19-10-2016, 11:02 AM
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The third aspect of a Contributor’s Mindset is the Contributor’s
approach to work.
Contributors are instantly distinguished by the way they
approach work. They get involved. They are enthusiastic. They
go deep into the subject.
In short, Contributors love what they do.
This is in direct contrast to Non-contributors who want to do
only what they love – an approach that seems reasonable
until you realize that life and workplaces have so much variety
that you may very often be called upon to do tasks that seem
unpleasant or boring until you get involved.
The history of the Manhattan Project shows that
sharing a mission and a vision with the group
can provide the necessary inspiration to enable
whole-hearted engagement with the work and
stretch the limits of performance.
When engineers were first assigned to the
Manhattan Project and asked to do a series of
tedious calculations, the American army refused to
tell them what they were working on. They carried
out their work, but slowly and without inspiration.
As the project leaders noticed that work was
advancing at a slow pace, they decided to inform
the scientists of the true nature of their task. By
providing meaning, the leader changed the group
dynamics and the team’s results in a spectacular
manner. The same engineers, when told that they
were building a weapon that was going to end World
War II, suddenly found far better ways of completing
their tasks. Their assignment became a thrilling
and meaningful crusade rather than a routine and
tedious job. Almost immediately, they started to do
the same work 10 times faster!
This story shows the power available to leaders in
defining a mission, offering a vision of the future,
and convincing participants that they are part of
something that goes far beyond the drudgery of
their daily work.