Sunday, October 25, 2009

Investing Emotionally

I’ll admit it. Sometimes I cry…in public! For some leaders that may be considered a sign of weakness, especially in the tough economic times facing many successful enterprises. Regardless of your gender, emotions matter in the workplace and too many leaders ignore the role of emotion in managing others when things aren’t going well. Let me try to explain.

Numerous workplace studies and surveys have documented the lack of recognition experienced by many of today’s employees. For whatever reason, leaders often choose to withhold praise, even if the employee is performing well and deserves the recognition. When an employee is facing a lay off, as part of a broader cost cutting strategy, it is unusual for her boss to acknowledge the years of faithful service she may have given to the firm. This lack of emotional investment by the leader is an invitation for her to feel unappreciated and angry at the company. If she leaves under these circumstances it is more likely her attitude about the firm will be negatively affected and she may resort to legal action or tell her friends about how she was treated. And it all could have been avoided.

When a company is struggling, employees often know what is happening yet may not be told the truth early and often enough. If a leader understands that managing the emotional concerns in a workplace are just as important as other strategies being considered to address the problems, they will gain potential allies. Workers would welcome the opportunity to control their own destiny by looking for solutions to the issues being faced. If the problems persist, management can offer creative alternatives to layoffs by giving employees’ choices to work part time or offering to hire back anyone whose job is cut. Leaders can also soften the emotional blow by assisting with job training or networking.

When a company acknowledges and addresses emotional concerns like valuing an employee’s work, offering them freedom to think and decide on their own, or recognizing the emotional connections they have with co-workers, it is more likely to successfully weather uncertain economic times. This doesn’t mean tough decisions won’t be necessary or employees won’t still experience some disappointment. The goal is not to eliminate bad news. Instead, a commitment to investing emotionally in the well-being of employees could give the enterprise an edge during the best of times and a better chance to survive the worst of times.

I’m not asking you to show your emotions in public, like I sometimes do. But I am inviting the leaders who read this blog regularly to foster positive emotions among employees by showing your appreciation, inviting them to make connections, and offering them more autonomy in decision-making. It won’t make the tough times go away but it could make a bad situation more tolerable.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Fonthill Reflections

This weekend my wife and I toured Fonthill Castle in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with another couple. Although we have lived near this National Historic Landmark for more than 23 years we had never ventured onto the 60 acre property or inside the thick walls of this 44 room mansion. Construction began in 1908 by Henry Chapman Mercer when he was 52 years of age and concluded four years later. It is made entirely of poured reinforced concrete, including the roof, and presented many challenging construction obstacles for an era that did not have the benefit of CAD drawings or machines to assist with the work. While touring the building I reflected on a few lessons that I will share in the remaining paragraphs.

First, Mercer obsessively supervised construction of the project. While employing a small group of unskilled laborers to assist him, it was Mercer’s vision and knowledge that produced floor plans for each day’s work. He oversaw building forms, inserting steel reinforcements, designing the tiles that decorate vast portions of the interior walls and ceilings, mixing and pouring concrete, and many other activities. As a leader he maintained complete control and thus could take credit for the finished product. His employees became faceless recruits whose job was to do their boss’s bidding. One has to wonder what may have transpired if Mercer had collaborated with others to achieve his dream home. While his genius may be on display in each room of the mansion, so are his obvious eccentricities.

As the tour progressed I came to appreciate Mercer’s willingness to recycle and reuse what others were discarding as trash. Many of his bookcases and furniture are produced from former shipping crates. Some of the interior doors were adapted from other homes. While I disagree with many of the basic tenets of today’s modern environmental movement, I do believe in recycling and practice it in my own home. What is trash to one person looks beautiful and practical to someone else. In spite of his wealthy status, Mercer voluntarily chose to preserve and reclaim.

Not unexpectedly the mansion’s concrete walls often create a cold and dark environment. Mercer does make use of many large windows and outfitted his home with electric lights but the result is still less than inviting. The many tile mosaics covering walls and ceilings offer a plethora of visual stimulation to capture one’s imagination but are also distracting. Workplace environments matter and too often company leaders ignore this fact when designing their office and factory layouts. I can’t imagine living and working in Fonthill, although Mercer and his housekeeper spent many years there.

We often ignore the hometown treasures that dot our nation’s landscape. Sometimes these assets are buildings and open space; other times they are the special talents and culture of the people. Business leaders should do more to create and preserve a unique and distinctive environment so employees can prosper. They should reject Mercer’s need for control and invite collaboration from staff, customers, and vendors. Finally, they should protect and recover resources the business needs to be successful. You may not be building a Fonthill mansion but your efforts do impact the lives of those you encounter. Make that work a treasure too!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Making Monday’s Matter

I believe God must be an entrepreneur. With incredible imagination and a marvelous attention to detail, our created world is a magnificent tribute to order and constancy. Everything is connected in a variety of wonderful and amazing ways. But it is also a place where the owner has delegated responsibility and left others in charge to protect and maintain what was started. In essence, God said, “I trust that man and woman will do what is right, to make wise choices with what I have given them to take care of.”

There are some who doubt the very basis of this story and I’m not writing to convince those who believe in Darwin’s theory of evolution that their way of thinking is flawed. Instead I want to consider how seriously we have accepted the administrative tasks of managing the world that has been given to us. As leaders, perhaps we forget that our calling is to a Higher Power. We may give little thought to the implications of running our business in the context of the greater universe. Faith may be dismissed as a weak and useless tool of a hypocritical and impotent religious community.

As a Christian leader, I see business as an extension of the spiritual truths that matter to me in my personal and corporate faith. This means the qualities of love, forgiveness, community, peace and justice aren’t meant solely for private contemplation or Sunday morning encouragement. They must become part of the weekly business practices that guide my own work. When I am honest with a client or transparent with employees these characteristics move from sacrament to service. The way that I lead and manage becomes a witness to the broader connection we all have with each other, with creation, and with our Creator.

Do I see my work as more than making a profit or providing jobs? Are the goods and services I produce making people’s lives better? Are the opportunities I offer to employees allowing them to flourish and find meaning in their lives? Is what we are doing as a company good for the environment and the global community? Will I be judged as a faithful steward or a dishonest manager?

It’s hard to see much hope in the current economic climate. I confess to being disillusioned by out-of-control government spending, shrill partisan rhetoric and the absence of moral and spiritual ethics in our society. But I also believe the Creator of this world took risks as an entrepreneur and handed the management of this place to us. He (or she) must have imagined that the spiritual nature within each of us would find the courage to live and work wisely within the parameters that were established. It seems obvious that over the centuries we have often failed to fulfill our responsibilities. The consequences of our actions and inactions are real and remain with us.

With this much at stake, it is time for us to make Monday’s matter again. As leaders we must create workplace sanctuaries where, even in stressful times, relationships still matter. As managers we must treat those we lead with dignity, love, and respect. As companies we must act responsibly to protect the environment and produce goods and services that improve the standard of living for everyone. It’s time to make Monday’s matter. If we do, perhaps Sunday’s will take on a new meaning as well.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Losing One’s Voice

This weekend has been a bit unusual for me as I lost my voice on Friday night after several days of allergy related symptoms. Being unable to communicate above a whisper has presented a variety of challenges. Phone calls are not an option since the other person would be unable to hear what I may have to say. Being forced to mute my comments or defer responding to what is happening around me has also been difficult. My dilemma caused me to wonder what might happen if every leader awoke one morning with a bad case of laryngitis.

Being without a voice is forcing me to rely more on others. My wife has been graciously nursing me back to health but is also serving as my personal assistant, fielding phone calls and handling other activities that require verbal communication. Leaders could learn some valuable lessons about the real value of those they serve by allowing their voices to be heard above the din of our own egos. When was the last time you asked your employees for their opinion and actually paid attention to their response? Or had a sincere conversation with a client where their feedback about the relationship was taken seriously?

The only way to restore my voice to its normal function is by resting it completely. I confess that my recent schedule has found me working seven days a week without much time for real restorative rest. Leaders often forget to tend their own bodies and souls. Whether it is physical exercise, healthier eating habits, or simply doing nothing, we need to allow time for respite. It’s too soon to predict how quickly my voice will heal but if I ignore the need to rest my vocal cords the process will take much longer.

An unexpected lesson from my laryngitis is the reminder that there are many persons without a voice around the world and in our own neighborhoods. They aren’t suffering damaged vocal cords but instead have been victims of corrupt political systems, war, famine, disease, and countless other problems. They are powerless because their voices have been silenced intentionally. The people in Iran are just one example of how governments and leaders can oppress the will of their own people. Let’s do what we can to give these persons the voice they deserve.

By this time next week, my current situation should be just a memory. Will I have practiced any of the lessons learned from this experience? Is it possible to actually change the structures that keep people’s voices from being expressed? Perhaps the bigger question I will be asking is how am I improving on the silence since I got my voice back?