What do these three business scenarios have in common?
1. No one tells the boss what he/she really needs to hear. Leaders complain often that their direct reports fail to 'clue' them in on what is really happening in the business.
2. Employees don't speak up when they are 'stuck.' - For example, the employee may spend hours or days trying to resolve a problem while their emotions take over and prevent them from asking from help.
3. A key manager leaves the company for a competitor - And completely blindsides his/her boss.
In all of these situations, the culture of the company is driven by tasks and deadlines rather than by a purpose. Technology, analysis and technical acumen must give way to people, relationships and goals. Let's dig deeper.
1. Employees don't speak up in a company and to their bosses when either they feel they work in a culture of fear or they feel like their input is not valued.
2. Employees don't reveal when they are 'stuck' because the culture does not permit failure and deadlines are put ahead of 'doing work the right way.'
3. Key managers leave when they bring issues and trends to the table and they are dismissed by poor listeners.
So how do you work around these issues? Employees are motivated by:
A purpose - They feel a connection to the company's mission, vision and goals.
Relationships - They feel loyal to their managers and peers because they respect their motivations and intellect.
Alignment - They understand how their job and their peers' jobs fit the company's big picture.
Emotion - Management helps them make an emotional connection to the business.
The failure to create a culture of performance that matches the company's direction results from leaders who focus on tasks, action plans, reactions rather than people and relationships. A study by 6 Seconds, Inc. shows that in a survey of business leaders and employees most agree that 76% of business issues are related to people and relationships versus 24% being related to finances and technology. And how are leaders spending their time?.
To bridge this gap leaders need to put down their pens, turn off their computers and leave their cell phones in their pockets. The first step to develop a productive culture is to focus on people and connecting them to the purpose of the business and each person's individual purpose. The new tasks become activities that include: management by moseying, breakfast with the boss, open forum discussions, leader blogging, participation in employee events, etc.
As John Naisbitt said in Megatrends, our future will be driven by the dual trends of high tech and high touch. And the future is here.
For more about this topic, listen to Pam Watson Korbel's interview with Simon Sinek, author of "Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Others to Action." Click here to download the MP3 file.
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