Sour Faces Whining About Sour Faces
I’m sick of organizations that don’t measure what matters.
Production targets flash on computer screens. Today’s production target: 1,500 widgets. Current: 837 widgets. The message: people are tools.
Measurement reflects value.
Where is the morale meter? Morale doesn’t matter when you don’t measure morale building behaviors.
What isn’t measured doesn’t matter,
even if you say it does.
Organizations must measure widget production. No argument from me. But, where the heck are the:
- Smile meters.
- Compliment counters.
- Laugh tracks. (pun intended)
- Pat-on-the-back targets.
I’m tired of complaints about sad environments. Do something about it.
Place smile-counting buttons on every computer screen. Every time someone smiles at you, push the smile icon. Position a smile-tracking-board in the lobby for everyone to see. I’m not joking.
Go large and create columns on a public board to record: smiles, laughs, compliments, and pats on the back. Go crazy and count the number of jokes told in the office. Give extra credit for bad jokes.
Skeptics:
“What if they don’t mean it, you ask?” Who gives a crap? Just do it. Sarcastic smiles are funny. A begrudging grin is better than no grin.
Smile even if you don’t mean it.
After a while you will.
I’m sick of hearing leaders with sour faces whining about sour faces.
I’ve been places where smiles appear briefly on full moon, when the brave crazies come out.
You’re so full of yourself that you don’t dare measure morale building behaviors because morale sucks so bad in your organization. If you don’t do something about it, learn to enjoy it.
Measure:
Happiness matters. Measure it. What gets measure gets done. By the way, people aren’t tools!
How can leaders focus on happiness without losing sight of results?
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How can leaders focus on happiness without losing sight of results?
Part of the results we should be measuring is the contentment and productivity of the people we lead. It is no secret that people who are happy with their work, feel valued and feel like they are making a worthwhile contribution, do better (and more) work.
We have to find ways to celebrate even the smallest of victories for those we are charged to lead, especially in bad and trying times.
And yes, I love that.. “a sarcastic smile is better than no smile at all.” Often borne of sarcasm, which always contains a kernel of truth, are radically different ideas and camaraderie.
Good post, as always, Dan.
Thank you Martina.
I’m smiling at your contribution. 🙂
Thank you for your encouragement Dan.
I like the point about being intentional in the way we promote joy and positive attitude. Your proposed “metrics” are stupendous!
Thank you Justin.
Why shouldn’t we be intentional about it? We say morale/attitude matters… 🙂
Absolutely. We too often scientificate (you’re welcome for the expanded vocabulary) happiness on the job by trying to quantify “morale” with ridiculous metrics. Simplifying the process and being intentional about individual, personal, public displays of joy and happiness is leadership gold.
Yo Dan, you go boy!!!!
Another great post. I agree and doing all I can in the place I am, trust me. Oh yeah you can count on me pushing the envelope everyday!
Why, everyone can get better every day, as a group we can all get better everyday but we got to focus on it!!!!!
Just a great post, read a Great Article in USA Today this week on companies focusing on Being Kind.
What happened to us if somehow That is a business strategy folks can use cause they aren’t already? Whew!
Thanks Dan Great Great help to me today.
Scott
Thank you Scott.
I look forward to reading your contributions. Have a great weekend!
That means ALOT to me Dan.
Thank you.
Scott
In school a common saying is, “What get assessed gets taught.” I believe this would hold true in all aspects of school or business. If morale matters (according to one’s vision, mission or belief statements – not to mention research), then by all means promote it and measure (assess) it! Just a little personal action research might be fun (and revealing). Smile at someone or say hi in the hall and see how many positive responses you get in return, as opposed to the days when you say or do nothing. You’d be surprised how that little gesture can make a positive difference.
Thank you Vicky.
Love your approach. Small is the path to big. I’m more and more convinced of this basic idea…if you want to accomplish something big, don’t wait for big steps or opportunities…just move toward big.
I’ve given up on gigantic leaps forward. When/if they happen great! But, usually the path to big is small.
Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” would be a great read for this topic.
It’s a great read for those of you who haven’t already read it. Some key points:
“Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.
Give honest and sincere appreciation.
Arouse in the other person an eager want.”
Thank you Vincent.
I especially love the last suggestion! Good stuff.
Dear Dan,
When I read the word Morale, I became more curious to know the components and its effect. I am really very fond of morale as my research is focused on factors of morale and consequences of morale. Few days back, I finished my analysis where I studied the impact of management practices on employees morale. The major components that influenced employees morale are management biased attitude towards employees. This led to many practices like promotion discrimination, discouraging whistle blowing, negative attitude towards employees leave and reimbursement. I found a very strong relation between management attitude towards employees and its effect on morale. Unfairness in promotion, transfer and benefits, lowered employees morale.
I strongly believe that policy execution with good intention is the key to enhance employees morale. Besides, management interaction, communication and visibility to the employees play major role in enhancing employee morale.
Morale is complete package of feelings that has many components. Most of the components are motivators and intrinsic in nature. Human factor like management attitude, approach, perception and integrity have great impact on morale. Morale building exercise is always top down. So, management and managers are more responsible in boosting or hindering it.
And finally, results are outcome of relations.
Thank you Ajay.
I get the feeling that clarity and consistency are fundamental to building morale. Simple on one hand but challengeing on the other.
Absolutely love … results are outcomes of relations. It helps us understand the connection of results to relationships. KaPow!
This is a great idea! I always felt this way at my organization. Always grumpy and counting out DART rates and other safety /injury rates. We define ourselves by these numbers and it’s unfair to everyone at my organization.
Choices to make to make a culture of choice. Always a great read Dan
People can’t smile if there is unfair office politics going on.
How can leaders focus on happiness without losing sight of results?
This is a great post about a genuinely timely subject.
I think a twist on the question is: Which leaders focus on happiness while keeping sight of results?
Look no further than Silicon Valley for your answer.
What are the factors that allow high tech to be the leaders in this regard?
• The realization that in a competitive market for talent, money is not the prime motivator. Most organizations right now are not competing for limited amounts of talent, so paying a good wage is enough, and that’s where their responsibility ends. ‘A fair wage for a fair days work’.
• The average age of managers in high tech is younger, moving toward the top of the career curve, as opposed to sliding down the back end.
• In general profits abound in high tech, so there is room for experiments on productivity related to the degree of happiness of employees (retention alone, can save big on training costs.)
To my mind however, the unique dynamics that contribute to high tech’s efforts toward employee satisfaction and yes, even happiness are not limiting.
Leaders in other industries need to realize:
o The average full time worker spends about 1/3rd or more their life in the workplace and they deserve a non-hostile, welcoming workplace environment.
o That providing a welcoming, supportive, workplace environment costs nothing.
o That going a step further and adding activities that support that free, welcoming, supportive environment costs little.
o That measuring the results of their efforts will validate that an emotionally healthy workplace environment is actually a savings to the bottom line in healthcare costs savings, sick leave costs savings, mental health day costs savings, employee turnover cost savings, not to mention retraining costs savings, savings on the costs of disgruntled employee actions etc.
Then again if there is an emotional payoff for management in keeping things adversarial and negative, like feeling of control, and displays of authority then good luck with getting the change that is needed.
Great column. It let me reflect on a previous situation, where intra-office morale was poor, but without the bitterness that I’d had while there. Like so many of your columns, this one is full of concepts that I’ll be using in future endeavors. Thanks again for doing what you do!
Excellent blog!!!!! I deeply appreciated this one since I feel so empathetic towards its cause;)… I feel the exact same way; even toward the general public!;)
You have to “walk the walk”, It’s that simple. Treating people the way you like to be treated, that’s what works! Everyone gets so caught up in the process they forget it’s the simple things that really stand up and improve productivity any way you want to measure it….
Wonderful food for thought. The examples to measure moral are great. I look forward to seeing the results.