Do your employees show up late for work? Do they miss deadlines? Do they just not seem as interested in their jobs as you would like them to be? How did this happen and how can you turn it around?
I have an associate, Terry Monaghan of Time Triage who made the comment in one of her workshops that one of the participants had trained his teammates very well to not send him emails on the weekends because he would not respond to them. Since then I have seen this play out at all levels of an organization.
I’ve had clients who have employees who consistently take short cuts because that level of work is tolerated, while I have other clients whose employees always seem to go that extra mile.
How does this happen? Is one company lucky because they hire more dedicated employees while the other company is unlucky?
No, I’ve never seen a company that doesn’t want to hire qualified and dedicated employees. So what happens? It’s a slow process that happens when leaders don’t consistently communicate the WHY (the vision and mission) of the company and are also afraid to delegate. Eventually employees learn that no matter what they do it’s not right and not good enough so they gradually stop trying. And what’s even more important is that there are no significant consequences.
So whose problem is this? Do you get rid of everyone and start over (I’m just being a bit facetious)? No, that’s not the answer; because this problem starts at the top and works its way down. If changes aren’t made at the top nothing will change.
As a leader you need to look at how you are sharing WHY you are doing this work and the importance of it to the individual and the organization. You also need to share your expectations and begin to delegate responsibility along with the consequences.
When everyone understands and buys into the Organizational WHY and is give a level of autonomy, including responsibility and authority, to accomplish their role, then you will have taught them very well in a whole new way!
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Jane works with CEOs, Partners, Principals and Executives who are looking for Clarity, Focus and Release. My clients and colleagues call me a thought provoking Business Therapist. My focus is helping overwhelmed executives regain clarity, let go of ambiguity, uncertainty and fear, while bringing focus to their goals and objectives. I ask the hard questions knowing that you’re ready to answer them.
Jane is also the author of Put Your Big Girl Panties On and Kick Your Fears in the Ass.
Additional information is available at www.lovasconsulting.com. Contact Jane by email jlovas@lovasconsulting.com or by telephone at 703.594.6028.