Unintended Consequences - The Secret to Rewarding Behavior

By Lynn Marie Sager

You've likely heard the saying, "What gets rewarded, gets repeated," but did you know, "What gets punished, also gets avoided?" Let me explain...

I once spent Christmas at a military outpost in Bosnia, deployed by the Department of Defense's overseas shows program as an entertainer for the troops. It was a great experience, but it was also a bit like spending Christmas in hell. One evening after a show, one of the soldiers made a comment I'll never forget.

"You have to be careful about doing a good job around here, " he said, "Cause if they think they need you, they'll give you another six months duty."

That soldier knew the consequences of doing a good job, and he considered those consequences a punishment. Whenever we punish people for doing good work, by piling them with more work and no reward, we lose so much of their potential. Why should people work harder for less?

The actions you reward usually determine the actions people repeat. So, if you have been getting what you don't want from people, then on some level, I bet you've been rewarding their behavior. After all, if they weren't receiving some reward, why would they keep repeating it?

Do you remember the saying, "a squeaky wheel gets all the grease"? Well, if you're tired of all the "squeaky wheels" in your life, then stop only rewarding the squeaks. Set aside the majority of your grease for the "wheels" that actually work. Devise a system for rewarding the people who actually give you what you want, and those "squeaky wheels" might just change their tune.
Sadly, some people don't live up to their potential because they know that they'll only be expected to do more.

During a lecture on rewards and punishments, I had a student once raise his hand to say, "That's so true. Whenever I help out at home, I just get asked to do more. The more I help, the more I get asked to do. It's gotten so I don't volunteer for anything. The other day, my aunt's gardener got sick and couldn't make his weekly visit, so I decided to help out with the lawn. I spent all weekend cleaning and mowing. Do you know how my aunt rewarded me? She fired the gardener, and made the yard my responsibility."

Don't punish people who are doing well by expecting even more. Whenever we ask for help, get help, and instantly expect more help, we punish the very actions that we want repeated...

From A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, by Lynn Marie Sager copyright 2005

You can find more about this topic on Navigating Life's website. Simply go to http://www.navigatinglife.org, and visit the Galley for links to our full articles.

Lynn Marie Sager has toured over two-dozen countries and worked on three continents. Author of A River Worth Riding: Fourteen Rules for Navigating Life, Lynn currently lives in California; where she fills her time with private coaching, public speaking, and teaching for the LACCD and Pierce College. She runs the Navigating Life website, where she offers free assistance to readers who wish to incorporate the rules of worthwhile living into their lives. To read more about how you can use these rules to improve your life, visit Lynn's website at http://www.navigatinglife.org

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Website Design Training For Rewarding Career

By Michael Bustamante

If you are someone who enjoys creating interesting designs and layouts on computers, you could benefit from website design training. In the contemporary world of computers and Internet marketing, training in website design can lead you to an exciting and rewarding career as a professional website designer.

Website design training focuses primarily on the areas of graphic art and electronic media. You will become familiar with the latest web design and computer-based design and illustration software, which may include GoLive, DreamWeaver, and FrontPage. You will learn how to use HTML, XHTML, CSS, and JavaScript; you will also learn about e-commerce, Internet marketing, scripting and authoring. The goal of website design training is to teach you to create web pages and websites that look good and are easily navigated.

The field of website design is constantly changing and evolving, and it is important that you receive an education in website design that is current and up-to-date. Before you begin your website design education, make sure your chosen school will be able to teach you the latest techniques and methods used by professional website designers.

The website designing course will most likely cover Visual Art, Graphic Design, Web Design, and Computer Aided Design (CAD), among other related subjects. Website design training from a two-year program will lead to an Associate degree, which will be adequate for an entry-level position; however, an advanced degree would greatly increase your knowledge and skills for better employment opportunities. You could continue your website design education at a four-year college to obtain a Bachelor degree (BA) or a Master degree (MA).

If you are interested in learning what it takes to be a professional website designer, you can begin researching website design training today. For in-depth information about Website Design Training, please take a moment to visit our website today.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. Visit our Directory of Vocational Schools and find Training in Website Design, as well as Colleges, Universities, Vocational Schools, and Online Schools at SchoolsGalore.com

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