Be a reason to stay with the company!

I hesitate to start the week off with a post that sounds like a downer, but stick with me and you will see it ends on a high note:

Two workplace studies were mentioned in separate online articles of the CLO (Chief Learning Officer). The links to read the complete articles are here and here.

Here are a couple key findings/conclusions:

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“More than half of American workers question the basic morality of their organizations’ top leaders and say that their managers do not treat them fairly, according to results of a representative, nation-wide survey of 7,718 American workers aged 18 and over.“

“Even fewer (29 percent) believe management cares about advancing employee skills, while one-third of all workers feel they have reached a dead end at their jobs.“
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“The survey asked employees, “Which of the following factors negatively impact your productivity at work? (Check all that apply.)” Responses were as follows:

Poor management. (58 percent)
No longer being motivated by the work. (38 percent)
Organizational changes. (26 percent)
A lack of defined goals in the job. (24 percent)
Readiness to leave organization. (16 percent)
A lack of accountability in the job. (13 percent)
Pressure by management to show face time. (12 percent)
Other (16 percent)“
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The person(s) we work for makes a HUGE difference in how we feel about our jobs. And this is not just about whether he or she is a nice person or willing to cut us some slack when we sleep in every now and then. Our managers influence how we feel about the contribution we make and the importance of our efforts.

The bad news: Working for a crummy manager is no fun and will result in people not working near their potential. This is a big problem in today’s business and there are lots of crummy managers.

Now here’s the good news (I said I would end on a high note): There are few jobs that offer the challenge, impact, and opportunity to contribute like management. If you are a manager, you have the chance to affect how people experience work and their overall satisfaction. You can change lives. Actually, all managers DO change lives, some change lives for the better.

If you are a manager and you honestly do not think you are making a positive difference, please ask for help and coaching. If you are fried and unengaged, make a change. By becoming a great manager, you can see the fruits of your work in the faces of your employees everyday.

If you are a fully engaged manager who loves what you do (I have talked to several of you out there) please take the initiative to try coaching your peers who are less effective and engaged.

This is not a fuzzy-wuzzy, tree hugging, psycho-babble post. This is at the core of business.

Great management -> Engaged workers -> Better results (and meaning and satisfaction all round)

Be the manager that employees cite as a big reason why they want to STAY with the company.

Comments

[Christopher Bailey]

Oh yeah, that's the post that gets me jazzed about re-entering organizational life. I think, at times, we can take being managers and our positive impact potential for granted. But, even if our immediate manager isn't the best thing around, we can still be special to those folks we manage.

Thanks Lisa for the Monday recharge.