Incentive - August 2008 - (Page 27) her son to have opportunities she did not have and married an American serviceman, Elsworth Robbins. They moved to California in 1970, and mother and son gained U.S. citizenship in 1975, his mom becoming Nancy and he choosing the first name of his favorite Los Angeles Dodger, Steve Garvey. But from the moment they got off the plane in Los Angeles, they felt backlash for being Vietnamese. People spat on them, threw things at them and yelled horrible words. A phone call from a police officer in Kennewick, Wash., in October of 1991 changed Robbins’ life. They’d found his mother, the officer said, hanging from a rope in her shower. Years of struggle and sadness ended in Nancy Robbins’ suicide. She had done her best to learn English, raise her family and work hard, but, somehow, things never seemed to come together—plus, she always felt she was treated like a second-class citizen. Strangers, or outsiders, often do not get the benefit of the doubt. “We can better treat individuals as individuals if we have individualized information about them, and we can only get that information by spending substantive time with them,” he says. “It’s difficult to truly recognize and value people when you don’t know them well, and if there is one thing that people yearn for, it is recognition.” The work he does today is to honor his mother and to try to prevent others from facing what she faced. He also focuses on need things in a certain way, you will not do well in the 21st century,” he says. “Flexibility is important to achieving success in this century, as is building and maintaining relationships. A lot of companies have put way too much emphasis on performance and proIn his book, What If?, Robbins preductivity and not sents a series of short, memorable enough on people,” says Robbins. “It’s stories that illustrate key concepts important to rememabout diversity, inclusion and the ber that it’s your value of an open mind. This workpeople who allow a shop-in-a-book is designed to get leaders, managers, human resource company to succeed. If you push people professionals and employees thinktoo hard and don’t ing, talking, sharing and leveraging care about them, they everyone’s perspectives, talents will leave you, make and experience for the good of the life difficult for you, organization. which will reduce productivity and performance, the very thing organizations are trying to get.” Relationship building is vital, not just between people who feel comfortable with each other, but also the time to write out new objectives. My core between people who don’t find a lot in objectives are faith, family, business, in that order. That doesn’t mean I don’t sometimes common right away. It’s with these “other make mistakes and get those priorities messed people” that the potential for lack of underup. Writing them down helps,” he says. standing and misunderstanding is highest. His faith is a constant in his life as is his Companies often overlook the power of love for his family. Robbins, 43, has been caring, says Robbins. A pat on the back and married since 1991 to Donna, and the two a thank-you on a regular basis bring the have four children, 13-year-old Nicholas, biggest benefit in the long run. “The best 10-year-old Zachary, 8-year-old Jacob and way to value an employee is by saying thank 6-year-old Natalie. you. This very simple gesture will make them He also understands the importance of want to be your star performer,” he adds. being flexible. “If you are anal-retentive and Send comments to feedback@incentivemag.com what the building blocks are of a productive workplace. He attributes his success to setting objectives for himself and then doing all in his power to achieve those objectives. “Every year I take In His Book, What If ? incentivemag.com | August 2008 | Incentive | 27 http://incentivemag.com
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