Our friend Rob runs his own family-owned business, and it’s been thriving for a couple of decades now. His brother Reed had been laid off, so Rob hired him to work at his company, putting him in charge of marketing. Reed tried, but somehow he just wasn’t giving the hours, commitment, time, or other responsibilities that went with his position. Rob didn’t know what to do with him! Sure, Reed did the job Rob had hired him for, but not as effectively as he could have. Still, Reed was a great guy with good intentions, so Rob let his emotional attachment convince him to keep Reed where he was. It even occurred to Rob that Reed might think he was entitled to the job simply because he was family! But Rob knew he shouldn’t have gotten into that situation to begin with, and he was becoming increasingly frustrated.

“I suppose leadership at one time meant muscles; but today it means getting along with people.” — Mahatma Gandhi

Everybody needs recognition and motivation, and these are inevitably tied into rewards and repercussions. When we can reinforce team members’ positive behavior with rewards, no matter how small, they feel appreciated, and everyone performs better. Sure, we all make bad judgment calls sometimes, and negative behavior has consequences. But we learn from our mistakes and see how to achieve our desired results next time. Just make sure the consequence doesn’t come at the expense of anyone’s confidence or attitude.

Ever seen a new employee come aboard with lots of energy, only to run out of gas? Why is that? Is it peer pressure from co-workers, fearing the new hire is outshining them? Or is the newbie is looking at her peers, thinking, “Hey, I’m the only one working my tail off around here! Maybe I should slack off and join the pack.” When new hires arrive and see their colleagues’ pace, they tend to adapt to that speed; monkey-see, monkey-do.

How can you, as a manager, get your team members to embrace accountability? Indeed, how can you hold them accountable unless they know exactly what they’re being held accountable for? To get the best results, make sure your employees have a thorough understanding of how their duties fit with the corporate goals.

One night, my wife and I went out to dinner at a popular upscale restaurant. The restaurant grounds included a beautiful garden on a lush green lawn. As we enjoyed our meal and each other’s company, we heard the pitter-patter of little raindrops against the windows. By the time we paid the check, those little raindrops had become a big downpour. As we waited inside for the valet to bring our car around, I couldn’t help noticing the lawn’s sprinklers were on at full blast—while the rain kept pounding down! I asked the young assistant manager on duty why the sprinklers were on.