October 2001
People
Mind Over Management--Motivating Others to Do as Little as Possible
Comment Period Extended for Proposed HazCom Rule
MSHA Announces Sentinels of Safety Winners for 2000
Motivating Others to Do as Little as Possible
By Bill Dyer
Have you ever managed people you would describe as very capable and talented,
but they often just “go through the motions” of showing up,
punching the clock and doing the bare minimum? The work they do accomplish
is usually, well, OK. It’ll do. You might say, “They could be
more motivated, but at least they’re better than that last person
we had.”
What may be happening in the above scenario is that these people are motivated
to show up at work and do as little as possible without getting fired.
Motivating others to be their best begins with understanding that motivation
is an inner drive that compels behavior. To say someone “just isn’t
motivated” is not accurate. Every human being is motivated. Even
criminals are motivated. They may not make a positive difference, but
they are motivated. Each of us is doing whatever we do because of an inner
drive called “motivation.”
Motivating Others
One question that might arise from the above definition is: “If
motivation comes from within, is it possible to motivate someone else?”
Great question. Let’s take a look at what goes into the process of
getting the most out of people.
The first step is to understand that all of us have wants/desires in key
life areas such as financial, health, personal/professional relationships,
business/career/ achievement, spiritual and recreational. The way we feel
about our vision in those areas is what motivates us from the inside out.
In other words, when there’s a “gap” between reality and
what we want in a particular area, internal drive and energy “kicks
in” to close the gap.
Given the above, every policy, conversation and interaction you have with
people, “raises a mirror” where they see themselves in relation
to where they want to be. Your words and actions have immediate meaning
for people: their relationship with you will either move them toward or
away from their desired destination. If people experience you as a barrier
to getting what they want, they get upset, angry, frustrated and disappointed.
They become motivated to “hold back” and slow down. They become
unmotivated to charge toward organizational objectives with gusto, so
we throw up our hands and mumble something about how hard it is to find
good people.
Understanding Your Employees Values
We must be careful. Remember that everyone’s motivated. Perhaps
their involvement with you gives them little of what they want. Let’s
consider the key life areas of career and working relationships and take
this idea to an extreme. If people don’t have a growth opportunity,
recognition, a feeling that they are respected, trusted, informed, treated
fairly or that their input is valued, their spirit is broken. They become
motivated to procrastinate, do barely enough or even find someplace else
to build a career. Who in their right mind would consistently show up
early and leave late and be the model employee in an environment that
doesn’t serve them any better than that?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t take a long list of things to affect someone’s
motivation. We might fulfill 90 percent of what a person values and wants,
but if we miss one subtle area of great enough significance to them, the
result will likely be a less motivated employee.
Years ago, while talking to a friend who was the number one salesperson
for a company, I learned that he wasn’t at all motivated to win an
incentive trip to Cancun for 10 days with his significant other. The reason
was because his children weren’t included on the trip. If he and
his wife were going away for 10 days, he wanted his kids with them. Since
that wasn’t the case, he got very creative with how he scheduled
orders so he could place second without losing money. Granted, the company
bottom line would suffer at year-end, but at least he could get what he
wanted for his family.
All of us move toward what we want and away from what we don’t want.
If the manager had asked, “What would really get you motivated to
win this trip?” He would have heard my friend say, “Just give
me four days in Disney World with my wife and kids, then get out of my
way and watch me win this thing.”
One simple question would have made all the difference, but the manager
didn’t ask it. Sometimes our lack of attention on what people want
contributes to our dilemma of not finding or keeping good people.
We can get more of what we want when we help other people get more of
what they want. When we show interest in what people want and help them
get more of that, they know we care. They are happy and enthusiastic about
working toward something meaningful. They’re excited about you being
their partner, instead of just their boss. People respond to that. When
a person’s job is their “vehicle” for getting more of what
they want, it’s easy for them to be loyal, show up early, stay late,
be proactive, accept more responsibility and do whatever it takes to get
the job done. In that environment, there’s no worrying or wondering
about whether or not people are charging toward your objective. They are.
They’re right with you, energized and enthusiastic with a bounce
in their step and big smile on their face.
Is it possible to motivate someone else? Absolutely!
A better question is, “Are we motivating people to work toward or
away from organizational objectives, depending on whether their job gives
them more of what they want?”
Bill Dyer is a professional speaker and trainer for Quantum Leap Resources, in Greensboro, N.C.
Three producers were recognized in the National Stone, Sand and Gravel’s Sterling Safety Award Contest. Material Service Corp., Boxley Co., Inc. and Roverud Construction, Inc. were the winners in the large, medium and small categories, respectively. Outstanding individual sites included first place winners: Plant 44, Kiewit Materials Co. (large); Beaver Run Farms, Shotmeyer Bros. (medium); Sunniland Quarry, Florida Rock Industries (small); Inlet Quarry, Rein, Schultz & Dahl of Illinois (small); and Portable Wash Plant #1, Roverud Construction, Inc. (small). This year’s contest was based on total incidence rate rather than lost time. Data submitted by the producers was verified against MSHA’s records.
Theodore Verheggen, a commissioner on the U.S. Mine Safety and Health
Review Commission since April 1997, was named chairman of the independent
agency by President Bush. Verheggen replaces Mary Lu Jordan who will remain
on the commission until her appointment expires in August 2002.
Robert Dailey of H.B. Mellott Estate Inc. is the NSSGA’s James M.
Christie Safety & Health Professional of the Year for 2000.
Michele Ann Butcher, a junior at Southern Illinois University-Carbondale,
was selected to receive the fourth annual Barry K. Wendt Memorial Scholarship
from NSSGA, in conjunction with AFTRE. Butcher is studying for a bachelor’s
degree in mining engineering with a geological specialization. She receives
a $2,500 scholarship for her academic achievements and interest in the
aggregate industry.
Winners of NSSGA’s Quarry Engineering Scholarships for the 2001-2002
academic year include: Joseph Carnahan, Christine Connell, William Jansen
and Emily Sarver from Virgnia Tech; Barton Chevreaux and Joseph Riley
from the University of Nevada; Ronald Glaus and Yvonne Parisa of the University
of Missouri-Rolla; Julie Varichak of Michigan Tech; and Herman Schaumburg
of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.
A team of students from North Dakota State University’s College of
Engineering and Architecture won the top prize in the 2001 Annual Student
Competition in Landscape Architecture, sponsored by the NSSGA in cooperation
with the American Society of Landscape Architects. Submitted by Tana Blestrud,
Kristy Knauer and Mike Stanley, the winning entry transformed the Dakota
Granite Quarry in Millbank, S.D., into a fire/rescue training school with
facilities to train firefighters, emergency medical technicians, paramedics,
other rescue professionals and rescue dogs. The second place entry, submitted
by Josh Duke, Russell Marini and Matt Robertson of Purdue University,
showed a former aggregates operation reclaimed into an agricultural research
center, complete with conference facilities and a community famers’
market. The third place entry, submitted by Gabriel Metz, from North Dakota
State University, proposed turning an aggregate operation into a residential
development and a quarry rock art museum.
Comment Period Extended for Proposed HazCom Rule
Washington—The Mine Safety and Health Administration published a
notice in the Federal Register on Aug. 28 announcing a delay in the effective
date of the interim final rule for hazard communication. The rule requires
that operators meet new standards related to chemicals in the mining industry
such as maintaining written plans for hazardous materials. Originally,
the interim final rule was slated to go into effect on Oct. 3. The new
effective date is June 30, 2002.
“There was some concern and confusion within the mining community
about their compliance obligations under the interim final rule,”
said Dave Lauriski, assistant secretary of Labor for mine safety and health.
“Re-opening the record for additional public hearings and comment
will enable us to put together a regulation that best reflects the mining
community’s concerns and promotes public interest.”
“This is welcome news for the nation’s aggregates industry,”
said Joy Wilson, president and chief executive officer of the National
Stone, Sand and Gravel Association. “We are extremely gratified that
the Bush Administration, particularly Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao and
MSHA Administrator Lauriski, are willing to listen to the legitimate concerns
aggregate producers have with this proposed rule.”
In a May 11 letter to Secretary Chao, Wilson asked for indefinite postponement
of the rule’s implementation and reconsideration of its promulgation.
The association made its request based on its view that the rule is unnecessary
for the aggregate industry because it duplicates existing regulations
and that the industry does not pose a significant risk and does not merit
a new regulation.
The association also objected to the process used to make the rule, with
a decade passing between the time the agency proposed the rule and when
it released it and little opportunity for public comment.
“Underlying HazCom is the principle that miners need to know about
the hazards of the chemicals they work with and how to handle them safely,”
Wilson wrote to Chao. “NSSGA fully supports this principle, but disagrees
sharply with MSHA on the means and methods to accomplish it.”
MSHA will reopen the rulemaking record until mid-October to allow for
further comments.
MSHA Announces Sentinels of Safety Winners for 2000
WASHINGTON—A handful of producers have been honored for their outstanding
safety records in the annual Sentinels of Safety awards program sponsored
by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration
and the National Mining Association.
For the 75th consecutive year, mining companies in various operational
categories were recognized for achieving the greatest number of employee
work-hours in 2000 without an injury that resulted in lost workdays. To
qualify for a Sentinels of Safety award, a company must compile at least
30,000 employee work-hours during the year without a lost-time injury
or fatality.
“I am extremely pleased for each of the winning operations and pleased
for the mining community at large,” said Dave Lauriski, assistant
secretary of Labor for mine safety and health. “The workers at these
mines can—and should—be justifiably proud of their accomplishments,
for they have made safety a value in their jobs. They are living proof
that abiding by safety and health standards saves lives, prevents injuries
and improves productivity.”
Considered the most prestigious award in the mining industry—as well
as the oldest established award for occupational safety—the Sentinels
of Safety competition was created in 1925 by then-Secretary of Commerce
Herbert Hoover. A former mining engineer, Hoover realized the critical
need for improving mine safety at a time when thousands of miners were
injured or killed in job-related accidents each year. The award has continued
uninterrupted to this day.
First Place Winners in the Non-metallic Minerals Industry
First place winners and their number of consecutive employee-hours recorded in each of the sponsored mining categories are as follows.
- Open Pit Group: Rochester Mine, Coeur Rochester, Inc., Lovelock, Nev. 254,296 hours.
- Quarry Group: Thornton Quarry, Material Service Corporation, Thornton, Ill., 208,816 hours.
- Bank or Pit Group: Arena Plant, Hanson Aggregates South Central, Altair, Texas, 133,766 hours.
- Dredge Group: Briggs Plant, Fordyce Company, Victoria, Texas, 241,195 hours.
Exceptional Safety Records in the Non-metallic Minerals Industry
Other operations recognized for their exceptional safety record are as follows.
- Underground Nonmetal Group: Mississippi Potash West, Mississippi
Potash, Inc., Carlsbad, N.M., 268,891 hours
- Detroit Salt Mine, The Detroit Salt Company, Detroit, Mich., 94,289; Blue Stone Quarry, Latrobe Construction Co., Latrobe, Pa., 89,030 hours
- and Whitney Mine (UG), Hanson Aggregates PMA, Inc., Whitney, Pa., 68,360 hours.
- Open Pit Group: Denton-Rawhide, Kennecott Rawhide Mining Co.,
Fallon, Nev., 235,961 hours
- Klondyke Mine, Engelhard Corp., Gordon, Ga., 226,746 hours
- Montana Tunnels, Montana Tunnels Mining, Inc., Jefferson City, Mont., 195,713 hours
- and Florida Canyon Mine, Florida Canyon Mining, Inc., Imlay, Nev., 185,821 hours.
- Quarry Group: Palm Beach Aggregates, Inc., Palm Beach Aggregates,
Inc., Loxahatchee, Fla., 114,260 hours
- East Thomas Quarry & Plant, Wade Sand & Gravel Co., Inc., Birmingham, Ala., 103,299 hours; Longview Operation, Dravo Lime, Inc., Saginaw, Ala., 102,884, hours
- and Morgan Pit, A.J. Brauer Stone Co. Jarrell, Texas, 93,185 hours.
- Bank or Pit Group: Little River Plant, Hanson Aggregates West,
Ashdown, Ark., 130,589 hours
- Pit & Plant #4, Capitol Aggreg., LTD, Austin, Texas, 115,986 hours
- Taylor Plant, Badger Mining Corporation, Taylor, Wis., 112,019 hours
- and Elsinore Pit & Mill, Elsinore Ready Mix Co., Inc., Elsinore, Calif., 111,372 hours.
- Dredge Group: Rockport Plant, Mulzer Crushed Stone, Inc., Tell
City, Ind., 109,762 hours;
- Porter Plant, Hallett Materials, Porter, Texas, 105,175 hours
- EPK Clay Division, The Feldspar Corporation, Edgar, Fla., 81,678 hours
- and Lower Burrell Plant, Hanson Aggregates PMA, Inc., New Kensington, Pa., 69,629 hours.