Achieved Strategies

These are the times for leaders in business to put aside the latest financials and look to their people.  Look to the people to help uncover what can make those financials tell a better story.  Look to the people who know intimately what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s barely working – this is not found in the financials.  This is scantly visible to senior managers who are two, three, even four roles removed from where the work is done.

In organizations across the country, the financial story is disappointing or companies are stockpiling capital out of fear of the uncertain economy.

The story here is this: the hyper-focus on money has sidelined employees.  Sidelined employee programs and raises. Sidelined is employee morale, engagement.

Sidelined are the ideas employees have to improve processes, better products, services.

All this sidelining of employees has robbed the meaning out of work.  How do you know if this is happening where you work? Here are some signs.

You’re asking the question. The fact that you are even wondering if employees have been placed in the bleacher seats at the game is a signal of a problem. You need your employees front row. In some companies you need all hands on deck. Unless you can get technology and/or robots to serve your customers and get the work done, it’s time to refocus on your people.

Increase in stress leave, sick leave. I believe there needs to be a healthy level of tension between the work to be done and the people available to accomplish it.  But when the tension snaps and people begin taking stress leave or are sick more often, you’ve got to investigate the causes.

Displaced resentment/anger. Listen to what people complain about. Listen to what they argue over.  When pent-up frustration and disappointment go undiscussed and resolved, resentment and anger seep out and are displaced on to small, even trivial things.  And they are taken out on people.

Work quality down. When work quality is suffering and mistakes are on the rise, it’s a sign that something is broken. It could be a process or technology. It can also mean the people are tired, frustrated, overworked, and stressed out.

Ever changing policies. I’m hearing from employees stories of how frequent policies that govern how they do work change repeatedly.  A common one is expense policies.  Are your expense policies constantly updating and requiring your employees to spend more time justifying expenses – expenses incurred to do the job you hired them to do – than doing critical work?  Think of the message sent to employees about trust when their hinds are tied trying to take care of business.

If you’ve skipped to this part of the post, or if you’ve read the whole thing (thank you), I have these closing questions for you:

• What’s the tone of your work environment?
• What amount of time are you allocating to make conditions better so that employees can contribute once again? To experience meaning in their work?
• Are you more focused on managing your business or team than leading your team?

I know how difficult it is for businesses of any size to manage and lead in today’s economic times.  We need to stop over-correcting in our management responses to these times.  We need to begin shifting our attention to the impact those management decisions have had on employees and customers.

Photo courtesy of Kaeawc