The Problem With Punishment

What do you think of punishment?

That, you might say, depends on where you're looking at it: from the side of the punisher, or from the side of the punished. Either way, how effective do you think it is?

Sure, it will change behavior. The trouble is, it changes that behavior in ways you hadn't counted on. Punishing people teaches them that punishment is a viable strategy, so you can be sure that they'll start practicing it, too. It also teaches them to find ways to avoid getting caught -- not to stop their undesirable behavior but rather to keep you from knowing about it so that they don't get punished again.

Punishment creates a profound desire for revenge.

Leaders who punish incur side-effects worse than what triggered the punishment.

Does punishment ever make sense? Of course. Justice is important. Some people are so dangerous that keeping them away from society is the only humane thing to do. But punishing the people on your team by withholding basic human needs like attention, financial raises, and respect is counter-productive.

There are much better ways to change behavior.

-- Douglas Brent Smith

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Strategic and Communication Skills

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What to Blame

It's better to blame the product than it is to blame the customer because you cannot fix the customer. -- doug smith

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How secretive is your organization? Are there mysterious initiatives that you know nothing about? Have you ever been told that a piece of information is "eyes only" or on a "need to know" basis? How does that make you feel. If you reverse the scenario and withhold information from others in your organization, you are contributing to a culture that is difficult to sustain. If you often hear "behind closed doors" in your organization, it's time for major change. Strong, sustainable, noble organizations are built on an open culture where information flows freely and people know what's going on -- not just those in the inner circle -- everyone. To communicate for results leaders must be open and truthful. They must expose their agenda to scrutiny and hold few, if any, secrets. What kind of organization do you want to build? -- Douglas Brent Smith Learn more in the workshop Communicating for Results

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