“Leadership technique: Don’t give rewards regularly!”

in

🌟 Scientists conducted an interesting experiment on the reward mechanism. They conditioned two pigeons so that after pecking a rod, they would receive food — but with one difference: The first pigeon received food after exactly three pecks. The second pigeon sometimes received food after two pecks, sometimes after three, sometimes after five, or even more.

🌟 Then the scientists stopped giving food altogether. What happened? The first pigeon tried a few times with its usual three pecks, and when nothing appeared, it quickly gave up. But the second pigeon — which had never received food on a fixed schedule — kept pecking for much longer. It tried two pecks, then five, then three, and so on.

🌟 Through many experiments on pigeons and later on humans, scientists tried to identify the best reward system in workplaces. The conclusion of all these studies was: “Give rewards irregularly.”

🌟 Naturally, rewards should be given for an employee’s excellent idea or action, but behavioral scientists say rewards should not be tied to a fixed number of excellent actions. Nor should excellent actions go unrewarded. In the first case (rewarding after a fixed number of good actions), two things happen:

🌟 First, what you give today as a reward — something exciting and motivating — soon becomes an expected entitlement and loses its motivational power.

🌟 Second, if there is any delay in giving the expected reward, the employee conditioned to a fixed reward schedule stops their positive behaviors.

In the second case (giving no rewards), it is obvious that there will be no motivation to continue positive performance.

🌟 Therefore, managers are advised to make their reward system irregular. For example, an employee may receive a reward once after five positive actions, next time twice in a row for one positive action each time, and another time after three positive actions, and so on. This way: – The boundary between salary and reward becomes clear. – And if a delay occurs in the reward system, the employee will not stop their positive behaviors.

🌟 Remember: As a manager, you must motivate your team — and irregular rewards are one scientifically proven way to do so.

8 proven methods for maximizing productivity

in

🌟 Time management is one of the most important skills every individual must learn to succeed in both professional and personal life. Time, as a limited resource, requires smart management to be used in the best possible way. Here, we review 8 proven methods for better time management.

1⃣ Eat That Frog Technique This technique, introduced by Brian Tracy, refers to the idea of completing the biggest and most important task of the day at the very beginning. It means tackling the most important or most challenging task as your first priority.

2⃣ Pomodoro Technique This method, introduced by Francesco, involves breaking work into 25‑minute intervals separated by short breaks. It helps improve focus and productivity while preventing fatigue and reduced work quality.

3⃣ Time Blocking In the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, time blocking is emphasized as a method for scheduling specific time blocks for different tasks or activities throughout the day. This technique reduces distractions and ensures dedicated time for important tasks.

4⃣ Two‑Minute Rule Also from Atomic Habits, this rule states that if a task can be done in two minutes or less, it should be done immediately. This prevents small tasks from piling up and turning into a mountain of unfinished work.

5⃣ Eisenhower Matrix Introduced by Stephen Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, this matrix categorizes tasks based on importance and urgency into four quadrants: – Important & urgent – Important but not urgent – Urgent but not important – Neither important nor urgent This technique helps with prioritization. For example, complete important and urgent tasks first, and eliminate tasks that are neither important nor urgent.

6⃣ Task Batching Batching involves grouping similar tasks and completing them consecutively. For example, you can make all your phone calls in one time block or check and respond to all emails at a specific time. This helps optimize time and prevents fragmentation and wasted effort.

7⃣ The Power of Now Although The Power of Now focuses more on awareness and presence, its principles can also be applied to time management. This approach leads to better focus and higher productivity. For example, when performing a task, focus solely on the task at hand and set aside distracting thoughts.

8⃣ Time Audit This technique involves periodically tracking how your time is spent to identify inefficiencies. By analyzing where your time goes, you can adjust your schedule and prioritize tasks more effectively. For example, by keeping a time log, you can see how much time you spend on unproductive activities each day and reduce them.

“Don’t let your employees think only about work!”

in

🌟 An article in Harvard Business Review states that even in high‑pressure work environments, it is better for both employees and their managers if individuals do not have only a work identity, and that work should not be defined so broadly that it overshadows other aspects of life.

🌟 Many organizations consider the ideal employee to be someone who dedicates their entire life to their job — something that may seem unavoidable in certain roles. However, employees are not just employees; they may also have identities such as athlete, artist, parent, and more. Employees differ in how they separate their personal and professional lives: some define everything through work, while others do not.

🌟 Research shows that when organizations allow employees to express and maintain these multiple identities, the organizations themselves benefit and can make better use of their valuable human resources. The recommendation is not only to accept this diversity and avoid seeing employees solely as workers, but even to formally encourage them to attend to other aspects of their lives. (For example, if you notice an employee is overly absorbed in work, occasionally send them on mandatory leave — it will ultimately benefit you.)