The Three Signs of a Miserable Job - Sonicbids

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“Great employees don’t want their success to depend on the subjective views or opinions of another human being.” “To be the kind of leader…who can help people discover the relevance of their work, a person must have a level of personal confi dence and emotional vulnerability.” “To manage another human being effectively requires some degree of empathy and curiosity about why that person gets out of bed in the morning, what is on their mind and how you can contribute to them becoming a better person.” “People want to be managed as people, not as mere workers.” Bailey called another meeting and asked the employees to consider who depended on them and whom they depended upon. No one understood, so he told them what he had observed. He praised Joleen, the waitress, for playing with a cranky baby so its mom could eat. He told Salvador, the dishwasher, that his work was essential. He made sure the restaurant always had clean dishes and silverware. Salvador glowed with pride. Bailey told Migo that he couldn’t function as a manager without the young man’s help. Bailey pointed out how important each employee was to the restaurant and to the staff. Clearly touched by Bailey’s little speech, the employees developed a newfound respect for themselves and for each other. It showed in their work. Business continued to improve. Bailey spent his time learning about what made each employee tick. He discovered that Salvador and Migo played Saturday mornings on an amateur soccer team. He went and watched a few of their games. They were immensely proud that their boss was in the stands. He learned that Patty’s daughter had a food allergy, so he and Joaquin found Patty an inexpensive source of allergen-free food. For the first time, the employees felt that someone cared. It made a lot of difference. Joe and the staffers were happy. Receipts and tips were up. Bailey’s experiment had worked. Shortly thereafter, a foundering retail sporting-goods company recruited Bailey to become its CEO. On his last night at the restaurant, the employees threw him a good-bye party. Afterward, Bailey took Joe aside and suggested Migo for his managerial job; Joe agreed. The Sporting Goods Store Bailey found that the sporting-goods firm had the same basic problems as Gene and Joe’s – unhappy employees. He quickly taught his regional and store managers how to get employees to feel good about their jobs. Things turned around just as quickly as they had at the restaurant. After six months, profits were up and turnover was down. The business was moving ahead. One weekend about a year later, a small package came for Brian Bailey. Inside was a brand-new white T-shirt. It showed two smiling men shaking hands. Underneath, in red and green letters, it read, “Migo and Joe’s Pizza and Pasta. Here, There, Everywhere.” Lessons Learned People can be unhappy at their jobs, no matter how great the job sounds, from highly paid CEOs and big-time entertainers to famous professional athletes…or the waitress or dishwasher at the corner bistro. Miserable jobs often share these three characteristics. 1. Anonymity – You can’t feel good about your job if you feel unknown to management. Employees need to believe that the company cares about them. Otherwise, they feel anonymous and invisible. When they do, invariably they are unhappy at work. 2. Irrelevance – Believing that your work matters is a giant step toward feeling happy at work. Employees need to feel that they make a significant contribution. This could be on behalf of their customers and colleagues, or some greater good. 3. Lack of measurement – People need a tangible way to quantify their work. Without that, they will feel nervous, uneasy and ultimately unsatisfied. For salespersons, this could be the dollar amount of their sales. For a major-league baseball pitcher, it could be the number of strikeouts he achieves. For a CEO, it can be an increase in shareholder value. The inability to quantify and measure their achievements is a primary reason that many people hate their jobs. The reward for full participation should be substantive and measurable. If employees feel that they have no material The Three Signs of a Miserable Job © Copyright 2008 getAbstract 4 of 5
“Great managers and companies don’t let the initial appearance of silliness prevent them from doing what is ultimately meaningful and differentiating.” “Employees can smell a false attempt at ‘employee bonding’ from a mile away.” “All managers can – and really should – view their work as a ministry.” way to gauge their work achievement – that any assessment depends instead on some supervisor’s arbitrary benevolence or malevolence – they will feel demotivated. Miserable Employees Equal Miserable Performance Unhappy, unfulfilled, demotivated employees are not productive. People who are miserable in their jobs tend to cut corners and to do as little as possible to achieve the company’s goals. Indeed, they may be secretly pleased if the firm does not attain its objectives. This bad attitude will infect other employees and destroy morale. Many managers do little to make their people feel valued at work. Managers often keep their workers guessing as to whether they are doing a good job. Instead, they should treat their employees like individuals, take an interest in them and show that someone at works cares about them. Do these simple things and your employees will crawl through broken glass for you. Don’t do them and your employees will be miserable, with all the negative implications that portends. Unfortunately, many managers find it difficult to treat their workers as human beings. The reason is simple: They become nervous, embarrassed and uneasy when they try to act like caring people in the work environment. That sounds silly but it is, nevertheless, a fact. You cannot act humanely toward others without first acting human yourself. This requires self-confidence, humility and a willingness to open yourself up to others. Unfortunately, some managers have a hard time living up to those standards. As a result, their staff feels unappreciated, unimportant and ignored, and thus grows discontented and disaffected. In short, their people become miserable. Many managers and their companies don’t recognize that they have a serious problem with unhappy employees until people start to quit. That’s when management quickly adopts short-term solutions, such as better salaries and benefits. The HR department begins to conduct increased training for managers. Everyone becomes more proficient at filling out work evaluations, establishing performance goals and so on. Despite all this effort, however, the underlying problem remains: The employees are miserable at work. Management doesn’t do anything to meet their bedrock human needs. Fortunately, management can turn things around quickly. It just takes willingness. The payoff is happier employees, which translates to increased production and stronger profits. In today’s marketplace, with its “ubiquitous technology” and speedy spread of information, standing out is increasingly difficult. The best way is to have a satisfied workforce. A Special Ministry Management is like a ministry. You can help your employees feel good about themselves and the work they do. See that they feel important and know that they are contributing. Give them some tangible means for marking their own progress. If you do these things, you will have an immeasurably profound positive impact on your employees’ lives. They will feel better about themselves, which will make everyone around them feel better. To create this happy, productive environment just treat the people who work for you like human beings. It’s really that simple. About the Author Patrick Lencioni is the author of numerous business books, including the bestselling The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. Lencioni is the founder and president of a businessconsulting firm that helps organizations function efficiently through superior leadership. The Three Signs of a Miserable Job © Copyright 2008 getAbstract 5 of 5
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The Three Signs of a Miserable Job - Sonicbids

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