The Reward of One Good Deed
I am about half way through my reread of The Horse and His Boy (1954) by C. S. Lewis and loving it. This is the 5th book in published order of The Chronicles of Narnia series. This book has a great many little quips that make me think of life’s many lessons. Yesterday I read, “He had not yet learned that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one.” This quote was speaking of Shasta and it made me reflect on one of the things I have really had to watch, as a leader – when we have someone really good at something and shows how responsible, hard-working, or high achieving they are, I would often reward them with more work. I always had to remind myself how important it was to consider the well-being of others and not bombard them with constant requests for good deeds. It is important to spread out our requests in order for others’ abilities to also be developed and highlighted. We also need to show appreciation for the help we receive. Communication and gratitude are key in maintaining positive relationships when asking for help.
Some leaders justify this by considering it “pushing” the top performers. The problem is, many of those top performers see it as allowing the lower performers do less. An eye opener for me was when, several years ago, a top performer said to me, “I need you to stop pushing me so hard and come along side me and help me learn and grow some more.” Wow, I needed that punch to the gut. She was right! She didn’t want me to quit recognizing she was a top performer, but wanted me to not run her into the ground. Just as Shasta, in The Horse and His Boy, was learning “that if you do one good deed your reward usually is to be set to do another and harder and better one,” I was learning the effects those rewards.
The bottom line here is that we need to help manage the workload. Doing great work should lead to more responsibilities and opportunities for growth. This should not, however, mean just more work added to an already full plate. Adjustments must be made be made and when responsibilities are added, something needs to be subtracted. We must also at the same time create a positive culture of continuous improvement and growth. Appropriate recognition and rewards mixed with fair distribution of the organization’s work are key here.
Byron's Babbles 
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