Think Of Us
Bob stared at the letter of resignation on his desk. It had been placed there only minutes ago by one of his team members. Disheartened and sighing deeply, he asked himself, “How many now? How many more?” Bob rose from his chair and picked up the letter. He knew he would receive the same demeaning and deflective response from his manager upon delivering the news. He knew his manager would quickly dismiss it apathetically and simply seek another dancing chicken on a hot plate. Bob was frustrated by the recent loss of people. He saw the hemorrhage of value in knowledge, experience, and cohesive relationships. Bob opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled another letter out. Heading towards his Manager’s office, he added his own resignation.
“Let her go, she is just wanting more money.”
“I don’t care, if they can’t be here when I want them to, I don’t need em.”
These two statements were made by two leaders when confronted by the situation that Bob faced. In both statements can be heard the Deflection, Dismissing, and Excusing of any responsibility on their part. This behavior by leaders tries to counter the idea that, people leave bad leadership, not the company they work for.
“People do not leave bad jobs; they leave bad bosses.”
Jeff Burkhart
People leave organizations for several reasons. Some are good, others are not. For years now I have seen firsthand and vicariously, those with long tenure leave an organization. In some cases, it came as a surprise, but in a few it could be seen coming. Not everyone that leaves an organization is chasing after something. Many times, they are getting out of, or away from, a bad or toxic work environment. Here are three reason I was given by co-workers that recently left.
“I can’t see any forward movement. I feel as though I am stagnating.”
“I have lost trust in the leadership.”
“This place is becoming too intrusive in my life. There is no work/life balance, and my physical and mental well-being is being affected.”
In none of these statements do you see the chasing after another dollar. What you do see is employees that have their priorities properly ordered. You see employees that consider their organization’s growth and success tied closely to theirs and their co-workers. If as a leader, you do not see and share these beliefs then maybe the answer starts with you.
A mid-level manager once confided in me that, “I created this mess, now I am going to have to fix it!” Had he listened to the adage, “An ounce of prevention, is worth more than a pound of cure” then his company would not have suffered the loss of highly skilled people. For senior leaders, any hemorrhage of talent should raise a red flag. It is time to leave the ivory corporate tower and get down to the ground level.
Proverbs 27:23
KNOW the state of YOUR flocks, and put YOUR heart into caring for YOUR herds, Emphasis mine.
This proverb has so much truth for leaders. But so many dismiss it as being not relevant to them, as they are not farmers or ranchers. I once had a leader take me to task about this because I used it in a time of leadership training. After pointing out that this came from a man that God had given great wisdom, and asking him a couple of questions, I was able to bring him to what was
hindering him. It was in the words “Know the state.” He finally admitted that he had been self-serving as a supervisor and now as a manager. He made sure he knew the state of his success but did not care for his subordinates.
Knowing Requires Presence.
Senior leaders of organizations are sometimes so far removed from the people that perform the organization’s mission that they suffer great loss. One aspect of loss is in Value. It is a knife that cuts both ways. One way is that leaders begin to value less those that are serving in positions under their authority. The opposite cut comes as those under your responsibility value you less.
Whether a leader is at the corporate level, in mid-level management, or first line supervisor, all should know the state or condition of those under the responsibility. Knowing requires you pay attention, and for a leader attention is a form of currency. It is much like an investment that brings a return. As a leader you decide value and what is worth your time. Decide correctly or be willing to accept the return. No one is so busy that they cannot be present.
Recently I overheard a conversation among a leader man and his crew. He had had opportunity to be in the presence of the organization’s senior leaders. As I listened, he said these words, “I tried to get them to think of us.” When he said that I thought of the situation with Bob, that I opened with. Our organization was experiencing what Bob had seen in his. The motivation for this situation brings us to the next question that leaders must answer.
What comes first the mission or the men?
I first faced this question in the military, first as a subordinate, then as a leader. Let me put this out here before digging deeper. Outside of the military, police, fire, and emergency health care settings where lives may be on the line, I don’t believe there are many instances where profit should be over the welfare of employees. But it is important for leaders, especially those at the senior level as they are the ones that usually decide the attitude and values of the organization to answer this question.
I realize that this question deserves an article itself. So, I will in a separate article “When Life Happens.” But I want to close with how I wrestled to answer this question and opinions I came away with.
People and the mission cannot be separated. Serving others is the mission.
If I ever push people beyond what their lives can handle, I risk the mission.
If I fail to be considerate to the value of both the mission and my people, I show that I am not committed to either.
“Regardless of the status of a person’s job, a good boss interacts with each person in a way that communicates dignity.”
John Maxwell