When leadership predominately focuses on numbers/profits, efficiency and productivity, they get short-term gains. The immediate results appear beneficial. Over time, however, productivity dwindles. Turn-over increases. Disengagement becomes a cultural pandemic and by the time it’s felt or identified, it’s too late. The fix will cost so much time, effort and resources. As a result, your organization may have alienated a large chunk of your client base. Winning back customers is simply too costly. Why would you risk losing them in the first place? Because you’re too focused on employee performance.
Investing purely for performance is short-sighted leadership. The great leaders are aware of this. They avoid it, if not negate it as a part of their cultural and business identity.
If policy and SOPs (standard operation procedures) are what drives your company, you may want to reconsider. You can’t legislate caring, desire or motivation. You can only INSPIRE it. Policy and SOPs are definitely needed as a launching pad from which to fly, however, a launching pad pointed in the wrong direction with the wrong fuel won’t reach, let alone hit the target. Your foundation needs to be adaptable, malleable and emotionally aware of what your team feels, needs, desires and expects.
If you deny the human aspect of business, you are doomed to fail. Employees are humans… sentient beings. So then what?
2. DEVELOPMENT PRINCIPAL
The real leadership flex is Investing in your employees as individuals, each with their unique set of expectations and aspirations. What’s THIER WHY? Those individuals come together to form a team.
Investing in development says you care about them as individuals rather than commodities. Most cultures are not designed to recognize this aspect of leadership and business. They get lost in the short-term vision of higher profits and increased efficiency. And that is the major faux-pas that is so common, it’s accepted as THE way to build a company. Money is never the real carrot. When companies focus on numbers, it inspires disengagement amongst their employees. Employee disengagement costs the US economy upwards of $500 Billion according to Gallup.
Remember, employees are human. They have intrinsic emotions such as the desire to feel valued, appreciated, respected, seen, heard and understood. They want to know you care about THEM: their dreams, aspirations, purpose, fears, triggers, paint-points. They don’t want to feel like meaningless pawns or robots who’s only function is to produce and produce and produce. “What’s in it for me?” they ask themselves. A paycheck? For most employees, the paycheck doesn’t validate the workload, stress and disrespect they face from bad managers and disgruntled customers. This very fact is in big part the fuel behind the “Great Resignation.” Leadership has been too preoccupied with performance. They forgot about recognizing the HUMANS who deliver their products and/or services.
Investing in employees as individuals inevitably results in elevated performance. Engaged employees who are personally challenged and empowered, feel valued and cared for. Being valued and appreciated is the most simple and impactful way to inspire people to REACH HIGHER. The best way to communicate you care about your people is to have EMPATHY… the highest form of emotional intelligence, which means you are investing in THEM.
At ENGAGE Teams 360, we focus on development rather than performance. This is one of the great innovation MINDSET lessons I learned during my five years with Cirque du Soleil as an acrobat and team captain. Do a deep dive into the INNOVATION MINDSET, which includes this specific topic in my book.
