Oh, the irony! A team of people brought together to help their fellow Australians who had lost their job, complaining about their job. “I’ve been waiting for my logins for days now!”. “I still don’t have my headset!”. “How dare they make me sit at a new desk each day!” How could this be the case? How could the irony not be lost on them? The cherry on top, the travesty was playing out on a public holiday – they were receiving penalty rates!
I witnessed this scene recently and felt compelled to reject my initial emotional reaction of anger and choose to be reflective instead. I took a deep breath, turned to my notepad and asked the question – I wonder why? Such a useful phrase which I have found to immediately defuse my temper and open my mind to possibilities and profound thought. I wonder why this group have chosen to vent their frustration in such a way? I wonder why they so quickly forgot the shock and sadness of only weeks earlier when they were stood down or laid off from their work.
The leadership of this group had been transparent and honest. Everyone in the team knew that there was insufficient planning time. They were told more than half a dozen times during induction – “Please bear with us; we are building the plane as we fly it.” I wonder why this warning fell on deaf ears so universally?
I could not fault the intent of the leadership group in the case. Set a logistical task never before achieved; this group of leaders was doing an excellent job. They provided a clear vision, simple metrics of how success would be measured and expressed a genuine sense of care and compassion for people first and foremost. The organisation provided nearly two days of training for what was a straightforward process – more than the majority of organisations could say they offer their new starters. This leadership team had nailed the big three of – Communication, Process and Training as best they could under extreme time and resource pressure. Yet, it was still unacceptable to this group of staff members. I wonder why?
Every second article or post focuses on leadership and leaders. What have you done, doing or plan to do for your employees? How are you going to lead them to be their best, and how will you be the leader that every individual needs you to be? You must admit, a team needs all team members to strive to be their best if the group is to succeed. I wonder why all employees don’t take it upon themselves to be their best? I wonder what makes a good employee?