communication had been frank and the results fruitful. In Frankowski’s
former company, no one from top management would probably have
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even taken the trouble to speak to her: ‘‘If you’re not in management
(at that company), you’re no one,’’ she observes.24
COMMUNICATION SKILLS—
INNATE OR LEARNED?
There is a wide-ranging debate about the innateness or ‘‘learnability’’
of effective communication skills and the nature of ‘‘charisma.’’ Can
communication skills be learned and improved, or does a leader have
to be naturally charismatic to communicate effectively and gain the en-
thusiastic support of others?
To help answer this question, we can turn first to the Bible and next
to a couple of modern leaders. Moses was an extremely effective leader,
but not a particularly dynamic speaker. When asked to make a key
‘‘presentation’’ on behalf of his people to the Egyptians, Moses pro-
tested: ‘‘Oh Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor
since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and
tongue.’’ Most biblical scholars interpret this to mean that Moses had a
speech impediment, or, in modern terms, a ‘‘communication disorder,’’
which today would land him in special education class.
God’s suggestion to Moses was to team him with his brother Aaron,
who was a better speaker. But it was Moses, not Aaron, who spoke to
Pharaoh and led his people out of Egypt. What he lacked in speaking
ability, Moses possessed in conviction, courage, and compassion for his
people. These traits were communicated unmistakably to all who were
exposed to him, both follower and foe.
Another leader who had a speech impediment, a childhood stutter,
was Jack Welch. Welch recounts how his mother refused even to ac-
knowledge his stutter. He and his mother would drive to the train sta-
tion at night to pick up his father from his job as a conductor. They
would sit in the dark and talk, and eventually Welch stopped stuttering.
He became an excellent speaker, particularly when addressing General
Electric managers at the company’s famed Management Development
Center in Crotonville, New York.25
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Although natural charisma and communication training can certainly
help a leader communicate more effectively, these are not the key in-
gredients to success in this area. Most people respond to sincerity and
knowledge, which cannot be readily rehearsed or ‘‘canned.’’ Herb Kel-
leher has stated that the best communication comes directly from the
heart. The Bible supports him wholeheartedly:
‘‘I do not think I am in the least inferior to those ‘super-apostles.’ I may not be a trained speaker, but I do have knowledge.’’ (Paul, in 2 Cor.
11:5–6)
‘‘The lips of the righteous know what is fitting.’’ (Prov. 10:32)
BIBLICAL LESSONS ON COMMUNICATION
To motivate others to reach your goals, you must constantly
communicate your message.
Use a variety of communication methods. Don’t neglect the
power of face-to-face communication; it’s a time-honored
method often missing in today’s barrage of impersonal
electronic messages.
Effective leaders are equally comfortable communicating to
individuals, small groups, and large gatherings, customizing
their approaches for each audience.
Repetition is an important tool, but use varying words and
media so your message doesn’t become stale.
Share information; people will probably find out anyway, but
from a less desirable source.
Use language, images, and metaphors that hit your audience at
‘‘gut level.’’
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THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
Listen carefully to people and show them you’ve heard them
by responding verbally or taking action.
Acknowledge bad news and thank those ‘‘prophets’’ who have
had the courage to deliver it to you.
You do not have to be a naturally gifted speaker.
Communication skills can be learned.
Jack Welch stuttered as a child, and Moses was ‘‘slow of
tongue.’’
C H A P T E R
S I X
Performance
Management
‘‘He who heeds discipline shows the way to life . . . but whomever ignores correction leads others astray.’’
—P. 12:1
‘‘I have not hesitated to preach anything that might be helpful to you.’’
—A 20:18
f you had mentioned the phrase ‘‘performance manage-
ment’’ to anyone in the Bible (even if you tried to translate
it into Hebrew or Aramaic), you probably would have been
accused of speaking in tongues. Actually, you might have
been accused of speaking in tongues if you’d used these words in an
American corporation a decade or two ago.
Performance management includes the following three stages: one,
goal setting and motivation (usually done ‘‘in the beginning,’’ before
much action has taken place); two, encouragement (applied while the
task is being accomplished); and three, rewards and consequences
(applied after the task has been completed). When correctly applied,
performance management spurs people on to even greater accomplish-
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THE BIBLE ON LEADERSHIP
ments in their next task or project, simultaneously developing their
skills and increasing their desire.
Although the term ‘‘performance management’’ will not be found in
the Bible, the elements of this technique are found in almost every
one of its chapters. Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the most pleasant
environment ever designed, the Garden of Eden, was a result of their
failure to act according to the performance guidelines their superior had
communicated to them. (It also might have been helpful if they had had
some prior experience with forked-tongued consultants and ‘‘forbidden
fruit.’’)
Noah, on the other hand, responded positively to his leader’s encour-
agement to reach seemingly unattainable performance goals. Realizing
the consequences of nonperformance, he paid close attention to the
boss’s blueprint for both an escape plan and the boat that would carry
him through the worst environmental (and moral) crisis the world had
ever experienced. While Adam and Eve managed to spoil the world’s
most ideal environment, Noah managed to survive the most adverse
one. Ironically, they had the same boss! Even the best leader needs com-
petent, responsive employees if he is to achieve maximum performance.
The ancient Hebrews and early Christians were not exactly out for a
stroll in the park (or even a ‘‘brief tour’’ of the desert). Moses had to
constantly encourage his people during the forty years in the desert,
when the Promised Land seemed as far away as Pluto might seem to us
today. Realizing the daunting scope of building the First Temple, David
gave his son Solomon large doses of encouragement. Jesus promised his
disciples, who had left good livelihoods as fishermen, that he would
make them ‘‘fishers of men,’’ which had less immediate, but more long-
lasting payback.
Consequences figure heavily in the Bible. In most cases, the ‘‘play-
ers’’ are told exactly what will happen to them if they adhere to or
deviate from ‘‘company policy.’’ Jacob knew that he would have to flee
precipitously if he stole his father’s birthright from his physically
stronger brother, Esau. Christ foretold that Peter would betray him
three times; he also wisely let Peter live with the consequences of his
actions rather than punish him directly. And positive actions usually
Performance Management
111
result in ultimate reward, whether it is Jacob laboring an extra seven
years to win the hand of Rachel or David sparing the life of Saul in the
cave and eventually ascending to the throne himself.
Excellent performance management takes the patience of Job, cour-
age of David, wisdom of Solomon, and the compassion of Jesus. But
that doesn’t mean that today’s ‘‘merely human’’ leaders can’t aspire to
manage performance in ways that rival their biblical precursors. Many
of them are doing so already.
MOTIVATION AND GOAL SETTING
The first stage of performance management consists of helping people
set ambitious yet realistic goals and motivating them toward the
achievement of those goals. In 1 Thessalonians, Paul writes to the con-
verts in Thessalonica that, ‘‘as apostles of Christ, we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but we were gentle among you, like a
mother caring for her little children . . . encouraging, comforting, and
urging you . . .’’ Paul was a master of motivation, tailoring his urgency
and emotional tone to the readiness of the ‘‘employees.’’
Jack Stack of Springfield Re also tailored his motivational message to
the readiness of the ‘‘troops’’ when he took over the Melrose Park fac-
tory at International Harvester. He had 500 unionized workers, most of
whom operated in a culture of poor quality and low morale. Stack told
them, ‘‘If you beat your all-time high, I’ll buy you all a cup of coffee.’’
This doesn’t sound like high-level motivation (or a high-priced in-
centive). But keep in mind that production levels were so poor that
matching the all-time high was only worth a cup of coffee. Anything more would have been overkill, inflated praise for a modest gain.
It was also symbolic motivation. Like Paul, Stack was caring for and
feeding his ‘‘children.’’ It was probably the most nurturing thing anyone
had done for them in years. And Stack succeeded. He ‘‘had’’ to buy
everyone in the plant a cup of coffee when they exceeded the previous