The M-Word

Morale…How many conversations have you been involved in that centered on improving morale? And how many of them remain focused on symptoms and not substantive issues of employee motivation and company vision and values?

The fact is, the majority of departing employees do not express dissatisfaction before they leave. I also believe that generally the best leave.

This is an area that continues to see organizations not walk the talk. The talk: people are our key to success. The reality: people are under-utilized, under-trained, under-paid and under-motivated.

If you want a quick gauge of how your firm is doing as far as recruiting and retaining talent, then ask this simple question, “Would you recommend to a friend that they work here?” If the answer is negative, then you have a real problem.

The Next Bill Engvall?

Dear Pragmatist,

I come across sometimes as driven. While there is some positive in that, I believe there are negative aspects to that as well. Any thoughts?

I know a guy who was really intense at work. But he recognized it and worked to make himself more approachable. His solution – he used humor. And not humor aimed at other people, but self-deprecating humor. He got people to laugh and open up. He was still driven but he was much more human.

Try it. You never know, you may be funnier than you thought.

See Bill Live

Stupid Use of Time

Dear Pragmatist,

I work for a medium-sized firm. I haven’t been working long, and was amazed when, as part of a move, the senior staff spent an inordinate amount of time debating and designing the “we are moving postcard.” Am I insane to believe that this was a stupid use of time?

You are not crazy, as a matter of fact you sound like my kid of guy. Actually, you would be amazed at the amount of time that leadership teams in companies of all sizes waste on nonessential activities. It has been rumored that one global firm spent more time selecting the company’s holiday card than debating its vital Africa strategy. The reality is that too little attention is paid to strategy and most firms do not have the discipline or accountability to focus management’s time on the most important issues.