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ARE YOU A 'VALUE-ADDED' EMPLOYEE?
What is your focus when you go to work? Are you thinking "What can I give today?" or "What can I get?" Both questions are important, however, the former will get you further faster. It's that simple. Often, when I am consulting with a company or...
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Career Motivation
How do you aquire career motivation? What should you do to boost your ambitions to advance in your profession? And how to stay motivated over a long period of time? Accept that no one but you has the ultimate responsibility for your career...
Is a Home Business Right for You?
Every morning as people wake up and make the commute to work, many dream of the day when they will finally work for themselves. Every time the boss lets someone know that they must give up their weekend plans for the good of the company, people...
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Check Yourself for Outstanding Customer Service
How many times have you heard something similar to this in a customer service situation? Customer: “Why don’t you just do it this way, and it will take care of the situation.” Customer Service Person: “I understand what you are saying, but we can...
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Is it Perfunctory of Desultory? It Pays to Know the Difference.
Part of Emotional Intelligence is being able to label emotions and therefore attitudes, and in the workplace, these lead to motivation and performance.
It’s important to understand the distinction between desultory, and perfunctory when dealing with an employee or colleague. Desultory is far more pervasive and permanent and probably has to do with the general atmosphere of the office, while anyone can do a single task in a perfunctory manner, if they dislike it, or are having an off day, or don’t feel good.
If you have a desultory work environment, you’re going to need to work on the culture and general atmosphere. If you have an employee doing a perfunctory job at a certain task, you need to correct for that situation only.
In essence, any person can lack motivation for a certain task, but when the attitude is desultory, no one is motivated.
Definitions
Desultory - Desultory comes from the Latin desultorius which literally means a circus rider who leaps from horse to horse. Desultory means (1) marked by lack of definite plan, regularity, or purpose; (2) not connected with the main subject, and (3) disappointing in progress or performance (sluggish).
Perfunctory - Perfunctory is from the Latin perfunctorius meaning to accomplish or get through with. However in modern connotations, it has come to mean (1) characterized by routine or superficiality (mechanical); or (2) lacking in interest or enthusiasm.
Comparisons
No direction vs. No enthusiasm
Lack of
leadership vs. Lack of supervision
Unclear goals vs. No motivation
Lack of clarity vs. Lack of energy
Example
Albert approach the task in a perfunctory manner, answering the phone on the 4th or 5th ring at all, giving information reluctantly, and switching people to the wrong extension quite often.
The marketing department was desultory since the firing of their favorite manager. They weren't able to get the picture and didn't have adequate direction so, while they did their tasks well, they weren't making quotas and sales were falling far behind.
Key Point
A person can do a perfunctory job at a particular task and still be invested in the goal and project. If they are desultory, they aren't getting the whole picture at all, and likely to be perfunctory about everything, aimless and unmotivated. Any one can have an off day, but if desultory, every day is an off day.
Benefits
It's important not to mistake temporary lack of enthusiasm for an atmosphere where no one knows what they're doing.
Emotions motivate us and it’s important to understand the emotions of others, and how to manage them. In order to do this, first you must understand your own emotions and be able to manage them. This is what Emotional Intelligence is all about.
About the Author
©Susan Dunn, MA Psychology, Emotional Intelligence Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . Coaching, Internet courses and ebooks for your personal and professional development. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for FREE ezine.
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