This blog is about the relationship between organizations and the people who work for them. And, it’s dedicated to the millions of people around the world who go to work every day wanting to do a great job.
Archive for July, 2012
Just ask!
Last week I read an article in the Globe and Mail‘s Report on Small Business. The article is part of a regular weekly series where the paper asks experts to advise small and medium-sized businesses on how to handle a particular business issue.
In this case the CEO of a small agency felt his company had become the training ground for other, bigger agencies. The company provides compensation and benefits in line with bigger firms. They’ve started funding professional training and development. They offer “perks that would make it fun to work there – from beer flowing on Fridays to staff bonging outings.” And still they’re losing employees. Recently 3 employees were actively headhunted and recruited by one company.
Three experts offered their advice.
- Implement a bonus plan
- Get potential employees to work harder to get the job in the first place by having them do a presentation to all staff so they’ll be less likely to leave. Reduce the number of employees and pay them more
- Identify and get to high performers faster to demonstrate your commitment. Titles matter.
Not one of the experts suggested asking employees what they want. . Maybe beer on Fridays isn’t what they’re after. The truth is the CEO doesn’t know. And, he won’t know unless he asks them.
For exiting employees: Why are they leaving? Is it something we have control over or not? I think the exit interview is one of the most under-utilized communication channels. And even when it’s used the information gathered doesn’t seem to be fed back into the system in a way that makes any meaningful difference.
For current employees: What do they like about their work? the agency? their teams? What would they like to see change? What aretheir expectations for their careers?
For new employees: How did they make their decision to join the agency? What attracted them? What expectations do they have for the work and their careers?
Sometimes there’s really nothing that can be done organizationally. Turnover can just be a feature of the industry [and may even be welcome]. And sometimes we can learn a lot and make even small changes that make it easy for employees to stay. It starts by asking and listening to employees!
Just ask!
Random Posts:
Time to get curious about organizational curiosity?
Yesterday, as you know, scientists announced evidence that they have now proven experimentally that a Higg’s-like boson particle exists. Higg’s and others first proposed the boson particle to explain mass in the 1960s. Over the past 50+ years since then scientists have been looking for patterns and fundamental underlying structures that would lead to the particle behaviours they see. The task has taken trillions+ of data points and many years just to achieve even this first limited breakthrough – evidence that the Higgs boson “particle” does exist. They will now begin to analyze the particles even further to see to what extent their properties are as predicted by the Higg’s mechanism.
So, what does any of this have to do with leadership, communications and organizational work life – the main themes of this blog?
Well, I couldn’t help wondering, what amazing breakthroughs we could have organizationally if we as leaders had this level of curiosity.
What if we were curious enough that we really wanted understand why things happen the way they do or don’t in our organizations? Discovering patterns and underlying structures that lead to behaviours is key to changing those behaviours. So, why aren’t we more curious about our organizations and how and why they work the way they do? Why aren’t we more disciplined in working to discover the underlying structures that are leading to the behaviours and outcomes we’re after?
Compared to the Higg’s boson research, our research would cost less in time [probably wouldn't take 50 years] and in money [no electron accelerator to build]. The benefits would be huge and direct [knowing there is a Higg's boson particle is clearly important but is unlikely to have nearly the direct impact on us].
Maybe we should begin our exploration by looking at the level of leadership curiosity? Is it adequate or not? And, if it’s adequate is it focused on the right business and organizational questions or not? If not, how can we understand what underlying structures are getting in our way and design an approach that encourages organizational curiosity?
It may not be Higgs-boson, but it’s a pretty important question.
What do you think? Is it time to get curious about organizational curiosity?
Random Posts:
Mindlessness. It’s a plague. There’s a cure.
Mindlessness. It’s not good. It’s everywhere. It’s a plague. And, it may even be the root cause of our current global economic situation.
In Amber Naslund‘s recent post ”Critical thought is an endangered species“and in the comments that follow, the general conclusion seems to be that not thinking [mindlessness] is easier than thinking. It’s easier to go with the flow. It’s easier to do what you’re told. It’s easier to join the whining hordes. It’s easier to follow the path of least resistance.
Why would that be? Are we just lazy? Maybe we’re just not curious?
Or perhaps it’s just that we’ve never learned to think and ask questions. We haven’t been, and aren’t, challenged to think by our teachers, mentors and coaches, leaders – CEOs, Prime Ministers, Bishops or Rabbis, Generals, etc. – fathers and mothers, friends and colleagues. We aren’t encouraged to ask good questions? Heck to ask any questions.
As Amber concluded: “We have to snap the hell out of it.” But how?
Stop being lazy. Get curious. Don’t wait to be encouraged. Practice asking questions. Learn how to ask better and better questions. [BTW - this is the basis of structural consulting as taught by Robert and Rosalind Fritz. Full disclosure: I'm a big fan of their work and have been studying with them and using the principles of structural dynamics to better support my clients for many years]
As an exercise, next time you’re reading anything, watching tv or a movie, in your next conversation or meeting:
- Start with nothing – no preconceived notions, no comparative thinking [this is actually harder than it sounds]
- Picture what is being said, not what you think is, could or should be being said.
- And ask a question where there’s one to ask [i.e. where there's a discrepancy, a need for clarification, an implication, etc.] – if you’re reading, watching tv or a movie this may be the end of the exercise unless you’re only part way through, in which case the answer may become apparent as you read/watch on and/or new questions will emerge.
- Picture the answer
- Repeat as needed. And encourage those around you to do the same.
And, let me know how it goes. Mindfulness takes practice, so be patient. Guaranteed it will be worth it.
For a little summer fun, check this out. Is Perry Mason starting with nothing?
Random Posts:
Are we lost in space?
Executive teams and HR leadership in particular are spending more and more time and energy trying to make sense of, and connect, a seemingly endless and growing list of vision statements, values, strategic pillars, leadership frameworks, brand positioning descriptors. For some reason I don’t understand we’re drawn in by a force that seems beyond out control.
We believe we can find a conceptual framework that will link all these frameworks and pillars and descriptors simply. Instead, we end up we end up caught in a vortex of language that could come from any organization, working anywhere, doing pretty much anything, for anybody and caught up in meeting after meeting trying to fit all this into an easy to communicate conceptual framework that links and aligns everything.
But, at the end of the day, there’s only one way to really know your values and that’s when you see them in action. There’s only one way to deliver the strategy and the brand experience and that’s by your actions. And, there’s only one way to be authentic and that’s to behave consistent with your true aspirations and values.
Simple. [Well simpler]
As leaders, wouldn’t our time be best spent clearly defining individual and team behaviours that are expected and those that are unacceptable and let the poets worry about writing aspirational vision and value statements?
Or would we prefer to stay lost in space?
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Recent posts
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