Under The Dairy Queen Lights, By Calvin Tuckett
We've got a kid who's found "the one."
He's in a daze. It's kinda fun.
He brought her home the other day.
She's very cute, and I must say.
She floats around and loves him so.
They're on the phone and spending dough.
He bought a ring, it's for her finger.
And now her friends, oh how they linger.
He bought it at the store you know.
The plan was later he would show.
Under the Dairy Queen foyer lights
That's just the place to say what's right.
She thought that she would see it now
No need to wait and make him bow.
He gave in, she got the ring.
The date is set for in the spring.
Sometimes the hours they get too late
We worry much about their fate.
Two little kids have found much more
It's like they found a candy store
Just down the street and easy walkin
To be together; now look whose talkin.
I remember the good old days.
I know just why in town he stays.
You remember being out 'till three or so;
And coming home on tippie toe.
I remember the fun I had;
I'd better go and get the lad.
So I gt up at one or so
To her apartments where I go.
Sure enough I find him there.
"We fell asleep" a thought they share.
Sleepy eyed he said again
"I'll be home in five or ten."
I winked at her to show my love.
To me she's like a turtle dove.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
It's Nearly Two
It's Nearly Two, By Calvin Tuckett
I said to them "what shall we do.
It's getting late, It's nearly two."
To stay out late just isn't good.
They shook their heads'; they understood.
Then like something from above
I said to her with fathers love
"I must watch for your folks to
I know they love and care for you
A disappointment it would be
If vows weren't made on bended knee."
I told the two of them you see
"I know it's hard but it must be."
"Harder still would be to say
We're sorry mom and dad today."
They tried they're best and life went on.
They kissed goodnight before the dawn.
The days like that now are gone.
The nights aware when we would yawn.
The wedding it is over now.
The kneeling down the solemn vow.
If I could have one wish in ten.
I'd wish to do it all again.
I said to them "what shall we do.
It's getting late, It's nearly two."
To stay out late just isn't good.
They shook their heads'; they understood.
Then like something from above
I said to her with fathers love
"I must watch for your folks to
I know they love and care for you
A disappointment it would be
If vows weren't made on bended knee."
I told the two of them you see
"I know it's hard but it must be."
"Harder still would be to say
We're sorry mom and dad today."
They tried they're best and life went on.
They kissed goodnight before the dawn.
The days like that now are gone.
The nights aware when we would yawn.
The wedding it is over now.
The kneeling down the solemn vow.
If I could have one wish in ten.
I'd wish to do it all again.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
My History As I Remember It.
I thought I had better put my own history on paper before I get too old and completely forgot it. So, here we go.
Early Years
I have a very faint memory of living in Pocatello when my parents were going to school down their. I remember playing in the road with a friend (a girl I believe). Not much else that I remember about Pocatello (the first time).
I remember quite a bit about living in Idaho Falls (Coltman). I remember taking a walk with Mom and Trent. We were walking along the back of the property where we lived. There was a tall grain elevator. In front of the grain elevator was a mother skunk and a couple of babies. My initial reaction was to run to those cute babies, but mom caught be just in time. We kept our distance and stayed safe.
Early Years
I have a very faint memory of living in Pocatello when my parents were going to school down their. I remember playing in the road with a friend (a girl I believe). Not much else that I remember about Pocatello (the first time).
I remember quite a bit about living in Idaho Falls (Coltman). I remember taking a walk with Mom and Trent. We were walking along the back of the property where we lived. There was a tall grain elevator. In front of the grain elevator was a mother skunk and a couple of babies. My initial reaction was to run to those cute babies, but mom caught be just in time. We kept our distance and stayed safe.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Political "Platform"
There is so much political frustration out there today. It seems that no matter who we elect to public office, they always seem to do the opposite of what we would like them to. Many folks vote based on the party that the candidate is affiliated with. This hasn't worked very well because within a party there are candidates that lean to the left or to the right. We often find that the Republican that we elect is more liberal than some of the Democrats out there and visa versa.
It is time that we clearly spell out what it is we believe in and then vote for the candidate that espouses these ideals, regardless of the party they work for. Too often the party takes priority over the needs and desires of the people of this great nation. Because of this, I am putting together this list of ideals I have. This is a working list, and as I think of things, I will add them to the list.
The federal government should be limited to power over ONLY those areas explicitly outlined in it's constitution. If it isn't in there, the federal government shouldn't be doing it.
It is time that we clearly spell out what it is we believe in and then vote for the candidate that espouses these ideals, regardless of the party they work for. Too often the party takes priority over the needs and desires of the people of this great nation. Because of this, I am putting together this list of ideals I have. This is a working list, and as I think of things, I will add them to the list.
Federal Government
Breadth of Power
The federal government should be limited to power over ONLY those areas explicitly outlined in it's constitution. If it isn't in there, the federal government shouldn't be doing it.
Fiscal Responsibility
- The federal government should not be able to pass a budget that is not completely balanced.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Building Canned Goods Shelves
Several weeks ago my wife dropped the bomb concerning what she wanted for Christmas. She wanted some shelves that would hold canned goods. She explained to me that the ones she was interested in were designed so that the cans were placed in one side and removed from the other. She explained that this design was used so that the shelf managed the cans first in – first out. She gave me an advertisement for one being sold at a local food storage business. Upon further investigation, I was surprised to see that most of these kinds of shelves were priced between $250 and $400 per shelf set and that was for one 4 foot by 6 foot piece. Sure they were made of steel, but based on the number of cans of food we had, I was estimating we would need about three of them.
Alternatives
I did some more research and found that there were several alternatives to the purchased shelves. The most intriguing alternative for me was a set of shelves posted to a blog that were built almost entirely using 2x4s and 1x8s (see this photo of the shelves: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17UlmmUWEhf5GmASyqHrL3jk5JTQJbg31GnacyNB67n6mmWiPNWvD30EtJGDwDuXNyyYirNaVe5lnTcCMe8QiEYyn5TE4xJn-1_0ZEC_90zxp72dYpwKGqpxraziw5NuuuP92Bf9U6BP7/s320/shelves.JPG ). The design was straight forward and reasonably simple to build. I used the photograph to come up with a similar design that is a little more rugged with improved capacity and designed so it can be easily reproduced.
The Design
My canned goods shelving design also incorporates 2x4s like the internet version, but instead of 1x8s I used plywood (OSB actually). Instead of simply nailing the boards the cans roll on directly to the 2x4s, I incorporated cross timbers or bars that the plywood would rest on to increase the amount of weight each shelf could withstand and to allow for a design change that would make each rolling surface independent (more on this later). The result of my design is shown here in the final product.
Building steps
Now, you must know that I am not much of a carpenter. Somehow I convinced my wife early in our marriage that I was handy with a hammer and have spent the last eighteen years trying to reverse this misconception to no avail. I do have a high attention to detail and have been doing design for many years, but I’ve only found success sitting in front of a computer. My point in bringing up these odd facts is to set your mind at ease that I am not introducing the plans for a complex undertaking requiring a lot of tools and such. Here are the things you will need to do the job:
List of Tools
List of Materials
Step 1 – Building the Frame
You will begin by constructing a frame that will hold the shelves. You are going to need to get a bunch of big strong kids to help you with this. If your storage room (assume that is where you are putting it) is anything like mine, the effort isn’t in the building of the frame itself, but in removing the boxes and other junk that occupies the space where the frame and subsequent shelves will go. It took me a half a day to remove all of the boxes, and an hour to construct the frame. You will want to clear a spot against a wall that is about 9 feet long and four feet out from the wall ( I suggest clearing as much space as you can because it will make the whole process easier in the long run).
The frame is constructed out of 2x4s. I would try to get the straightest ones you can find. You only need 14 of them. Here is what you are building.
The length of the horizontal timbers is 92 5/8”. You don’t even need to cut them because you can buy this length at your local home store. I used 2 ½” gold grabber screws to tie it all together. Use two screws on each connection. The two horizontal timbers on the bottom are on the outside of the vertical timbers to leave more room for the shelves. The remaining horizontal timbers are on the inside. The vertical timbers are cut exactly the height of the room where you are building the shelf. The storage room where I was building mine was unfinished so I measured from the floor to the joists in the ceiling. I cut them about an 1/8th inch long to make sure they were snug. The easiest way to get started is with the vertical and horizontal boards that are closest to the corner and the wall. Use a level to make sure the vertical timber is standing plumb (a term used by construction folks to mean straight up and down). Once you are ready, put a screw or two into the bottom horizontal stud to stick it to the wall. Then sink two screws into the intersection of the horizontal and vertical studs. Put a couple of screws into each of the back section timbers to attach them to the back wall. Build the back section (6 timbers) first and then the front section without the cross timbers (those connecting the back and the front). The horizontal timber that is about 3/4ths of the way up each section should be set with its top 70” off the floor (this will be the timbers where the shelf board rests). Measure the 70” at each vertical timber to make sure the horizontal one is level. All but one of the six cross timbers are to be cut 22” long. The bottom-middle one is cut 19” long. This puts exactly 16” between the back and the front--the space for our shelves. The five cross timbers will go on the ends of each horizontal timber. The sixth cross timber on the bottom-middle will fit between the horizontal timbers. Push it up against the middle vertical timbers and screw it on.
Step 2 – Cross Bars for Shelves
At this point, the frame of the structure should be complete. The next step in the process is to calculate the location of each cross bar that will be attached to the vertical timbers to provide a base for the shelves to sit. For my shelves, I wanted to accommodate three sizes of cans. 10# cans--the really big ones that food storage food is often stored in, large cans that are often used to store fruit like peaches and pears, and regular size cans (this would include most other sizes). These three different sizes of cans have different heights and widths. For right now, it is the widths we are concerned with. Frankly, this was the most difficult part of the design for me. The width of a can, plus a gap measurement that accounts for the thickness of the plywood and other space between the can and the next shelf determine the positioning of the cross bars. Because of this, you will need to determine how many of each type of cans you would like in your shelf. I used a 3.5” gap measurement between each shelf, and the following measurements for the different types of cans:
To assist you in determining the placement of the cross bars, I have provided the scenario that I used which contains two shelves of #10 cans, 1 shelf of large fruit cans, and five shelves of regular cans.
The numbers in yellow are the marks that you will make with a pencil on each of the vertical timbers (both the front and back ones) to determine the placement of the top of the cross bars. The below diagram shows how this is done. My shelf set was built so that the shelves sloped from left to right. You can switch these around if it makes more sense for your shelf to slope the other way. If you wish to change the configuration of the types of cans in your shelves, you will need to adjust the measurements accordingly.
Once the marks are made on all six vertical timbers, you are ready to install the cross bars. Begin by cutting the cross bars. We will use 2x2s for the cross bars. Cut each 19” long. Each cross bar will need to have two pilot holes drilled in it. The pilot holes will ensure that the cross bar won’t split when attached to the vertical timbers with the screws. Pick a drill bit that is a little smaller than the screws you are using. You will want to drill the pilot holes ¾“ from each side as shown in this diagram.
With the cross bars cut and the pilot holes drilled, it is time to attach each to the timbers. Align the top of the cross bar to the marks on the vertical timbers and use a 2 ½” screw to secure them. I placed the level on each after I had attached one of the screws to make sure my measurements matched. Make sure that the cross bar is snug against the timbers without any gaps. I tackled this from the bottom up. This made it easier to work as I went along.
Step 3 – Building the shelves
With the cross bars installed, we are ready to install the shelves. As with the cross bars, we now need to consider the types of cans again in determining how to construct the shelves. #10 cans are taller than regular cans and because of this, we won’t be able to get as many rows of cans on a shelf. To make it easy, I used two basic shelf configurations. On a #10 shelf, I have accommodated two rows of cans. For both the large fruit cans and regular cans, I have designed the shelves to accommodate three rows of cans. While a simpler design would have been to cut all of the shelves the same, regardless of the can type, I wanted to include a strip between each row to keep the cans better organized. Because of this, the plywood for the rows is cut differently, depending on the type of can. In the diagram below, I show how this is done for the #10 cans and the regular cans.
It is now time to get intimate with your circular saw. You will be cutting 7 ½” strips of plywood for your #10 rows and 5” strips of plywood for your regular rows. Each of these end up using a little more than 15” of plywood per row, so the amount of plywood will be pretty much the same regardless of how many #10 and regular rows of cans you have. The first few of these I did I used the hard way (I didn’t know it was the hard way until I found the easy way). I was using the measuring tape to mark the width of each piece (5” or 7 ½”) on each end of the plywood, snapping a chalk line, and cutting out each piece. The easier way is to find yourself a straight edge that will span the length of the plywood and make all of the measurements and lines at once. If you use this approach, you need to take the width of the saw blade into account. Add an additional 1/8th inch to each measurement and you will be fine. Make sure you do the same thing on either end of the plywood. Have a friend (if you have one) help you to hold each end and run a pencil down the straight edge for a line. Then, when you cut each piece, always cut on the same side of the line and each piece will turn out the same width. To make it easy, I used all eight feet of the plywood. This makes the shelves hang out over the frame a little bit for easier retrieval of cans.
If you are following my configuration, you will need four 7 ½” pieces and twenty four 5” pieces of plywood. You will find that toward the end of each piece of plywood it is difficult to cut because the remaining plywood is getting pretty thin. I used some C-clamps to tighten down the plywood to my saw horses to make the process safer.
With the plywood strips cut, you are ready to move on to the other pieces that make up the rows. The next is to cut the side strips. I cut mine 2” wide. They are made out of 1/8” hardboard (the same stuff peg board is made out of without the holes). I recommend that you cut three side strips for each #10 shelf and four side strips for each regular shelf (I will explain the assembly in a minute). I would suggest using the same approach you did with the plywood. Because the hardboard is more flimsy than the plywood, you will probably want to have a sheet of plywood under the hardboard and have a friend hold on it as you cut. Because I don’t have any friends, I had to use clamps to get the same affect.
The final piece of the rows that you will need are short lengths of 1x4 that will act as a stopper board to hold the cans from rolling out the end of the rows. Cut each length of 1x4 the same length as each plywood strip. You will need one of these for each plywood strip you cut.
With all of these pieces cut, you are now ready to assemble the rows. I would start by attaching the stopper board to the end of each plywood strip. Attach it using two 1” finishing nails (one of either end of the stopper board about 1 inch from the end). The board should be at the end of the plywood strip and should be flush with the end of the plywood and each side like this:
With the stopper board attached, it is time to attach the side strips. There will be one side strip on the front side of the shelf, one on the back side of the shelf, and one between each plywood rows. I used 1” finishing nails to attach the side strips to the plywood. You will probably find that this task will build your patience with every nail you sink. Yes, it is possible to hammer the nails such that they go straight into the plywood without coming out either side. I put the first nail into the strip at one end of the plywood and then the next nail I hammered in was about mid-way down the board. This made it easier to control the floppy strip. You might find meditation and a sedative necessary through the first new strips, but believe me when I say that it does get easier with time. On the first plywood row, I attached a side strip to both sides. Then, on each other piece of plywood, I attached a side strip on the far side of each. Below is am example of this for a regular shelf. When the rows are pushed together tight in the frame, it will be like there is a strip on each side of the rows.
You will probably find that cutting and assembling these darn shelves takes by far the most time.
The final step in the process is to attach the rows to the cross bars. Again, I would start at the bottom of your frame. Add the first row of plywood strips with their attached stopper boards and side strips. Push the set (both pieces for #10 cans or all three pieces for regular cans) together tight and attach the plywood to the cross bars using 1 ½” grabber screws. Make sure the rows are tight together and line up correctly at the end. I did this by measuring up 1 inch from the bottom of the plywood strip closest to the front of the shelf and making a mark. This helped me to make sure each shelf protruded out the same amount.
Step 4 – Finish it off with the shelf
There. That wasn’t too bad, right? The final task to perform is to cut and add the shelf board to frame. If you haven’t made any mistakes, you should still have a piece of plywood that is close to 16” in width. Cut the board at 16” exactly and lay it on the horizontal timbers 70” from the floor. The board should fit exactly by width, but be a couple of inches long on either side. You can cut it to length if you wish, or just center it. Use some of those 1 ½” screws to secure it to the horizontal timbers.
The fun part now is loading the shelves with cans.
Alternatives
I did some more research and found that there were several alternatives to the purchased shelves. The most intriguing alternative for me was a set of shelves posted to a blog that were built almost entirely using 2x4s and 1x8s (see this photo of the shelves: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17UlmmUWEhf5GmASyqHrL3jk5JTQJbg31GnacyNB67n6mmWiPNWvD30EtJGDwDuXNyyYirNaVe5lnTcCMe8QiEYyn5TE4xJn-1_0ZEC_90zxp72dYpwKGqpxraziw5NuuuP92Bf9U6BP7/s320/shelves.JPG ). The design was straight forward and reasonably simple to build. I used the photograph to come up with a similar design that is a little more rugged with improved capacity and designed so it can be easily reproduced.
The Design
My canned goods shelving design also incorporates 2x4s like the internet version, but instead of 1x8s I used plywood (OSB actually). Instead of simply nailing the boards the cans roll on directly to the 2x4s, I incorporated cross timbers or bars that the plywood would rest on to increase the amount of weight each shelf could withstand and to allow for a design change that would make each rolling surface independent (more on this later). The result of my design is shown here in the final product.
Building steps
Now, you must know that I am not much of a carpenter. Somehow I convinced my wife early in our marriage that I was handy with a hammer and have spent the last eighteen years trying to reverse this misconception to no avail. I do have a high attention to detail and have been doing design for many years, but I’ve only found success sitting in front of a computer. My point in bringing up these odd facts is to set your mind at ease that I am not introducing the plans for a complex undertaking requiring a lot of tools and such. Here are the things you will need to do the job:
List of Tools
- Circular Saw (Skil Saw) and some saw horses or a table where the plywood and hardboard can be ripped (long cut).
- A drill with a bit slightly smaller than the size of the screws
- A screw driver (I use a Phillips screw end in my drill)
- Tape measure
- Square (that thing that looks like an L and a ruler combined)
- Level
List of Materials
- Box of 2 1/2 inch grabber screws
- Box of 1 1/2 inch grabber screws
- Box of 1 inch finishing nails
- 14 - 2x4s (the ones that are 92 5/8” are fine for horizontal timbers, but you will want the vertical ones to be able to reach the ceiling in the room where you are building.)
- 5 - 2x2s that are 8 ft long
- 3 - 1x4s that are 8 ft long
- 3 sheets of 3/8” OSB plywood that is 4’x8’ in size
- 2 sheets of 1/8” hardboard that is 4’x8’ (this is the same board that peg board is made out of, but without the holes)
Step 1 – Building the Frame
You will begin by constructing a frame that will hold the shelves. You are going to need to get a bunch of big strong kids to help you with this. If your storage room (assume that is where you are putting it) is anything like mine, the effort isn’t in the building of the frame itself, but in removing the boxes and other junk that occupies the space where the frame and subsequent shelves will go. It took me a half a day to remove all of the boxes, and an hour to construct the frame. You will want to clear a spot against a wall that is about 9 feet long and four feet out from the wall ( I suggest clearing as much space as you can because it will make the whole process easier in the long run).
The frame is constructed out of 2x4s. I would try to get the straightest ones you can find. You only need 14 of them. Here is what you are building.
The length of the horizontal timbers is 92 5/8”. You don’t even need to cut them because you can buy this length at your local home store. I used 2 ½” gold grabber screws to tie it all together. Use two screws on each connection. The two horizontal timbers on the bottom are on the outside of the vertical timbers to leave more room for the shelves. The remaining horizontal timbers are on the inside. The vertical timbers are cut exactly the height of the room where you are building the shelf. The storage room where I was building mine was unfinished so I measured from the floor to the joists in the ceiling. I cut them about an 1/8th inch long to make sure they were snug. The easiest way to get started is with the vertical and horizontal boards that are closest to the corner and the wall. Use a level to make sure the vertical timber is standing plumb (a term used by construction folks to mean straight up and down). Once you are ready, put a screw or two into the bottom horizontal stud to stick it to the wall. Then sink two screws into the intersection of the horizontal and vertical studs. Put a couple of screws into each of the back section timbers to attach them to the back wall. Build the back section (6 timbers) first and then the front section without the cross timbers (those connecting the back and the front). The horizontal timber that is about 3/4ths of the way up each section should be set with its top 70” off the floor (this will be the timbers where the shelf board rests). Measure the 70” at each vertical timber to make sure the horizontal one is level. All but one of the six cross timbers are to be cut 22” long. The bottom-middle one is cut 19” long. This puts exactly 16” between the back and the front--the space for our shelves. The five cross timbers will go on the ends of each horizontal timber. The sixth cross timber on the bottom-middle will fit between the horizontal timbers. Push it up against the middle vertical timbers and screw it on.
Step 2 – Cross Bars for Shelves
At this point, the frame of the structure should be complete. The next step in the process is to calculate the location of each cross bar that will be attached to the vertical timbers to provide a base for the shelves to sit. For my shelves, I wanted to accommodate three sizes of cans. 10# cans--the really big ones that food storage food is often stored in, large cans that are often used to store fruit like peaches and pears, and regular size cans (this would include most other sizes). These three different sizes of cans have different heights and widths. For right now, it is the widths we are concerned with. Frankly, this was the most difficult part of the design for me. The width of a can, plus a gap measurement that accounts for the thickness of the plywood and other space between the can and the next shelf determine the positioning of the cross bars. Because of this, you will need to determine how many of each type of cans you would like in your shelf. I used a 3.5” gap measurement between each shelf, and the following measurements for the different types of cans:
| Type of can |
Width in Inches |
| #10 Cans |
6 |
| Large Fruit Cans |
4 |
| Regular Cans |
3 |
To assist you in determining the placement of the cross bars, I have provided the scenario that I used which contains two shelves of #10 cans, 1 shelf of large fruit cans, and five shelves of regular cans.
| Left Vertical | Middle Vertical | Right Vertical | ||
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 61.5 | 58.5 | 54 |
| Regular | 58 | 55 | 50.5 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 55 | 52 | 47.5 |
| Regular | 51.5 | 48.5 | 44 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 48.5 | 45.5 | 41 |
| Regular | 45 | 42 | 37.5 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 42 | 39 | 34.5 |
| Regular | 38.5 | 35.5 | 31 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 35.5 | 32.5 | 28 |
| Large | 32 | 29 | 24.5 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 28 | 25 | 20.5 |
| #10 | 24.5 | 21.5 | 17 | |
| Top of cross bar | Gap | 18.5 | 15.5 | 11 |
| #10 | 15 | 12 | 7.5 | |
| Top of first cross bar | Rise | 9 | 6 | 1.5 |
The numbers in yellow are the marks that you will make with a pencil on each of the vertical timbers (both the front and back ones) to determine the placement of the top of the cross bars. The below diagram shows how this is done. My shelf set was built so that the shelves sloped from left to right. You can switch these around if it makes more sense for your shelf to slope the other way. If you wish to change the configuration of the types of cans in your shelves, you will need to adjust the measurements accordingly.
Once the marks are made on all six vertical timbers, you are ready to install the cross bars. Begin by cutting the cross bars. We will use 2x2s for the cross bars. Cut each 19” long. Each cross bar will need to have two pilot holes drilled in it. The pilot holes will ensure that the cross bar won’t split when attached to the vertical timbers with the screws. Pick a drill bit that is a little smaller than the screws you are using. You will want to drill the pilot holes ¾“ from each side as shown in this diagram.
With the cross bars cut and the pilot holes drilled, it is time to attach each to the timbers. Align the top of the cross bar to the marks on the vertical timbers and use a 2 ½” screw to secure them. I placed the level on each after I had attached one of the screws to make sure my measurements matched. Make sure that the cross bar is snug against the timbers without any gaps. I tackled this from the bottom up. This made it easier to work as I went along.
Step 3 – Building the shelves
With the cross bars installed, we are ready to install the shelves. As with the cross bars, we now need to consider the types of cans again in determining how to construct the shelves. #10 cans are taller than regular cans and because of this, we won’t be able to get as many rows of cans on a shelf. To make it easy, I used two basic shelf configurations. On a #10 shelf, I have accommodated two rows of cans. For both the large fruit cans and regular cans, I have designed the shelves to accommodate three rows of cans. While a simpler design would have been to cut all of the shelves the same, regardless of the can type, I wanted to include a strip between each row to keep the cans better organized. Because of this, the plywood for the rows is cut differently, depending on the type of can. In the diagram below, I show how this is done for the #10 cans and the regular cans.
It is now time to get intimate with your circular saw. You will be cutting 7 ½” strips of plywood for your #10 rows and 5” strips of plywood for your regular rows. Each of these end up using a little more than 15” of plywood per row, so the amount of plywood will be pretty much the same regardless of how many #10 and regular rows of cans you have. The first few of these I did I used the hard way (I didn’t know it was the hard way until I found the easy way). I was using the measuring tape to mark the width of each piece (5” or 7 ½”) on each end of the plywood, snapping a chalk line, and cutting out each piece. The easier way is to find yourself a straight edge that will span the length of the plywood and make all of the measurements and lines at once. If you use this approach, you need to take the width of the saw blade into account. Add an additional 1/8th inch to each measurement and you will be fine. Make sure you do the same thing on either end of the plywood. Have a friend (if you have one) help you to hold each end and run a pencil down the straight edge for a line. Then, when you cut each piece, always cut on the same side of the line and each piece will turn out the same width. To make it easy, I used all eight feet of the plywood. This makes the shelves hang out over the frame a little bit for easier retrieval of cans.
If you are following my configuration, you will need four 7 ½” pieces and twenty four 5” pieces of plywood. You will find that toward the end of each piece of plywood it is difficult to cut because the remaining plywood is getting pretty thin. I used some C-clamps to tighten down the plywood to my saw horses to make the process safer.
With the plywood strips cut, you are ready to move on to the other pieces that make up the rows. The next is to cut the side strips. I cut mine 2” wide. They are made out of 1/8” hardboard (the same stuff peg board is made out of without the holes). I recommend that you cut three side strips for each #10 shelf and four side strips for each regular shelf (I will explain the assembly in a minute). I would suggest using the same approach you did with the plywood. Because the hardboard is more flimsy than the plywood, you will probably want to have a sheet of plywood under the hardboard and have a friend hold on it as you cut. Because I don’t have any friends, I had to use clamps to get the same affect.
The final piece of the rows that you will need are short lengths of 1x4 that will act as a stopper board to hold the cans from rolling out the end of the rows. Cut each length of 1x4 the same length as each plywood strip. You will need one of these for each plywood strip you cut.
With all of these pieces cut, you are now ready to assemble the rows. I would start by attaching the stopper board to the end of each plywood strip. Attach it using two 1” finishing nails (one of either end of the stopper board about 1 inch from the end). The board should be at the end of the plywood strip and should be flush with the end of the plywood and each side like this:
With the stopper board attached, it is time to attach the side strips. There will be one side strip on the front side of the shelf, one on the back side of the shelf, and one between each plywood rows. I used 1” finishing nails to attach the side strips to the plywood. You will probably find that this task will build your patience with every nail you sink. Yes, it is possible to hammer the nails such that they go straight into the plywood without coming out either side. I put the first nail into the strip at one end of the plywood and then the next nail I hammered in was about mid-way down the board. This made it easier to control the floppy strip. You might find meditation and a sedative necessary through the first new strips, but believe me when I say that it does get easier with time. On the first plywood row, I attached a side strip to both sides. Then, on each other piece of plywood, I attached a side strip on the far side of each. Below is am example of this for a regular shelf. When the rows are pushed together tight in the frame, it will be like there is a strip on each side of the rows.
You will probably find that cutting and assembling these darn shelves takes by far the most time.
The final step in the process is to attach the rows to the cross bars. Again, I would start at the bottom of your frame. Add the first row of plywood strips with their attached stopper boards and side strips. Push the set (both pieces for #10 cans or all three pieces for regular cans) together tight and attach the plywood to the cross bars using 1 ½” grabber screws. Make sure the rows are tight together and line up correctly at the end. I did this by measuring up 1 inch from the bottom of the plywood strip closest to the front of the shelf and making a mark. This helped me to make sure each shelf protruded out the same amount.
Step 4 – Finish it off with the shelf
There. That wasn’t too bad, right? The final task to perform is to cut and add the shelf board to frame. If you haven’t made any mistakes, you should still have a piece of plywood that is close to 16” in width. Cut the board at 16” exactly and lay it on the horizontal timbers 70” from the floor. The board should fit exactly by width, but be a couple of inches long on either side. You can cut it to length if you wish, or just center it. Use some of those 1 ½” screws to secure it to the horizontal timbers.
The fun part now is loading the shelves with cans.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Shepherding His Flock
My grandfather died several years ago, but early in his life he worked as a sheep sheerer. He lived in one of those tin huts like I’m sure you have seen, and my grandma, his new wife, cooked for him and several other sheep sheerers.
As we have all heard before, I am sure, there is a difference between the sheep herder that raised the sheep my grandpa worked with and a shepherd of Christ’s day. As a hireling, a sheep herder sees the sheep as the means to a paycheck. He does care for their safety, but only because his monetary loses when sheep are harmed or killed. When the sheep must be moved, the sheep herder drives them to their destination.
In contrast, we read in John 10 verses 2 through 5,
The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd are quite different than that of the sheep herder. It is this difference and the characteristics of a shepherd that I wish to discuss.
While Jesus Christ was the Good Shepherd and leader of all of us sheep, each of us has our own fold of stewardship. Of our folds are we sheep herders or shepherds?
There are six attributes of a shepherd that I would like to share with you today. It is my hope that as we learn of these qualities, it will make us better shepherds in our own right. These attributes in part come from a New Era article written by James Moss.
What are shepherds?
1. The Shepherd Loves his sheep.
True discipleship begins with the love of our neighbor, and more specifically, those sheep within our fold. Love should be the driving force behind the efforts of our callings. Just like sheep, those in our fold can tell when we have a genuine love and caring for them. Your love will ripple through your councilors and teachers to everyone within your fold. When leaders lead and teachers teach with love, the Spirit of the Lord will be felt and hearts will be softened and the fold unifed.
Service is one way that we can build love for others in ourselves, our courselors, our teachers, and all within our fold. An example of this principle is that of Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Ammon used service, humility, and the power of God to set the stage to teach King Lamoni. He showed true love for this man, and this love softened the king's heart and prepared him for the gospel message.
2. The Shepherd Knows his Sheep
The Savior said in John 10: 4, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep.” (John 10:14.) Sheep herders see the sheep as a ubiquitous pasture of dumb white animals, while the shepherd sees them as unique individuals that He calls by name.
As the shepherd of your fold, do you know the names of your sheep? Do you know their birthdays, careers, hobbies, frustrations, etc.? Even more important that these, do we know the sheep of our flock on a spiritual level? Do we seek the Spirit to better understand what we can do to meet the spiritual needs of our flock?
Bishop Collings shared a story at the father-and-sons fireside a couple of months ago that illustrates how we should care for the sheep of our folds. He spoke of a young home teacher who asked if everything was OK with the Bishop’s uncle Alan Collings and his family. They weren’t at church that week. This young brother was genuinely concerned with his home teaching families well being and was checking up to see what he could do to help.
We can't do it all by ourselves. We must utilize teachers, advisors, class presidencies, and home and visiting teachers to warn, expound, exhort, and teach each sheep based on their own specific needs and understanding of the gospel.
Remember the words of Paul to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 3:2, when he said, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."
The Spirit will direct you to provide milk or meat depending upon the need of the sheep.
3. The Shepherd goes out after the lost sheep and stays out until it is found.
As Christ ministered he spoke of the hireling who, when danger is upon him, flees for his own safety, but the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to seek the lost sheep. He further taught in Luke 15:4, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
Notice the ever so slight change that the Prophet Joseph made to this verse. The prophets translation says that the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine and goes into the wilderness to find the lost sheep. Often the lost sheep of our flock are in the wilderness. They are lost. They won’t find their way back without our help. Into the wilderness we must go to find the lost sheep in our fold, and search diligently until we find them and bring them back.
We as leaders must be examples of and teach our fold the importance of patience, perseverance, and prayer when it comes to finding those who are lost. Rome wasn’t built in a day and our prayers are answered according to the Lord’s timeline.
As a new missionary to the field I learned these three vital elements as I taught a family, the Fords. While checking back on some families taught many months before we came across the Fords. The father, Russell had by now read the Book of Mormon more than three times and had a testimony of its truthfulness. In contrast, his wife Lenore had not read the book nor had she received a similar witness. Further, Sister Ford had several stumbling blocks in her life. When challenged to baptism, Brother Ford accepted the challenge, but desired to wait for this saving ordinance until his wife was ready as well. As missionaries, the thought of waiting, what seemed like an eternity, to bring his wife to baptism seemed undawnting. We requested the help of the ward to fellowship and pray with us for the Fords. It took several months for Sister Ford to make some hard life changes. The ward stepped up by fellowshipping, serving, and loving the Fords. Patience, Persistance, and Prayer paid off. Not long before I was transferred from this area, I had the opportunity to baptize Sister Ford. I shall forever be greatful for the support of the Brandon, Manitoba Ward.
4. The Shepherd helps to bear the burdens of the sheep that is found.
Continuing the words of Jesus Christ in Luke 15 verse 5 we read, “And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing.”
This verse reminds me of the words of Isaiah as he spoke of Christ the Shepherd. In Isaiah forty, verse 11, we read, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
Those lost sheep who have been found require more than a simple wave to come back. We must take them by the hand, put our arm around them and gently lead them to the fold.
As leaders we must work with our teachers and members to show love and fellowship to those who return. A Relief Society lesson where the spirit is strong and the discussion is uplifting will provide a spiritual invitation to those who were once lost. Encourage your teachers to come to class prepared spiritually to uplift those in your fold. Help them to use the scriptures as a key part of their lessons. Reading and studying the scriptures will invite the spirit like nothing else. Home and Visiting Teachers have a vital responsibility to befriend new members and those returning. Encourage them to pray before each visit and invite the spirit into the home through a gospel message and prayer.
5. The Shepherd leads the sheep by personal example.
The Good Shepherd said, “Come, follow me.” He set for us a personal example of what he asks us to become. (See 2 Ne. 31:6–10.) Successful shepherds are leaders who practice what they preach and ask nothing more of their followers than that which they require of themselves.
6. The Shepherd feeds the sheep.
Ultimately, what is really important with regard to the sheep of our fold is whether or not their lives are actually changed for the better. Brother Moss remarks, “An entire flock of sheep can starve to death if the shepherd doesn’t provide them with food and water, either through leading them to the pasture or through bringing the feed out of the barn.”
Jesus’ challenge to Peter is the same challenge he gives to each of us. “ Feed my Lambs , Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep,” (See John 21:15–17.)
Leaders and our teachers, both those in class, and those assigned to visit the homes of our members are given the great responsibility of feeding our sheep. From the great missionary scripture in D&C Four we learn the nourishing ingredient the life-saving food must contain: Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
I testify that these six attributes we have just discussed are the characteristics of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ. We must incorporate these attributes into our own lives and that of our organizations so that we can effectively shepherd our own flock and guide others to better shepherd theirs. I know that the spirit will guide us in carrying out this essential task.
Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
As we have all heard before, I am sure, there is a difference between the sheep herder that raised the sheep my grandpa worked with and a shepherd of Christ’s day. As a hireling, a sheep herder sees the sheep as the means to a paycheck. He does care for their safety, but only because his monetary loses when sheep are harmed or killed. When the sheep must be moved, the sheep herder drives them to their destination.
In contrast, we read in John 10 verses 2 through 5,
2 But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
3 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.
4 And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.
5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.
The relationship between the sheep and the shepherd are quite different than that of the sheep herder. It is this difference and the characteristics of a shepherd that I wish to discuss.
While Jesus Christ was the Good Shepherd and leader of all of us sheep, each of us has our own fold of stewardship. Of our folds are we sheep herders or shepherds?
There are six attributes of a shepherd that I would like to share with you today. It is my hope that as we learn of these qualities, it will make us better shepherds in our own right. These attributes in part come from a New Era article written by James Moss.
What are shepherds?
1. The Shepherd Loves his sheep.
True discipleship begins with the love of our neighbor, and more specifically, those sheep within our fold. Love should be the driving force behind the efforts of our callings. Just like sheep, those in our fold can tell when we have a genuine love and caring for them. Your love will ripple through your councilors and teachers to everyone within your fold. When leaders lead and teachers teach with love, the Spirit of the Lord will be felt and hearts will be softened and the fold unifed.
Service is one way that we can build love for others in ourselves, our courselors, our teachers, and all within our fold. An example of this principle is that of Ammon in the Book of Mormon. Ammon used service, humility, and the power of God to set the stage to teach King Lamoni. He showed true love for this man, and this love softened the king's heart and prepared him for the gospel message.
2. The Shepherd Knows his Sheep
The Savior said in John 10: 4, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep.” (John 10:14.) Sheep herders see the sheep as a ubiquitous pasture of dumb white animals, while the shepherd sees them as unique individuals that He calls by name.
As the shepherd of your fold, do you know the names of your sheep? Do you know their birthdays, careers, hobbies, frustrations, etc.? Even more important that these, do we know the sheep of our flock on a spiritual level? Do we seek the Spirit to better understand what we can do to meet the spiritual needs of our flock?
Bishop Collings shared a story at the father-and-sons fireside a couple of months ago that illustrates how we should care for the sheep of our folds. He spoke of a young home teacher who asked if everything was OK with the Bishop’s uncle Alan Collings and his family. They weren’t at church that week. This young brother was genuinely concerned with his home teaching families well being and was checking up to see what he could do to help.
We can't do it all by ourselves. We must utilize teachers, advisors, class presidencies, and home and visiting teachers to warn, expound, exhort, and teach each sheep based on their own specific needs and understanding of the gospel.
Remember the words of Paul to the Corinthians in 1 Cor 3:2, when he said, "I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able."
The Spirit will direct you to provide milk or meat depending upon the need of the sheep.
3. The Shepherd goes out after the lost sheep and stays out until it is found.
As Christ ministered he spoke of the hireling who, when danger is upon him, flees for his own safety, but the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine to seek the lost sheep. He further taught in Luke 15:4, "What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?"
Notice the ever so slight change that the Prophet Joseph made to this verse. The prophets translation says that the shepherd leaves the ninety and nine and goes into the wilderness to find the lost sheep. Often the lost sheep of our flock are in the wilderness. They are lost. They won’t find their way back without our help. Into the wilderness we must go to find the lost sheep in our fold, and search diligently until we find them and bring them back.
We as leaders must be examples of and teach our fold the importance of patience, perseverance, and prayer when it comes to finding those who are lost. Rome wasn’t built in a day and our prayers are answered according to the Lord’s timeline.
As a new missionary to the field I learned these three vital elements as I taught a family, the Fords. While checking back on some families taught many months before we came across the Fords. The father, Russell had by now read the Book of Mormon more than three times and had a testimony of its truthfulness. In contrast, his wife Lenore had not read the book nor had she received a similar witness. Further, Sister Ford had several stumbling blocks in her life. When challenged to baptism, Brother Ford accepted the challenge, but desired to wait for this saving ordinance until his wife was ready as well. As missionaries, the thought of waiting, what seemed like an eternity, to bring his wife to baptism seemed undawnting. We requested the help of the ward to fellowship and pray with us for the Fords. It took several months for Sister Ford to make some hard life changes. The ward stepped up by fellowshipping, serving, and loving the Fords. Patience, Persistance, and Prayer paid off. Not long before I was transferred from this area, I had the opportunity to baptize Sister Ford. I shall forever be greatful for the support of the Brandon, Manitoba Ward.
4. The Shepherd helps to bear the burdens of the sheep that is found.
Continuing the words of Jesus Christ in Luke 15 verse 5 we read, “And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders rejoicing.”
This verse reminds me of the words of Isaiah as he spoke of Christ the Shepherd. In Isaiah forty, verse 11, we read, “He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arms, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.”
Those lost sheep who have been found require more than a simple wave to come back. We must take them by the hand, put our arm around them and gently lead them to the fold.
As leaders we must work with our teachers and members to show love and fellowship to those who return. A Relief Society lesson where the spirit is strong and the discussion is uplifting will provide a spiritual invitation to those who were once lost. Encourage your teachers to come to class prepared spiritually to uplift those in your fold. Help them to use the scriptures as a key part of their lessons. Reading and studying the scriptures will invite the spirit like nothing else. Home and Visiting Teachers have a vital responsibility to befriend new members and those returning. Encourage them to pray before each visit and invite the spirit into the home through a gospel message and prayer.
5. The Shepherd leads the sheep by personal example.
The Good Shepherd said, “Come, follow me.” He set for us a personal example of what he asks us to become. (See 2 Ne. 31:6–10.) Successful shepherds are leaders who practice what they preach and ask nothing more of their followers than that which they require of themselves.
6. The Shepherd feeds the sheep.
Ultimately, what is really important with regard to the sheep of our fold is whether or not their lives are actually changed for the better. Brother Moss remarks, “An entire flock of sheep can starve to death if the shepherd doesn’t provide them with food and water, either through leading them to the pasture or through bringing the feed out of the barn.”
Jesus’ challenge to Peter is the same challenge he gives to each of us. “ Feed my Lambs , Feed my sheep. Feed my sheep,” (See John 21:15–17.)
Leaders and our teachers, both those in class, and those assigned to visit the homes of our members are given the great responsibility of feeding our sheep. From the great missionary scripture in D&C Four we learn the nourishing ingredient the life-saving food must contain: Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence.
I testify that these six attributes we have just discussed are the characteristics of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ. We must incorporate these attributes into our own lives and that of our organizations so that we can effectively shepherd our own flock and guide others to better shepherd theirs. I know that the spirit will guide us in carrying out this essential task.
Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Thursday, September 30, 2004
Flawed Motivators of Teamwork
Management activities and cultural elements that reduce the effectiveness of teams
Introduction
Motivators in business have long been a topic of conversation at conferences and in the halls of management consulting practices. Lately these management motivation methods have been called into question for the unseen impacts they have on business (Blanchard, 1994). This concern not only focuses on the formal motivators like salary, pay-for-performance bonuses and public recognition, but it also includes the quieter and more subtle incentives. One common act is rewarding individuals for heroically going “beyond the call-of-duty” to rescue a project or solve a problem. What does this special treatment encourage and what does silence show?
There have been multitudes of books written on the psychology of motivation. This work will concentrate specifically on how flawed motivators work to reduce the effectiveness of teams. Effectively building teams in an organization requires more that just one person. It requires the entire organization. The right culture in an organization builds effective teams (Jackson). It is the premise of this work that “team friendly” cultures start with “team friendly” motivators. Too often in business we demand team work but encourage individualism. Our incentives are to the individual but deep down we understand that we can accomplish more through teamwork.
In many cases managers that reward non-“team friendly” behavior and encourage individualism over teamwork are unaware of their follies. They use management practices common to a past era, which focused on controlling behavior not empowering teams. For teamwork to flourish these flawed motivators must be dismissed and new ones learned.
10 Flawed motivators
Over the course of many years in industry and consulting, the author has encountered several frequently occurring flawed motivators. Each of these focuses on the individual or the department instead of the organization and the team. To follow is a list of the top 10 flawed motivators. It includes a description of each motivator and the common consequences that result from its use in the workplace. The list is ordered according to the frequency with which these motivators are found in the workplace. Obviously organizational culture and other factors can influence the extent to which these consequences affect teamwork. In some cases very little consequence to teamwork is seen because the greater organizational culture is “team friendly”. Conversely, organizations with poor team cultures will see much more extensive consequences.
Flawed Motivator #1 -- Focus on individual tasks
Description: The workplace has seen dramatic increases in competitive pressures and stress levels over the past decade. Employees are pushed harder than ever before to deliver quality results in shorter timeframes. To achieve these results many project and functional managers have seen success driving team members to deliver on individual tasks.
Common Consequences: In some circles this motivator is seen as necessary and encouraged as good management practice. Nevertheless, driving to individual tasks can have dire consequences for teams (Kendall & Rollins, 2003). A project is made up of a chain of tasks that together allow a team to finish a project at a specified date for a specified cost. Each task in that chain has a certain probability of finishing on time. Many tasks will finish late and, statistically speaking, about the same number of tasks should finish early. Driving individuals to complete individual tasks on time causes them to lose site of the team goals and teamwork necessary for project success. Team members must work closely together as they traverse this project chain, but instead they are motivated to look out for themselves first. Such individualism thwarts the effectiveness of teams.
Flawed Motivator #2 -- Reward individual heroic efforts
Description: As the pace of business increases, managers seek better methods to increase the velocity of work. One trap that managers often fall into with this goal in mind is to reward individual heroes for individual effort.
Common Consequences: Certainly there are times when rewarding individuals is appropriate, but in many cases such rewards circumvent larger team and organizational goals (Blann, 1999), (Reich, 1987). Individual heroism often exists in situations where planning or process has been poorly executed or dismissed altogether and individuals must step up and bailout the organization. Openly rewarding bailout efforts tends to legitimize the lack of planning or process and encourage individual effort. The importance of repeatable process is lessened within the organization and teamwork is diminished.
Flawed Motivator #3 -- Reward individual knowledge
Description: Similar to rewarding the heroism of individuals, managers often reward individual knowledge. This is not to say that having intelligent, knowledgeable individuals is not important, but these rewards should happen within a team environment.
Common Consequences: While this motivator is similar to the previous one, the consequences are quite different. Rewarding the knowledge of individuals for knowledge sake occurs at a terrible cost (KCS). Employees who are knowledgeable and frequently rewarded for their knowledge tend to be very hard to work with in a team environment because they see themselves as being above the intelligence of the rest of the team. Additionally, such employees have a tendency to become “knowledge empire builders”, hording information to improve their standing with management and to promote their own job security. All of these actions undermine teamwork and longer-term organizational goals.
Flawed Motivators #4 – Setting arbitrary due dates on projects
Description: A common practice in organizations, especially those with controlling cultures, is for project sponsors or other high-ranking stakeholders to set arbitrary project completion dates without feedback from the team in determining what it would take to complete the effort.
Common Consequences: Underlying any action of this nature that circumvents the knowledge and experience of the team is a subtle, often hidden premise that the team is not capable of making important decisions on its own. In the case of this particular motivator, the manager setting the date is in essence telling the team that they are not competent to establish the necessary checks and balances and velocity required for the project to succeed. It suggests that those closest to the effort, chosen for their expertise in completing similar work, are unqualified to make such decisions on their own. A lack of trust in the team from organizational management does nothing but stifle the effectiveness of teams.
Flawed Motivator #5 -- Functional managers stepping in to “rescue” projects
Description: When troubles arise within a team, a functional manager, usually a sponsor or related manager, engages the team with the purpose of rescuing them and leading the team back on track.
Common Consequences: Similar to the previous motivator, this one calls into question the abilities of the team. The functional manager is telling the team, usually in not so many words, that the team does not have the skills and ability to solve their own problems and to be successful. This motivator often exists in organizations with strong departmental silos. Because of the culture such organizations promote, the functional manager sees his or her department as a failure when there is a team setback. Regardless of the reasons, such actions can have dire effects on teams, especially cross-functional ones.
Flawed Motivator #6 – Organizations and cultures with strong and competing silos
Description: Many organizations are set up, whether by design or as a by-product of other cultural elements, with strong department silos. In these organizations departments are pitted against each other to compete for monies, people, and the ear of higher management.
Common Consequences: Organizations structured in this manner tend to create cultures that minimize the value of teamwork (Albreicht, 2002). When cross-functional teams exist in this environment, different and often competing goals and objectives can pit team members against each other to meet their own needs. The idea of a “team” becomes a delusion. These contentious teams are saying, in essence, that individual department’s goals are more important than the team and organizational ones. Organizations of this nature usually exhibit many of the other flawed motivators because functional managers attempt to minimize the accountability of the team members from their department and shift blame, when problems arise, to team members from other departments.
Flawed Motivator #7 -- Constantly changing teams
Description: Changing priorities and resourcing needs often results in teams with constantly changing memberships.
Common Consequences: When team members are dropped into a team without an understanding of the team’s goals and objectives, they struggle to see its value and understand their part. They become an individual working with a team, not a member of the team. When a new team member enters a team in mid-stream, time must be taken to educate the member regarding the history of the team and the decisions that have been made. The new team member must understand that the team is moving forward and is not required to review and rehash prior decisions.
Each time the members of a team change, the team dynamics change. The team must reestablish itself and move on. Teams go through 5 main stages of development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. When the team changes it must begin these stages anew (DeJanasz, 2002). Constantly changing teams mean that the group will never reach the performing stage of development and its greatest effectiveness.
Flawed Motivator #8 -- Viewing teams as group of interchangeable parts
Description: Since early in the industrial revolution, some managers have viewed employees as interchangeable resources used to complete a task.
Common Consequences: While it is not advised to reward individual effort for individual actions, it is vital to the success of teams that managers do not fall into the trap of viewing a team as pieces that can be removed and replaced at will. Tom Peters made this point when he said that the “real trick in building a team is to have 25 individual stars on it” (Peters, 1994). Tom was not suggesting that the “individual stars” should work independently, but that teams should be built based on skills and expertise as well as their ability to work as a cohesive group. Each member of the team is critical to its success. Any view or action that undermines this will undermine the effectiveness of the team.
Flawed Motivator #9 -- Holding individuals accountable to managers rather than team
Description: A common practice in strongly siloed organizations is functional managers that view team failure or setbacks as a failure within their own department. A result of this view is managers that think they must hold their own people, working on teams, individually accountable.
Common Consequences: While on the surface this motivator doesn’t seem to have negative consequences, in reality it reduces the effectiveness of teams. Like focusing on individual tasks, this motivator causes individuals to consider themselves before their team. The result is a cat-and-mouse game where individuals try to keep both the functional and team manager’s happy, even when there are competing goals in the mix. Such actions circumvent the duties of team management and ultimately the ability of the team to govern itself effectively.
Flawed Motivator #10 -- Teams without ownership of problem being solved
Description: Because of the velocity of business coupled with a lack of required resources, whole teams or members of teams are added after the research and planning of an effort have been completed.
Common Consequences: To be effective, team members must own the problem the team is solving. For teams to have ownership they must have members that feel real pain from the problems being solved and a stake in the solution (Javitch, 2003). Additionally, each team member must understand and value the goals and objectives of the team. Without ownership of the problem, individual team members or the entire team will struggle to appreciate the work being done and may become cynical of its purposes. These consequences demoralize the team and reduce its effectiveness.
Making the change
These 10 flawed motivators will consistently undermine the work of teams and the goals of organizations to build and nurture teamwork. Culture and management style are a common thread in organizations that encounter these motivators (Heathfield). Because of this, change will take time. Cultural change and management training must commence and teams must learn how to be effective. In many organizations trust has been lost and political barriers have been established. Removing the barriers and reestablishing trust will not happen overnight.
In any event, managers must begin to view teams as a mechanism to meet department and organizational goals and take steps to encourage their effectiveness. Cultures that empower teams to take initiative and use their skills and expertise to execute and make critical decisions will reap the rewards of improved efficiency and better quality products and services.
References
Albreicht, K. (2002). The Power of Minds at Work: Organizational Intelligence in Action, AMA
Blanchard, K. (1994, January 1994). Punished by poor management. Incentive
Blann, D.R. The Manufacturing Gale, Marshall Institute, Inc.
DeJanasz, S.C. Dowd, K.O., & Schneider, B.Z. (2001). Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pg. 315
Heathfield, S. How to Build a Teamwork Culture: Do the Hard Stuff. About.com
Jackson, I. The Communicating Executive. Executive Management Solutions. Pg. 2
Javitch, D.G. (2003, May 2003). How to Foster Effective Teamwork. Entrepreneur.com
Kendall, G. L., Rollins, S. C. (2003). Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO. J. Ross Publishing. Pg. 274
Knowledge Centered Support, Version 3 (KCS). Consortium For Service Innovation. Pg. 8
Peters, Tom. (1994). The Pursuit of WOW. Vintage Books, USA
Reich, R. (1987, May-June 1987). Entrepreneurship Reconsidered, The Team as Hero. The Harvard Business Review
Introduction
Motivators in business have long been a topic of conversation at conferences and in the halls of management consulting practices. Lately these management motivation methods have been called into question for the unseen impacts they have on business (Blanchard, 1994). This concern not only focuses on the formal motivators like salary, pay-for-performance bonuses and public recognition, but it also includes the quieter and more subtle incentives. One common act is rewarding individuals for heroically going “beyond the call-of-duty” to rescue a project or solve a problem. What does this special treatment encourage and what does silence show?
There have been multitudes of books written on the psychology of motivation. This work will concentrate specifically on how flawed motivators work to reduce the effectiveness of teams. Effectively building teams in an organization requires more that just one person. It requires the entire organization. The right culture in an organization builds effective teams (Jackson). It is the premise of this work that “team friendly” cultures start with “team friendly” motivators. Too often in business we demand team work but encourage individualism. Our incentives are to the individual but deep down we understand that we can accomplish more through teamwork.
In many cases managers that reward non-“team friendly” behavior and encourage individualism over teamwork are unaware of their follies. They use management practices common to a past era, which focused on controlling behavior not empowering teams. For teamwork to flourish these flawed motivators must be dismissed and new ones learned.
10 Flawed motivators
Over the course of many years in industry and consulting, the author has encountered several frequently occurring flawed motivators. Each of these focuses on the individual or the department instead of the organization and the team. To follow is a list of the top 10 flawed motivators. It includes a description of each motivator and the common consequences that result from its use in the workplace. The list is ordered according to the frequency with which these motivators are found in the workplace. Obviously organizational culture and other factors can influence the extent to which these consequences affect teamwork. In some cases very little consequence to teamwork is seen because the greater organizational culture is “team friendly”. Conversely, organizations with poor team cultures will see much more extensive consequences.
Flawed Motivator #1 -- Focus on individual tasks
Description: The workplace has seen dramatic increases in competitive pressures and stress levels over the past decade. Employees are pushed harder than ever before to deliver quality results in shorter timeframes. To achieve these results many project and functional managers have seen success driving team members to deliver on individual tasks.
Common Consequences: In some circles this motivator is seen as necessary and encouraged as good management practice. Nevertheless, driving to individual tasks can have dire consequences for teams (Kendall & Rollins, 2003). A project is made up of a chain of tasks that together allow a team to finish a project at a specified date for a specified cost. Each task in that chain has a certain probability of finishing on time. Many tasks will finish late and, statistically speaking, about the same number of tasks should finish early. Driving individuals to complete individual tasks on time causes them to lose site of the team goals and teamwork necessary for project success. Team members must work closely together as they traverse this project chain, but instead they are motivated to look out for themselves first. Such individualism thwarts the effectiveness of teams.
Flawed Motivator #2 -- Reward individual heroic efforts
Description: As the pace of business increases, managers seek better methods to increase the velocity of work. One trap that managers often fall into with this goal in mind is to reward individual heroes for individual effort.
Common Consequences: Certainly there are times when rewarding individuals is appropriate, but in many cases such rewards circumvent larger team and organizational goals (Blann, 1999), (Reich, 1987). Individual heroism often exists in situations where planning or process has been poorly executed or dismissed altogether and individuals must step up and bailout the organization. Openly rewarding bailout efforts tends to legitimize the lack of planning or process and encourage individual effort. The importance of repeatable process is lessened within the organization and teamwork is diminished.
Flawed Motivator #3 -- Reward individual knowledge
Description: Similar to rewarding the heroism of individuals, managers often reward individual knowledge. This is not to say that having intelligent, knowledgeable individuals is not important, but these rewards should happen within a team environment.
Common Consequences: While this motivator is similar to the previous one, the consequences are quite different. Rewarding the knowledge of individuals for knowledge sake occurs at a terrible cost (KCS). Employees who are knowledgeable and frequently rewarded for their knowledge tend to be very hard to work with in a team environment because they see themselves as being above the intelligence of the rest of the team. Additionally, such employees have a tendency to become “knowledge empire builders”, hording information to improve their standing with management and to promote their own job security. All of these actions undermine teamwork and longer-term organizational goals.
Flawed Motivators #4 – Setting arbitrary due dates on projects
Description: A common practice in organizations, especially those with controlling cultures, is for project sponsors or other high-ranking stakeholders to set arbitrary project completion dates without feedback from the team in determining what it would take to complete the effort.
Common Consequences: Underlying any action of this nature that circumvents the knowledge and experience of the team is a subtle, often hidden premise that the team is not capable of making important decisions on its own. In the case of this particular motivator, the manager setting the date is in essence telling the team that they are not competent to establish the necessary checks and balances and velocity required for the project to succeed. It suggests that those closest to the effort, chosen for their expertise in completing similar work, are unqualified to make such decisions on their own. A lack of trust in the team from organizational management does nothing but stifle the effectiveness of teams.
Flawed Motivator #5 -- Functional managers stepping in to “rescue” projects
Description: When troubles arise within a team, a functional manager, usually a sponsor or related manager, engages the team with the purpose of rescuing them and leading the team back on track.
Common Consequences: Similar to the previous motivator, this one calls into question the abilities of the team. The functional manager is telling the team, usually in not so many words, that the team does not have the skills and ability to solve their own problems and to be successful. This motivator often exists in organizations with strong departmental silos. Because of the culture such organizations promote, the functional manager sees his or her department as a failure when there is a team setback. Regardless of the reasons, such actions can have dire effects on teams, especially cross-functional ones.
Flawed Motivator #6 – Organizations and cultures with strong and competing silos
Description: Many organizations are set up, whether by design or as a by-product of other cultural elements, with strong department silos. In these organizations departments are pitted against each other to compete for monies, people, and the ear of higher management.
Common Consequences: Organizations structured in this manner tend to create cultures that minimize the value of teamwork (Albreicht, 2002). When cross-functional teams exist in this environment, different and often competing goals and objectives can pit team members against each other to meet their own needs. The idea of a “team” becomes a delusion. These contentious teams are saying, in essence, that individual department’s goals are more important than the team and organizational ones. Organizations of this nature usually exhibit many of the other flawed motivators because functional managers attempt to minimize the accountability of the team members from their department and shift blame, when problems arise, to team members from other departments.
Flawed Motivator #7 -- Constantly changing teams
Description: Changing priorities and resourcing needs often results in teams with constantly changing memberships.
Common Consequences: When team members are dropped into a team without an understanding of the team’s goals and objectives, they struggle to see its value and understand their part. They become an individual working with a team, not a member of the team. When a new team member enters a team in mid-stream, time must be taken to educate the member regarding the history of the team and the decisions that have been made. The new team member must understand that the team is moving forward and is not required to review and rehash prior decisions.
Each time the members of a team change, the team dynamics change. The team must reestablish itself and move on. Teams go through 5 main stages of development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. When the team changes it must begin these stages anew (DeJanasz, 2002). Constantly changing teams mean that the group will never reach the performing stage of development and its greatest effectiveness.
Flawed Motivator #8 -- Viewing teams as group of interchangeable parts
Description: Since early in the industrial revolution, some managers have viewed employees as interchangeable resources used to complete a task.
Common Consequences: While it is not advised to reward individual effort for individual actions, it is vital to the success of teams that managers do not fall into the trap of viewing a team as pieces that can be removed and replaced at will. Tom Peters made this point when he said that the “real trick in building a team is to have 25 individual stars on it” (Peters, 1994). Tom was not suggesting that the “individual stars” should work independently, but that teams should be built based on skills and expertise as well as their ability to work as a cohesive group. Each member of the team is critical to its success. Any view or action that undermines this will undermine the effectiveness of the team.
Flawed Motivator #9 -- Holding individuals accountable to managers rather than team
Description: A common practice in strongly siloed organizations is functional managers that view team failure or setbacks as a failure within their own department. A result of this view is managers that think they must hold their own people, working on teams, individually accountable.
Common Consequences: While on the surface this motivator doesn’t seem to have negative consequences, in reality it reduces the effectiveness of teams. Like focusing on individual tasks, this motivator causes individuals to consider themselves before their team. The result is a cat-and-mouse game where individuals try to keep both the functional and team manager’s happy, even when there are competing goals in the mix. Such actions circumvent the duties of team management and ultimately the ability of the team to govern itself effectively.
Flawed Motivator #10 -- Teams without ownership of problem being solved
Description: Because of the velocity of business coupled with a lack of required resources, whole teams or members of teams are added after the research and planning of an effort have been completed.
Common Consequences: To be effective, team members must own the problem the team is solving. For teams to have ownership they must have members that feel real pain from the problems being solved and a stake in the solution (Javitch, 2003). Additionally, each team member must understand and value the goals and objectives of the team. Without ownership of the problem, individual team members or the entire team will struggle to appreciate the work being done and may become cynical of its purposes. These consequences demoralize the team and reduce its effectiveness.
Making the change
These 10 flawed motivators will consistently undermine the work of teams and the goals of organizations to build and nurture teamwork. Culture and management style are a common thread in organizations that encounter these motivators (Heathfield). Because of this, change will take time. Cultural change and management training must commence and teams must learn how to be effective. In many organizations trust has been lost and political barriers have been established. Removing the barriers and reestablishing trust will not happen overnight.
In any event, managers must begin to view teams as a mechanism to meet department and organizational goals and take steps to encourage their effectiveness. Cultures that empower teams to take initiative and use their skills and expertise to execute and make critical decisions will reap the rewards of improved efficiency and better quality products and services.
References
Albreicht, K. (2002). The Power of Minds at Work: Organizational Intelligence in Action, AMA
Blanchard, K. (1994, January 1994). Punished by poor management. Incentive
Blann, D.R. The Manufacturing Gale, Marshall Institute, Inc.
DeJanasz, S.C. Dowd, K.O., & Schneider, B.Z. (2001). Interpersonal Skills in Organizations. New York: McGraw-Hill. Pg. 315
Heathfield, S. How to Build a Teamwork Culture: Do the Hard Stuff. About.com
Jackson, I. The Communicating Executive. Executive Management Solutions. Pg. 2
Javitch, D.G. (2003, May 2003). How to Foster Effective Teamwork. Entrepreneur.com
Kendall, G. L., Rollins, S. C. (2003). Advanced Project Portfolio Management and the PMO. J. Ross Publishing. Pg. 274
Knowledge Centered Support, Version 3 (KCS). Consortium For Service Innovation. Pg. 8
Peters, Tom. (1994). The Pursuit of WOW. Vintage Books, USA
Reich, R. (1987, May-June 1987). Entrepreneurship Reconsidered, The Team as Hero. The Harvard Business Review
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