From the Bathroom to the Boardroom
Is the problem personal? Is it embedded in the company culture? Is it outdated practices? Is it systems or protocols that need to be developed and implemented?
My foray into business coaching was through my work with Employee Assistance Programs. I often identify myself as a EAP technician, a plumber, of sorts, who unplugs the corporation’s toilets. I can tell what feeds the organization by the waste it leaves behind. One of the most common problems workers face is wretched management and/or outdated systems. The stress moves down to the lower echelons of the work world, who suffer without purpose. Bosses who want to climb the corporate ladder have great numbers, talk the company line, yet transfer blame and responsibility to employees, isolate others, play favorites, bully those who are seen to be threats. I had to call my EAP regional manager one day because a corporation had employees from no less than 5 different departments seeking counselling, when a great contributor to the problem was the managers overseeing the departments. As the employee found relief and strategy as to how to manage the boss, they referred other employees in their department. When these employees find their bearings, they either can stand their ground and shake up the department dynamics, or they find a job where they are treated better, leaving the company poorer.
The other group I see are the managers who wrestle with motivating unmotivated employees. What are the values of those who find work but not the motivation to work hard. Is that a passe expectation? Are there magical words or protocols that can make it better? Want to attract a better employee and keep them?
A further question may be, what are the values of the community where your business is located? I live in an economically depressed area. I sometimes hear managers say… “I was transferred here from out of town. I supervise three employees who have worked here for 20 years. They may do a day’s work between them. No matter how I bring up the issue, they become defensive and aggressive. I don’t understand what is happening.” In a big city, there may be another job two blocks away, or one across town. In our area, there are few jobs for young people, let alone someone who is over 50. Loss of job means loss of friend’s ability to survive. Employees huddle together and are loyal to each other because they have grown up together and you the manager is an outsider.
What I offer to businesses are results. It can be that you are suffering from high absenteeism, low productivity, or one department may be perpetually under performing. We look first at the increase of profits or decrease of expenses, and other ways to measure the value this change will make for you, then we talk about assessment, implementation, and follow up. Then we talk about your investment in the process.
