Minimal Leadership
Philosopher, ethicist, and author Sissela Bok believes that there is a set of fundamental values that exists in every society -- values universally embraced because they are critical to group survival. In her book, Common Values, she divides these basic values into the following three categories:
It's not a stretch to apply Bok's concept of minimalist values to the communities present within our workplaces. Workers everywhere expect their employers to maintain positive values such as treating people with dignity and respect, providing adequate training, and paying everyone fairly. Employees also count on their organizations to uphold negative values barring hurtful behaviors that include racial discrimination, sexual harassment, or polluting the environment. And workers expect their companies to enforce fairly internal policies that spell out right from wrong -- and they presume that company leaders will intervene if someone breaks the rules. These are the basic values employees look for in a company. They form the foundation of values-based leadership and, as such, they are critical to your organization's survival.
1. The positive duties concerning mutual care, loyalty, and reciprocity.Bok explains that these "minimalist values" cross societal boundaries because they are critical to every society's continued existence. Furthermore, she suggests these common values give leaders a foundation on which to establish multicultural, problem-solving dialogues.
2. The negative bans against harmful actions, including violence, deceit, and betrayal.
3. The rules governing the concepts of right and wrong, as well as the procedures for obtaining justice.
It's not a stretch to apply Bok's concept of minimalist values to the communities present within our workplaces. Workers everywhere expect their employers to maintain positive values such as treating people with dignity and respect, providing adequate training, and paying everyone fairly. Employees also count on their organizations to uphold negative values barring hurtful behaviors that include racial discrimination, sexual harassment, or polluting the environment. And workers expect their companies to enforce fairly internal policies that spell out right from wrong -- and they presume that company leaders will intervene if someone breaks the rules. These are the basic values employees look for in a company. They form the foundation of values-based leadership and, as such, they are critical to your organization's survival.
Labels: employees, leadership, values
Bookmark this post on del.icio.us10-Minute Hiring
In his book, How Would You Move Mount Fuji?, William Poundstone writes:
According to the survey, interviewers start making judgments about a candidate shortly after the opening handshake. When asked how long it typically takes them to form an opinion of a job candidate during an initial interview, the average participant's response was ten minutes. Despite their quick decision-making tendencies, respondents said they interview candidates on average between fifty-five and eighty-six minutes, depending on the level of the job. So is the extra time just a ruse, as Poundstone suggests?
Finding the specific job-function skills you need is one objective of interviewing, but discovering people who fit your culture is an even more important goal. And both take time. If you're hiring people based on first impressions, my guess is you've got some misfits in your organization.
The standard job interview is a pretense in which both interviewer and interviewee are equally and mutually duped. The interviewer has made up her mind by the time the interviewee has settled into a chair.A new survey conducted for Robert Half Finance & Accounting confirms Poundstone's assertion.
According to the survey, interviewers start making judgments about a candidate shortly after the opening handshake. When asked how long it typically takes them to form an opinion of a job candidate during an initial interview, the average participant's response was ten minutes. Despite their quick decision-making tendencies, respondents said they interview candidates on average between fifty-five and eighty-six minutes, depending on the level of the job. So is the extra time just a ruse, as Poundstone suggests?
Finding the specific job-function skills you need is one objective of interviewing, but discovering people who fit your culture is an even more important goal. And both take time. If you're hiring people based on first impressions, my guess is you've got some misfits in your organization.
Labels: employees
Bookmark this post on del.icio.us51 Cents
Circuit City announced last week the firing of 3,400 sales associates who the company considered overpaid. According to The Baltimore Sun, the terminated salespeople earned 51 cents more per hour than what the company called the "market-based salary range for their role." To complete the repulsive act that company officials labeled a "wage management initiative," the electronics retailer said it would replace the fired salespeople with lower-paid workers.
There's no better example of an organization violating its values than this action by Circuit City. On its Web site, the company's list of values includes the following statements:
What do you think? Post a Comment
There's no better example of an organization violating its values than this action by Circuit City. On its Web site, the company's list of values includes the following statements:
Our associates are our greatest assets. What former, current, or future associate could ever believe this statement knowing that management fires those "greatest assets" making 51 cents an hour too much?Consistency between an organization's stated values and its leaders' actual behavior is critical to credibility. With such discrepancy between what its leaders say and what they do, Circuit City employees will immediately and rightly recognize their leaders as frauds.
What's in it for you? We foster an environment of engagement where associates are invested and involved in the future of the company. What's "in it" for the associates is the hourly wage that the company offered them when they joined up -- that is, when they invested their efforts into Circuit City.
Our integrity must never be compromised. Too late! Management has destroyed its integrity with the company's employees forever.
Labels: credibility, integrity, values
Bookmark this post on del.icio.us
The honcho's at Circuit City could care less about what their employees think. Values? Nothing but a word to these pompous asses. Look at the other words that are so cleverly and flippantly thrown around business today:
Oh yes Mr./Ms. employee, we would like your "buy-in" to our new program. Today "buy-in" is an overused codeword for jamming something down your throat.
And we would certainly like you to take "ownership" of your job, department, etc. Another codeword for "Think like us (and work a lot harder) - but you'll never participate in the executive stock option plan."
And who will "Champion" this project? Meaning who will get stuck with it and have to work late and come in this weekend.
Cheap words! Consider the source.
Oh yes Mr./Ms. employee, we would like your "buy-in" to our new program. Today "buy-in" is an overused codeword for jamming something down your throat.
And we would certainly like you to take "ownership" of your job, department, etc. Another codeword for "Think like us (and work a lot harder) - but you'll never participate in the executive stock option plan."
And who will "Champion" this project? Meaning who will get stuck with it and have to work late and come in this weekend.
Cheap words! Consider the source.
What do you think? Post a Comment
Over-Titled and Underpaid
Over 60 percent of employees are planning to look for a new job in the coming three months, according to Salary.com, Inc.'s 2006/2007 Employee Satisfaction and Retention Survey. But in the same survey, employers guessed that only 36 percent of their workers are thinking about changing jobs. What's causing companies to underestimate their employees' wanderlust? Researchers uncovered that companies often give employees inflated job titles that don't match their duties or their salary levels, which leaves employees feeling underpaid.
Nearly half of all surveyed employees consider themselves underpaid. But in fact, after reviewing the survey results, Salary.com analysts found that only one in five respondents were earning less than the fair market value for their job. "We found that 30 percent of respondents were likely over-titled, leading many to feel underpaid when in reality an inflated job title was the real issue," said Bill Coleman, a Salary.com senior vice president. Over-titling muddles up some employees' perception of what fair pay for their roles should be, which in turn leads them to look for new opportunities.
Unfortunately, most employers spend very little time managing their salary practices, relying instead on reactive counteroffers to convince workers to pass up outside job offers. It's a somewhat effective strategy since most employees reported that a 10-15 percent increase would make them happy enough to stay.
"While pay is important, it isn't everything," warns Coleman. "The real surprise is that employers are largely unaware of the real reasons for employee dissatisfaction beyond pay." Survey respondents listed good relationships with coworkers and managers as well as good working hours as other important factors in determining whether to stay with an employer. But until employers fix their broken compensation systems, pay will remain the tiebreaker.
Nearly half of all surveyed employees consider themselves underpaid. But in fact, after reviewing the survey results, Salary.com analysts found that only one in five respondents were earning less than the fair market value for their job. "We found that 30 percent of respondents were likely over-titled, leading many to feel underpaid when in reality an inflated job title was the real issue," said Bill Coleman, a Salary.com senior vice president. Over-titling muddles up some employees' perception of what fair pay for their roles should be, which in turn leads them to look for new opportunities.
Unfortunately, most employers spend very little time managing their salary practices, relying instead on reactive counteroffers to convince workers to pass up outside job offers. It's a somewhat effective strategy since most employees reported that a 10-15 percent increase would make them happy enough to stay.
"While pay is important, it isn't everything," warns Coleman. "The real surprise is that employers are largely unaware of the real reasons for employee dissatisfaction beyond pay." Survey respondents listed good relationships with coworkers and managers as well as good working hours as other important factors in determining whether to stay with an employer. But until employers fix their broken compensation systems, pay will remain the tiebreaker.
Labels: employees
Bookmark this post on del.icio.usCorps Values
Michael Wade over at Execupundit.com has a great post about the importance of sharing your organization's culture with your employees. Check it out here.
Bookmark this post on del.icio.us
You Can Change the World
In this age of instant information, any ethical misstep by a well-known person is just a click away from the world's desktop. That's why, after watching the behavior of the former heads of scandal-plagued companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Tyco, many people now find it difficult to trust any corporate CEO. The barrage of news stories reporting the transgressions of powerful people is creating an overwhelming generalization among the American population: that is, that no one is trustworthy.
What can a single person do to change that mindset? Consider this passage from the book, Essays to do Good, by Cotton Mather (1663-1728): "A little man may do a great deal of harm; and pray, why not a little man do a great deal of good?" Weigh Mather's argument in light of today's ethical environment: if the behavior of a small group of business figures can cast suspicion on the integrity of an entire nation, why can't the actions of a small number of morally strong individuals restore the public's faith that people are generally good?
By choosing to live with integrity, you'll help to fight back the onslaught of unethical behavior. You might not get the publicity afforded notorious business scoundrels. But those close to you will notice, and you'll succeed in proving that there are still honorable people in the world.
What can a single person do to change that mindset? Consider this passage from the book, Essays to do Good, by Cotton Mather (1663-1728): "A little man may do a great deal of harm; and pray, why not a little man do a great deal of good?" Weigh Mather's argument in light of today's ethical environment: if the behavior of a small group of business figures can cast suspicion on the integrity of an entire nation, why can't the actions of a small number of morally strong individuals restore the public's faith that people are generally good?
By choosing to live with integrity, you'll help to fight back the onslaught of unethical behavior. You might not get the publicity afforded notorious business scoundrels. But those close to you will notice, and you'll succeed in proving that there are still honorable people in the world.
Labels: integrity, leadership, trust
Bookmark this post on del.icio.us
Author George Brymer's comments about the leaders who get it, and those who never will.
