Good Parenting = Good Management = Good Parenting
by Miki Saxon
An article about new research on what makes for good and bad parenting by Dr. Carol Dweck, a social and developmental psychologist at Stanford University, caught my eye, most importantly because it explains so clearly the problem with much of today’s workforce.
Starting around three decades ago it became the norm for parents to compliment kids for anything and everything and ‘help’ them with things that were a bit beyond their reach.
Turns out that has the opposite effect as the one desired.
This may seem counterintuitive, but praising children’s talents and abilities seems to rattle their confidence. Tackling more difficult puzzles carries the risk of losing one’s status as “smart” and deprives kids of the thrill of choosing to work simply for its own sake, regardless of outcomes.
It’s the difference between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.
Now look at the workplace needs of so many (not all) who came of age over the last 30 years.
While seeming confident, they often require far more in the way of instructions, feedback and kudos just doing their job. Initiative is frequently missing and risk looms large.
Prior research by Diana Baumrind, a clinical and developmental psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, found similar results.
“…reasonably supporting a child’s autonomy and limiting interference results in better academic and emotional outcomes.”
The same is true in the workplace.
It’s so prevalent that it was the basis for Wally’s conversation with his PHB.
The upshot is that today’s managers are stuck providing “good parenting” management to new hires, because their hovercraft parents didn’t give them room to make mistakes or stand on their own two feet.
The real irony, however, is that many of the mangers who complain most vigorously are the ones who hover at home.
Flickr image credit: The Nothing Corporation
