Racing toward success and a big bottom line often causes myopia, a condition where you can only see what is in front of you. If you are myopic, you are short- sighted. This condition is more than can be cured with a pair of glasses or contacts; it is about lack of discernment or long-range perspective in thinking or planning.
Here is how this plays out at work:
1. Create burnout: conversations that only consider the “show me the money” mentality can destroy the best of intentions in the best of employees. There is no favorable bottom line that can replace great employees who become exhausted, who just can’t keep up, no matter what they do. Most people want to please their boss and want to exceed expectations. However, too much of anything, including being at work can become toxic.
2. Ignore celebrating: this does not have to be a week-end in Paris or even tickets to a sporting event. It could be sharing some pizza together with a longer than usual lunch break as a surprise. Everyone does better in an atmosphere where there is fun and camaraderie.
3. Forget sharing: think about the real meaning of a bonus. It is about getting something extras for good work. I believe there is always just a little bit more that can be found to divide with the team, with the whole company. Research indicates that work environments that are inclusive enable employees to work hard and feel good about it.
4. Permit favoritism: this is not easy to see, however, it is a deal breaker. This is when a “favored” employee has the ear of the boss and keeps the communication doors shut to only a privileged few. The special employee loves to use this one-up position to create dissention with the rest of the employees and causes mistrust, coldness, and lack of motivation.
5. Ignore families: this century is finally the time where there is a critical mass of both men and women who know the importance of family first. This means offering flex time to get to school plays, sporting events, or work from home is a child is ill. When bosses really show that family matters there will be more energy and more appreciation to get work done and the loyalty factor increases exponentially.
Every boss should be required to read Charles Dickens’s, "A Christmas Carol" at least once a year. It is a grand statement about the residuals of the industrial revolution, the patterns of greed and stinginess that live in all of us if we are not vigilant. The modern workplace needs to be not only a place where we find the money to pay the mortgage or the rent, it is also a place for kindness and compassion, where we can all be seen and heard and encouraged to become the best we can be.
This is not tilting toward the “soft stuff” although what we call the soft stuff, the essence of emotional intelligence and pattern awareness is key to retaining employees who are there for themselves and their families as well as to help the company grow. So, become a pattern aware boss and give your employees what will nourish them in the months and years to come. It’s about you, it’s about me, and it’s about time!
Submitted by: Sylvia Lafair
About Today's Contributor:
Dr. Sylvia Lafair, Author, Leadership Educator, Executive Coach for over 30 years is an authority on leadership and workplace relationships. She is President of Creative Energy Options, Inc. Visit www.ceoptions.com and www.sylvialafair.com .