The Power of Positive Push-ups

By Mark Fulton

Several months ago my wife and I were visiting friends in Atlanta (a.k.a. The Shopping Mecca of the South) when the ladies decided that it would be great fun to go bargain hunting. The guys decided it would be more fun to go to a Braves game, so we struck a compromise: We went shopping.

I was drifting dutifully from outlet store to thrift shop when I came across a book tucked between a set of Nancy Drew mysteries and some old copies of The Power of Positive Thinking. What caught my eye was the book’s title: Pushing Up People - The Secret Behind One of the Most Exciting Success Stories in American Business.

Priced at $2 and looking like it had never been read, this book certainly qualified as a bargain, so I made my contribution to the day’s shopping safari.

Written in 1984 by Art Williams, Pushing Up People is a collection of management wisdom gleaned from the author’s 20 years as a teacher and football coach, and later as president of A.L. Williams, the life-insurance company that popularized the philosophy, “Buy term and invest the difference.”

In 1990, after being in business only 12 years, A.L. Williams had built a sales force of 225,000 people and had become the first in the industry to have more than $300 billion worth of life insurance. His third book, All You Can Do Is All You Can Do, But All You Can Do Is Enough, was on the New York Times bestseller list in 1988.

Pushing Up People presents 20 “push-up principles” — Williams’ framework for building a team of dedicated, enthusiastic and empowered employees. I was intrigued to see if the author’s insights on motivation and leadership, which had obviously worked well for his company, would still hold water after 15 years.

Part One of Williams’ book extols the virtues of treating people right. Williams asserts that an employee’s desire to grow and determination to reach goals are far better determinants of future success than education and background. Find and nurture people with a “will to win,” says Williams, and give them the freedom and responsibility to exercise individual initiative. “Empowerment” is the trendy business term we give this idea today.

Praise, recognition and respect are other “push-up principles” that are too often ignored by the “macho management” mindset still prevalent in much of corporate America.

Williams advocates always looking for reasons to give employees honest praise in public, as well as in private meetings. While praising others should be spontaneous and sincere, we sometimes have to remind ourselves to do it in order for it to become a habit. Giving consistent praise motivates people to strive for higher performance levels and sets a positive, uplifting tone in the workplace.

Of course, being a goodwill ambassador at work isn’t always easy, especially when Carl in customer service just crashed your entire computer network. Williams proposes that withholding praise is far more effective than dishing out criticism when you need to discipline someone. In a climate where praise is common, its absence can be keenly felt.

When a problem must be addressed directly, try dealing with the negative issue in a group setting. Even though the problem won’t apply to everyone, you can get your point across without making Carl feel like the company klutz.

Another way to spur company spirit is to create fun ways to recognize employee achievement. Awards don’t have to be doled out at somber affairs where attendees can’t wait to finish their Jell-O and get home in time for Jerry Springer. Staff meetings are an ideal setting for recognizing superior efforts with lighthearted trophies like T-shirts and inexpensive prizes.

Williams insists that you say something special about each award, noting the recipient’s sacrifice and achievements before handing over the goodies. He also recommends that you recognize 20 to 25 percent of the crowd. Better up the office-supplies budget!

Most importantly, Williams says, you should “let your employees know that you see them as mature, intelligent adults, not as schoolchildren who need to be watched and led by an office Ôparent.’”

Treat people at work with respect and don’t be afraid to build personal relationships. Showing esteem toward employees and demonstrating true compassion when bad things happen will do more to build loyalty than bonuses and bouquets ever will.

Part Two of Pushing Up People deals with building leaders. More on that subject in my next column.

© Copyright 1999 Mark S. Fulton