More than Work

Being away from your known and familiar ecosystem is usually refreshing. But, if you are away often enough you will see that 'your' city and the rest of the world is not much different afterall. It's the same struggle for meaning. Don't get me wrong...I am not talking in some etheral religious sense but from a very mundane perspective - from the perspective of what a Job means to a man and woman anywhere in this world.

People spent so much time at work. In fact they spend a good deal of their lives at work. Surely for something as important and central as this, there is more than just money and survival involved.

Do people sense themselves while at work doing whatever that they are supposed to do? Do they feel alive at work? Can they see a larger connection and inter-relatedness of the work they do and the world around them? Do they feel that they are making a difference?

I suspect they don't. It seems to me that the more man becomes the focal point of industry the more distant he goes from feeling a sense of worth from his toils. Work de-humanizes. It degrades the natural energy and creativity inherent in a human being. It reduces a supreme creative being into a number.

The solution? A Job should not be work. It should be a calling. Anything less is a tragedy.

A manager should be a path-finder and a meaning-builder. Anything less is a catastrophe.

On Salaries, CEOs and Freedom to Lead!

I was reading yesterday about how American regulators are working on making Wall Street bosses more accountable for bonus payouts. In other words, Wall Street barons are being reminded not to go back to the bad old ways of pre-2009. This got me thinking about something else.

The salaries paid to the brightest and smartest in our corporations.

Most CEOs go to great lengths to hire the best people to surround themselves with. I know they do as I do lots of Leader Assessments for them. Be it the financial guys, the marketing team or the regulatory folks; these are usually the best the talent market can offer. Yet, how many CEOs feel they have the best assisting them in the day-to-day running of the company? Not many looking at how much time CEOs are actually free enough to spend time with their rank and file people.

If I am paying so much for my executive team, why am I having sleepless nights and not spending enough time on the ground with the rank and file? I remember a couple of months back when I was at a meeting. All of a sudden,there was a hive of activity which I could observe through the glass doors from where I was sitting for the regional HR director to meet me. I found out later that the CEO was coming for a rare visit to address the annual town-hall meeting. Well, I thought the Agong was making a surprise visit!

See? If every CEO 'appearence' is treated as a 'corporate event' then obviously the CEO is not spending enough time on the ground!

So, that begs the question : Why is he paying so much for all those other guys?

Note : This is my first trip to the USA. The US was never on my wish list. Europe was. I always felt that I already know enough of the US through Hollywood, novels, management books and popular culture. After all aren't we Malaysians Americans speaking the Queens English?!But, I didn't know something about Americans - they are friendly. They greet you.

And, I also found out that Vince Lombardi was also a succesful Basketball coach. That proves the point : Leadership qualities are universal. It doesn't matter whether its Silambam or Sepak Takraw. It doesn't matter whether it's a low cost airline or a plantation giant.

By the way, its Super Bowl today and America is edgy. Everybody is talking about it. The words 'world champion' and 'greatest show on Earth' can be heard often. I wished I brought along my World Cup magazine with me. The real 'world' tournament! But hey, let it be!

The Universality Employee Engagement

It has been a frustrating week in Chicago. A snow blizzard of historic propotions put paid to my much anticipated session on employee engagement for a client. Sitting in the hotel room having nothing to do but read and catch up with old emails proved to be useful. It gave me time to finish a book that I bought before I left to the USA - Re-Engage : How America's Best Places to work Inspire Extra Effort in Extraordinary Times by Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld (McGraw Hill, 2010).

To be honest, the only reason why I bought this book was to be absolutely sure that none of my participants will say " yes...that sounds really good but here in America....it's different". I wanted to be prepared if indeed employee engagement drivers in America is different from Asia where I have been delivering this session extensively. I was not dissapointed as what the authors have discovered through extensive research on employee engagament in American companies are as universal as anything can be. The reasons why high performers in America become dis-engaged are the same as what you will find in India. The type of manager behaviors that promote employee engagement in America are exactly what I have been advising Asian managers. The kind of roles that senior American business leaders need to play are the same as what senior leaders in Asia based companies need to do.

I knew this all the while. All researches have shown this to be true. I just wanted to be sure. I would have waived this book like a priest on a Sunday morning if anyone had challenged the universality of engagement drivers! Too bad the snow storm had other plans. I could not deliver my all important sermon.

Well, since we are on the subject of employee engagement I might as well provide the 6 Universal Engagement Drivers mentioned in the book:
1. Caring, competent, and engaging senior leaders
2. Effective managers who keep employees aligned and engaged
3.Effective teamwork at all levels
4.Job enrichment and professional growth
5. Valuing employee contributions
6. Concern for employee well-being.

The Sun is up....the temperature is still way below zero. Much like employee engagement - even with all the benefits and infrastructure; cold and indifferent manager behavior will make no positive difference.