happy people work better

My blog is turning into a cobweb, and I apologize for that. I was so involved in a big project recently that I haven't thought much about it.

I do have something to share, though. In a job interview in my past, I was asked to describe my management philosophy, and I said, "happy people work better."

I'm sure this has been said in many ways by many people, but my way works for me. And this has proven true for me again and again. By this, I do not mean that managers should do anything and everything to keep people happy. Sometimes we have to make people unhappy when we would rather not. I don't mean that happiness is more important than having people who are competent at their jobs. But, I believe people work best when they are treated with respect and given an environment that allows them to be as happy as possible while doing their jobs. You certainly *can* force people to work by threatening or scaring them. But I'm not sure what happens when you turn your back. I can guess, though.

So that's my bit of wisdom from several years in various management positions -- and the many mistakes made along the way: happy people work better. Try it out.