NOVEL SOLUTIONS
Recognition as Motivation
SHANNON WETZEL, MANAGING EDITOR C
ynics take heed: O Great One! by David Novak asks for a lot of faith in the power of recog- nition with a nice story but no real world
examples to back it up. That doesn’t mean the book by the cofounder
of Yum! Brands (think KFC, Taco Bell, Pizza Hut) isn’t a valuable business management book. It’s a quick, fun read with a valid philosophy and spot- on profiles of the types of personalities one must manage in a business setting. Novak wrote the book to illustrate his OGO brand of principles that focus on motivating people through recognition and ap- preciation which should then translate to a more profitable business. T e principles make sense, for example, “People
won’t care about you if you don’t care about them,” Recognize great work and great ideas whenever and wherever you see them,” or “Make recognition a cata- lyst for results.” T ese ideals—in diff erent words—have been showcased in other business books with compa- nies like Zappos used as real-world examples. Instead of off ering case studies from his own busi- nesses or others, Novak chose to illustrate his OGO principles through a fi ctional narrative following new CEO Jeff who took on his grandfather’s failing global toy company and turned it around in one year through the power of recognition. In his fi rst week on the job, Jeff is inspired by a conversation with the workers at the company’s Cleveland manufacturing plant under threat of closure by the board of directors and decides the real threat to the company is its poor employee culture and low morale. So much of Jeff ’s story will hit a chord with members of the metalcasting community. It includes the nuances of managing a generational business, the agonizing over decisions that affect a workforce, and the tightrope walking it sometimes takes to deal with multiple personality types. It’s clear Novak makes it a point to understand why people act like they do and how that evolved into his OGO principles. Readers will find themselves nodding while reading, even if at the end they may crave examples of this working in the real world beyond that of the Happy Face Toy Company. “Our company’s mission is to ‘put a smile on every
child’s face.’ How are we supposed to do that if we can’t make even our best people feel good about work- ing here?” Jeff told his executive team in the book. How much extra eff ort will your employees apply for you if they feel underappreciated?
42 | MODERN CASTING July 2016 ABRIDGED
Relevance to Metalcasters Technical Diffi culty Self-Help Fluff Profi t Booster
A good idea is simply a good idea, no matter where it comes from, so view everyone as a
potential source.
Metalcasters’ Translation: It is smart to not be dismissive of what others may
contribute to ways to improve profi tibility and effi ciency. T e core machine operator could have a suggestion for better transport, or the receptionist might have a contact for a potential new customer. Recognize that anyone can have an idea and then give them the opportunity to share it.
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