I know...I know...I haven't posted a blog in months! I would like to say it was because I was too busy to post, but the reality is that I was stuck in "observer" mode. What do I mean by "observer" mode? I have had the pleasure of traveling the country this year, working with some of the best and brightest managers and employees that I have ever seen. But I have noticed something...there is a divide that is growing between managers and the employees that report to them.
Why? Maybe it has to do with the economy. Maybe it has to do with lack of security that many feel as they witness layoffs; organizational restructuring; changes in hours (which often affects pay for hourly workers); etc. Or maybe it is something else. In many of the conversations that I have been privy to, I cannot tell you the number of employees that have stated, "I know my manager has nothing to do with my pay...I get that we're in a tough economy...but damn, I just wish he would talk to me like I'm a person and not just some wooden soldier he can boss around." or better yet, "she doesn't even care that my kids were sick. I tried to explain why I was late but she said 'I could care less! Just show up to work on time!'"
What is sorely lacking these days is the ability to empathize with the plight of others i.e. the ability to step into the shoes of someone else, if even for just one moment. So many of the managers that I have worked with are great when it comes to the budgeting process and how to manage their departments, but they sorely lack the ability to step into the thoughts of their employees. Do they understand what motivates the janitor to do his job? Do they understand why the receptionist shows up to work every day looking as though she had not slept in days? What is it your employees think about as they are driving home from work?
More to come tomorrow...
