interpersonal skills

“morale is to the physical three to one” Napoleon Bonaparte

The human factor remains a key ingredient in every human enterprise. As a social being, we are bound to relate to other people. No man is an island. So it is of great importance that we make a profound understanding of the principles that govern the relations between people and our basic human nature. The higher one goes up the ladder, the greater the need for “people skills”. In fact, “people skills” is an essential competence in management effectiveness. A leader’s ability to multiply himself or duplicate himself is often a crucial success element. The best leaders are the best judges of characters. The leadership function specifically identified as motivation, selection, developing people, communication and decision making.

Practically, an organization is composed of people; in principle, machines cannot run without people – in some level a human person controls a machine; management being defined as getting results thru the efforts of other people whereas technical work refers to work performed to secure results directly from resources . Thus, if one is to lead effectively he must have a deep appreciation on the human factor and the skill to manage people. The ability for animation or imagination is an essential element in interpersonal skills. It is man who makes the world animate. It is our imagination that defines the world.

There are many approaches and theories in psychology that provides a systematic approach in these subject as McGregor and Herzberg. The theories of these other scientists, however, is an offshoot of Maslow’s and Freud. For the purpose of salesmanship, the four major theories herein discussed cover a pragmatic solution to salesmanship as it is the most commonly utilized approaches in our time. In supplement of these concepts, the Golden Rule can be a very effective approach in relating and management of people.

McGregor’s Theory Y

·         The average person exercises self-direction and control in attaining objectives.

·         He learns to accept and seek responsibility.

·         Most people possesses imagination, ingenuity, and problem solving ability.

·         People are always motivated to think.

·         People know how to use and are given their opportunity to use their wisdom.

           

McGregor’s Theory X

·         The average person has an inherent dislike for work and will avoid it if possible.

·         Need for coercion, control, direction and threats.

·         People are basically lazy, uncooperative, lacking in creativity, motivated by money alone.

Herzberg Two Factor Theory

Motivator Factors	Hygiene Factors
·                     Achievement ·                     Recognition ·                     Work Itself ·                     Responsibility ·                     Promotion ·                     Growth	·                     Pay and Benefits ·                     Company Policy and Administration ·                     Relationships with co-workers ·                     Supervision ·                     Status ·                     Job Security ·                     Working Conditions ·                     Personal life

Maslow’s Theory of Self Actualization

Physiological              - breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion

Safety                          - security of employment, resources, morality, property.

Belonging                   - love, friendship, family, sexual intimacy, social needs

Esteem                        - confidence, achievement, respect, acceptance, self esteem

Self Actualization       - morality, creativity, achievement, fulfillment, full potential

The motive to realize all of one's potentialities. In his view, it is the master motive—indeed, the only real motive a person has, all others being merely manifestations of it. Maslow explicitly defines self-actualization to be "the desire for self-fulfillment, namely the tendency for him [the individual] to become actualized in what he is potentially. This tendency might be phrased as the desire to become more and more what one is, to become everything that one is capable of becoming." Maslow used the term self-actualization to describe a desire, not a driving force as compared to Kurt Goldstein, that could lead to realizing one's capabilities. Maslow did not feel that self-actualization determined one's life; rather, he felt that it gave the individual a desire, or motivation to achieve budding ambitions.

Sigmund Freud “the desire to be great” and John Dewey’s “ the desire to be important”. 

Sigmund Freud theory that our behavior is a product of two basic motives: the sex urge and “the desire to be great”. The same principle has been rephrased by America’s most profound philosopher in the words “ the desire to be important”. The application of this principle is simply it is basic human nature to need “ appreciation or recognition” to satisfy this basic desire.

Herzberg’s Two Factor Theory

The theory classifies certain components in the workplace into two factors which result to professional satisfaction and if deficient, lead to dissatisfaction. The factors that motivate can change over their lifetime, but “ respect for me as a person” is one of the top motivating factors at any stage. The two factors are: Motivators, challenging work, recognition, responsibility, advancement give positive satisfaction, and Hygiene Factors, status, job security, salary and fringe benefits do not necessarily motivate if present, but if absent lead to demoralization.

Golden Rule

It is of utmost importance that we recognize a very old adage which exists in the oldest and dominant religions – The Golden Rule. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism has it as a basic rule in handling human relations - “Do unto others what your want others to do unto you”. With this rule and the aforementioned principle of McGregor, Maslow, Freud and Dewey in mind, treat people in a manner with humane disposition which will bring out the best in there person and sustain an environment conducive for sustainable growth and development.

I distinctly remember two incidents pertaining these principles, one which demonstrates a conducive relationship and the other quite the opposite. Still vivid in my memory, the months I spent handling a distributor at NCR with a previous employer. I treated the distributor team with a transparent and humane approach. We met, worked,  ate and conversed to resolve problems and grow the business. We treated each other as a team and worked around circumstances professionally. It produced one of the best distribution performance under my watch. Except for some minor glitches which are quite normal to any operation the rest was manageable considering it’s a distributor operation.

The other incident is quite unfortunate for a troubled organization I worked with some years ago. An organization characterized by high turn over rate in the middle and top management level of the promising company. It had a lot to do with the aspiration of the sovereign stakeholder to be a Unilever hiring senior executives with a Unilever  and a Procter Gamble orientation. A most unfortunate aspiration founded on a most unwise proposition because it will never be a Unilever or a Procter and Gamble for that matter. It should have taken its pace, slowly and surely, like a tiger stalking its prey rather than rushing into reckless loading and investing in premature niches. I was a witness of million of inventories pulled out of the trade – a product of premature advance of forces spreading itself too thin and unable to sustain its momentum. Thousands of non moving inventories sleeping in the shelves compromised the company’s stable growth for the past ten years. The company even resorted to ceremonial execution of its marketing executives as ventures after ventures were rationalized by the Top Management.  If there is such a thing as order in chaos, there is such a thing as chaos in order. Caution for every aspiring marketing professional, chose your companies very well and the people behind the management team – the health of the brands, turn over rate of employees, leadership style and level of competence of middle and senior managers. The chances are if it is led by a Unilever or P&G Manager, the organization is being run professionally; however, if it is run by a homegrown manager from M&M or some professional butterflies from Colgate or Lamoiyan, think twice. Nevertheless, challenges has a way of bringing out the gems in people. If you have the guts, the skill and the wits to fight it out in a troublesome company, you are always welcome to fight it out and learn the hard way.

The aforementioned tragedy is the fate of Entrepreneurs who lose guard of their core competencies and who rest on their laurels; failure in strategy formulation and in the leadership for having selected the wrong people to run their business and failing to control operation. As Dr. Deming said, 80% of a company’s defects is contributed by the management while 20% is contributed by its people.  It remains that victory is the responsibility of the leadership.