The BBC this week explores what having a manager like Steve Jobs can do to the workforce. This is important to think about if you want an empowered engaged organization. Could your behaviors as a leader be preventing the very culture you are trying to achieve?
“So does being rude, ruthless and self-absorbed give you an advantage when it comes to getting ahead in business? Quite the reverse, according to Professor Christine Porath, at the McDonough School of Business, Georgetown University. She says uncivil behaviour from bosses and colleagues affects sickness rate and mental health, stifles creativity and above all affects staff retention. None of which reflects well on those in charge.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-34604387
The Economist explores the break up of HP. They point out that HP in the past was the original startup, but now is seen as stodgy and uninteresting to young engineers. And they point out that breaking the company in half does not change that image problem.
Does your company or organization have an image problem? What kind of transformation could help change that? Renaming or reorganizing your group is not sufficient.
Harvard Business Review gave us three thoughtful articles this week in the areas of leading transformation, building culture, and being a high performing leader – all important parts of a business transformation.
First they explore Marissa Mayer’s recent actions at Yahoo. Ms. Mayer is leading a turnaround at Yahoo and asked for her leadership team to pledge to stay at Yahoo for 3-5 years to effect that transformation. Some of her leadership team quit. But that is actually a good thing because now she has a leadership team committed to change.
In any transformation it is important for the leadership team to work together. While a pledge is not always needed, it was an effective means in this case for Ms. Mayer to assure she had a committed team.
https://hbr.org/2015/11/marissa-mayer-was-right-to-ask-executives-to-commit-to-staying-at-yahoo
Employee engagement is a clear competitive advantage for a corporation, but how do you create an engaged workforce? One key component is to have a clear, compelling mission that people can rally around. This is especially important as companies grow.
This article has some practical examples of practices companies have used to engage the people who work there in the mission and vision of the company.
https://hbr.org/2015/11/how-upworthy-gets-its-staff-to-bond
“Leadership is messy, it is relational, and it happens in millions of interactions every day around real work. … You have to understand the social system you’re working in first.”
Not only do you have to understand the context you are working in, but high performing leaders also have regular ceremonies or routines. Identifying a few key ceremonies (such as one-on-ones or team meetings) and doing them well is a foundational skill for a high performing leader. The article has practical suggestions for how to do this.
https://hbr.org/2015/11/what-separates-high-performing-leaders-from-average-ones
My own offering this week encourages us to really look at the people we work with as individual people. If Steve Job’s management style tends to stifle creativity and engagement, what is a different way to work. This article explores some practical approaches to engaging people at work.
http://www.tomandgeriscrum.com/2015/11/03/people-are-people-not-objects/