I received a feed this morning that triggered some memories from when I was a new manager, and eventually a leader. Since I started out in the sales trenches, I always had an understanding of what it was like on the front lines. But over time I realized that the longer I was away from it, and the further up the ivory tower I climbed, it became harder and harder to use that shared experience in my decisions.
Reminding yourself to include the “
Worm's Eye View” when attacking an organizational issue can provide valuable insight into what employees think --- and what they want --- out of an organization and its leaders. And don’t rely only on your recollections. Spend some time with front line employees. Talk to them. Ask them what the organization does well and what they don’t. Most importantly of all, make them feel comfortable to open up. If they do, then you are doing some of the right things. If they give you platitudes, you have some work to do…
From the article (and from some of my own experiences and feedback) here is a recap of some of the key things people say they DON’T want in a workplace:
· Too much organizational (and personal) politics
· Crippling bureaucracy
· Poor management practices (intimidation; micro-management; lack of loyalty, petty gossip, workaholic atmosphere, etc)
· Any form of harassment, whether overt or covert
· A generally negative environment
· Arrogance or an elitist management attitude
· A slavish focus on a single overarching strategy that doesn’t translate to workers
But when you get them to focus on the positives, today’s savvy workforce can also discuss factors they would like to see in a workplace:
· Fair treatment
· Mutual trust by management and co-workers
· The opportunity to “make a difference”
· Embrace (and practice) having fun at work
· Aligned priorities across groups
· A positive “can-do” attitude
· Continuing development and quality improvement in people, products and services, and processes.
· Consistently meeting the commitments to stakeholders
· Open, accurate, company-wide communication --- up and down
· A conscious effort to stamp out silos and NIH thinking
· A social ethic employees can be proud of
There’s great value in a worm’s eye view. By attempting to eliminate what employees don’t like, and trying to give them what they want, you will create an organizational foundation that can deal with whatever comes at it. And in addition, foster an innovative, profitable culture that will serve the organization and its stakeholders.
“To a worm in horseradish, the world is horseradish.” --- Malcolm Gladwell