Motivational Perspectives:
Success on What Scale?
by
Barry Maher
The Filling the Glass strategy of changing the scale should be about
gaining perspective, getting a better look a reality, not obscuring it. Too
frequently using an inappropriate scale can hide the reality behind a situation.
Mass murderer Joseph Stalin knew this well. "When one man dies, it is a
tragedy," Stalin said. "When thousands die it is statistics."
An estimated 136,986 individuals died
the day Stalin died. Most of them better than he was—more successful at being
human beings. Numbers don't die. Numbers don't go hungry, numbers don't suffer.
Individuals do. One by one.
Numbers are meaningless unless put
into a scale, a context. Is $30,000 a lot of money? For a second-hand Yugo or a
Rolls Royce? In a newsletter called Filling the Glass, I couldn't possibly omit
the next story. In 1990, Congressman Jim Rogan was a Deputy District Attorney.
He was assigned to prosecute a highly publicized local trial. A man had tossed
down ten beers then climbed into his car and killed two women and two children.
After all the evidence had been presented and both the prosecution and
the defense had made their cases, the time came for Rogan to give his final
summation. Slowly, he rose from his chair. He picked up his briefcase, and
without saying a word, walked over to the jury box. He opened the briefcase. He
took out glass and a can of beer. He put the glass on the rail of the jury box.
Then he opened the can and filled the glass. He took out a second can and a
second glass and did the same thing. Then a third. He kept pouring until ten
full glasses and ten empty cans lined the rail.
He looked at the accused. He looked at
the survivors of the crash. He looked at the jury. Then he snapped his fingers
and sat down. Without ever uttering a syllable.
The jury returned a guilty verdict in
under 45 minutes.
In What They Don't Teach You at The
Harvard Business School, Mark McCormick relates one of my favorite examples
of changing the scale. It happened at Ford Motor Company in the 1950s. Robert
McNamara was head of the company, and their finance people were telling them
they needed to close yet another plant in order to cut costs. At a meeting of
top executives, no one wanted another closure yet nobody wanted to stand up to
the numbers men.
Finally, one senior executive asked,
"Why don't we close down all the plants and then we'll really start to save
money."
That remark and the perspective that came with it turned the meeting
around. The plant remained open.
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Find
out more about Barry's
great new book, No Lie: Truth Is the Ultimate
Sales Tool.
Barry
Maher speaks, consults and writes on increasing productivity AND job
satisfaction, as well as motivation, management and sales. His book, Filling
the Glass: The Skeptic's Guide to Positive Thinking in Business was cited by
Today's Librarian magazine as "[One of] The Seven Essential Popular
Business Books."
©
Copyright 2004, Barry Maher, Barry Maher
& Associates, Las Vegas, Nevada
