SOME masterpieces are called classics because they are timeless. I find myself relating deeply to one of the most widely read books on management: “The Effective Executive” by Peter Drucker. Although it was published in 1966, its impact remains profound, no matter which generation you belong to.
In the book, Drucker offers what I consider the most practical advice for motivating people: “Focus on the contribution, not the effort.” This is akin to the maxim “begin with the end in mind.” Any struggle or exertion required to achieve a goal should be overshadowed by the significance of the goal itself.
Every worker who earns a wage through honest labor is a person of dignity. However, that dignity loses its appeal when we highlight the grueling effort, rather than the nobility of the contribution. When we focus solely on effort, work can feel like drudgery — a distasteful toil. Every profession contains these inevitable, demotivating elements.
To illustrate Drucker’s point, consider the examples below.
Reframing roles
Consider the security personnel on a school campus. Focusing on effort highlights the monotony: searching bags, checking identification cards at the gate, conducting routine patrols.
However, focusing on the contribution is far more motivating. Their true purpose is to provide a safe environment and protect the campus from forces that present danger. It is much more inspiring if these individuals are viewed as — and perhaps called — “safety officers.”
Similarly, if janitorial personnel focus only on effort, their work is defined by cleaning toilets and trimming hedges. But if the focus shifts to their contribution, they become the guardians of healthy physical spaces, providing a decent environment conducive to learning. They are, in essence, “campus well-being and beautification officers.”
These shifts in perspective do not eliminate tedious work, but they make tasks easier to perform by connecting them to a higher purpose. Motivation becomes powerful when it is rooted in nobility.
The Steve Jobs approach
Steve Jobs was known by many of his colleagues as a difficult person. Yet, he was lauded for his extraordinary ability to motivate the talented people at Apple.
Jobs famously demonstrated this when he wanted to decrease the Mac’s boot time. As the story goes, Jobs walked into the cubicle of Larry Kenyon, the engineer responsible for the operating system, and complained that the Mac took too long to start. When Kenyon insisted it was technically impossible to make it faster, Jobs reframed the issue: “If it would save a person’s life, could you find a way to shave 10 seconds off the boot time?”
He explained that if 5 million people used the Mac, saving 10 seconds daily would equal roughly 100 human lifetimes saved a year. From then on, Kenyon likely didn’t see himself as an employee being nagged by a demanding boss, but as an engineer saving lifetimes.
The nobility of teaching
Conversely, if we focus only on the effort of teaching, we see only the excruciating hours spent dealing with problematic students, the endless nights grading papers, and a salary that often fails to match the hardship. If teaching were perceived only through that lens, no one would enter the profession.
Instead, teachers must be treated with honor and reminded of their noblest contribution: serving as mentors, coaches, and guides who shape the future of the nation. What could be more motivating than that?
Fr. Jesus “Jay” Miranda Jr., OP, is an organization and leadership studies resource person. He teaches at the Graduate School of the University of Santo Tomas and the Department of Educational Leadership and Management of the Bro. Andrew Gonzalez, FSC–College of Education of De La Salle University Manila.
jaymiranda.op@ust.edu.ph
