Ecology of Success: Principle I: People do what we do for very good reasons, the gift is in knowing those reasons and if they still apply to your progress towards a worthy goal or ideal. Leading organizations, supporting employees, designing work flows, management of return to work structures are all invaluable opportunities to assess, what we do and why. Most assessments of employee engagements start with a problem that needs a solution. I would suggest starting with the basic though very essential acknowledgement that no matter what the ill effects, there was a very good reason for the situation arising and the employee, team or organization doing what it did. While difficult to avoid, spending time assigning guilt, blame, shaming or discouraging, what leaders, co-workers, coaches and teachers need to do, is start from a place of understanding. Asking questions about the series of events that led to the current situation is often elevating. There three key outcomes related to inquire rather than blame in these situations 1. Trust building: when your colleague, employee, student sees that you are not approaching the issue from a perspective of blaming, it allows you to gain more insight into their perspective and with this builds trust. 2. The overall objective is to move towards success, or the pursuit of the worthy goal. Reminding others that time and energy is better used on progressing towards the goal rather than on blaming or shaming. Learning lessons from the path taken towards the goal is the ultimate prize. 3. Setting up frameworks of engagement on a problem set for future use is another key outcome. Organizations, humans always encounter challenges, it is the wonder/beauty and at times the gritty reality of life. Establishing a framework that problems will be approached with inquiry rather than shaming can be used over and over and over again with each new crisis/opportunity.
Harvard Business Review’s May-June 2022 cover article “Designing Work that People Love” by Marcus Buckingham articulated current challenges in work place settings with regard to employee engagement very well, it really hasn’t changed from pre to post pandemic in the way people want to relate to their work. Employee retention during the pandemic and post pandemic environment lacks critical insights from the most important state holder, the EMPLOYEE. The article suggests, a shift in three mindsets 1. Viewing employees as the key stakeholders in the organization 2. Moving away from standardized performance management tools, and 3. Trusting employees to accomplish their performance goals the way they see fit. https://hbr.org/archive-toc/BR2203.
William Scott Consulting, and Principle I fits well within the context of Mr. Buckingham’s observations….measuring, blaming and setting up standardized performance structures move people further from their love of work, not closer to it. Employees will react to their work environments for very good reasons, if they love it, they engage, progress towards success, if they don’t they leave, or create unhealthy dynamics for others perhaps sinking the entire operation. Love of work for all is an audacious goal and I love it.
