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Yes the psychology of managing employees and workers is a fascinating and fun (in my experience) challenge for anyone who likes to see consistent results. It is also a process of continual growth for the excellent manager/first mate or owner/captain.

Those that keep involved in my opinion are the best to work for as they understand there is psychology involved in producing consistent positive results.

They create an atmosphere in which to thrive or fail. My definition of thriving is when the business is thriving and/or the employees are invested in bringing efficient work to the table--usually this is only sustained by great management and higher level expectations set as a standard and continually reinforced. Your employees are lucky to have you. :)

I have found this psychology to also carry to many other areas such as married life, working with people in any environment where a result is expected of another.

Knowing what the standards are. Clarifying the standards to others. Clear objectives for reaching those standards. Game plan in which to nurture others reaching those standards, goals, or outcomes. Totally non emotional although emotion is part of it all. This is why emotion rigidity or looseness or even logical rigidity or being too behaviorally loose can't work. It is about implementation pure and simple how to work towards arriving there each day for the whole.

Oops. Guess I just had my mini blog moment. lol. Thanks for sharing your experiences on how your article came about.

I also liked too that you differentiated Captain from first mate and their different roles. So many people do not see what you see there and your insights are vital. I have found too that those that for whatever reason have to hold both roles--do find a away to successfully differentiate those roles so as to not muddy the waters.

You had mentioned your blog was intended to be about ideas. Obviously based here on our discussion, your article has been a success. :-). What is so cool is that none of this has to do with looks in the work place (as is the origin of this thread) but action, intelligence, curiosity, and results.

I have often said "There is but one product - customer happiness". Lately it seems I've been saving the day on basically a daily basis for one of our bigger customers, and it's been quite satisfying on a personal level. (Which sounds like something you are not unfamiliar with.)

I normally like being involved in solving technical problems, but these days it seems the real needs I encounter are in optimizing business processes.

When I retire, though ... well, all those engineers in Asia better watch out! :)