor affect your actions?"
Soon the firefighters are taking the inspections as seriously as real fires. After all, the problems they miss in an inspection may come back to "burn" them if a fire starts. The people you lead do better in real-life situations when you show them the significance of even dull tasks.
To Download this article click here.
