Last night on WGBH TV’s Greater Boston with Emily Rooney I was invited to be on a panel discussing a new survey that shows record numbers of people are unhappy with their jobs.  The Conference Board’s poll, widely reported yesterday in every major publication, concludes that “Americans of all ages and income brackets continue to grow increasingly unhappy at work.”

The survey is based on the responses of 2,900 American workers asked to rate how satisfied they are at work, on a scale of 1 to 5.  45% say they are satisfied with their jobs, and according to the Conference Board, that’s a trend -in 1987, 61% said they were satisfied. The decline spanned all age groups, although young people under 25 were the least satisfied.

Do you buy it?  Here’s something interesting - it turns out this data is in complete conflict with Gallup Polls taken every August from 1989 to 2009, in which 85 to 94 percent of people say they are completely or somewhat satisfied with their jobs.  As Mark Twain once said, “There are lies, there are damn lies, and then, there are statistics.” 

Certainly, a lot of people complain about their jobs.  But that’s always been the case.  Recently, other surveys have shown that people are more satisfied because they’re grateful to HAVE a job in this economy.   So I guess it all depends on how you ask the questions, doesn’t it?

The bigger question isn’t whether AMERICANS are satisfied, but whether YOU are satisfied.  You deserve to be engaged in work that you find rewarding, interesting and meaningful.  Work is the way most of us express our purpose and passion.  If you aren’t inspired, it’s time to figure out why.  Work is like marriage - you can fall in love again.  Or, you can move on.  But do you real want to stay stuck?  Or do you want to get up and look forward to your day?

I think this is a two-pronged issue.  It’s about both employees and employers.  Take responsibility for your own happiness.  And then, seek out an employer that creates an environment where everyone in the organization knows that what they are doing matters.  Employers do need to understand what motivates people.  They need to communicate the importance of even routine work to the overall goals.  And they  need to appreciate people for contributing their talent and energy. 

In the meantime, get in touch with what you love to do and tell your boss.  You can’t possibly expect him or her to read your mind.  Understand the overall goals and priorities so that you can seize opportunities to get involved in projects that will move the organization forward.  There’s no better way to get recognized and rewarded, and be satisfied in your work.  

The Conference Board survey, by the way, blames lower job satisfaction not so much on employees but employers.  They say it correlates with the fact that companies have dropped or cut pension benefits and asked employees to contribute more to health care. In addition, they point out that wage growth has been relatively stagnant.  Again, I believe that these are factors, but other surveys show that if people feel their needs are being met, the real determinants of satisfaction are other factors like flexibility to do the job your way.

Ironically, the two-decade decline in happiness has coincided with substantial increases in worker productivity. Gains in the tech sector have ensured that even as workers become more unhappy, they have become more productive.  This is another reason I think you need to take all this with a grain of salt.  How much of productivity is related to employee engagement, and how much to technological advances that make it simpler to get a job done in one hour instead of eight?  Who’s knows?

I’m interested in your thoughts - just click Leave a Reply.

Still it’s a fascinating topic.  Thanks to Emily for inviting me on the show.  Here’s a link to the segment on WGBH TV: http://www.wgbh.org/programs/programDetail.cfm?programid=11

Here’s a link to the Washington Post article that discusses the conflicting results of polls on job satisfaction. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/05/AR2010010503977.html

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Last night Jeff Taylor and I were invited to speak to the Harvard Business School Alumni Association.   When you share the stage with Jeff, get ready for a great ride because he’s cool and he’s got cool stories.  You  should have been there watching the audience as he described taking a dare to ski three miles towed by a blimp, at 30 MPH in a quest to break a record set by the flamboyant Richard Branson of Virgin. 

As founder of Monster.com Jeff has a lot of these stories.  In 1999 when Monster.com was just hitting its stride but certainly not yet “monstrous,” he spent a fortune to buy Super Bowl ads which flopped.  You might remember the ads depicted kids saying things like, “When I grow up, I want to claw my way into middle management.” What happened?  “We were being ironic.  It didn’t work with a bunch of guys drinking beer in front of a game.”  Ultimately the ads kept running, caught on like mad, and rest is history.  

There were more stories.  At the 2002 Winter Olympics Taylor spent four million bucks to build a snow labarynth and it was the warmest on record.  Just in time as the snow was melting the Today Show called and he got four minutes on live TV.  ”Matt ran through the thing in no time and thought no big deal.  Al was holding a flag just stuck in the middle,” says Taylor.  “Katie gets stuck, backs out, starts again, and says now she gets it.  Sometimes in your career you have to back up and start over.  It was incredible,” says Taylor. 

As often happenes when I go out to speak, I get more than I give.   Watching Jeff regale this crowd of Business School grads (though he himself took 23 years to graduate from college) was more fun than anything else I’ve done this week, or this month for that matter.  Here’s a CEO who gets it on so many levels. 

When I interviewed him for Motivate Like a CEO last year, he told me that he had noticed as his company grew, his role changed.  He went from founder to CEO to Chief Monster, his favorite role, where he went out and built the brand by going everywhere he was invited and speaking to just about anyone who would have him.  He got really good at speaking.  Not only is he a great storyteller, he openes up and shares everything - humor, emotion, personal insights, reflections - it’s no holds barred.  A lot of people in the audience might have assumed that he was a natural, but as he told me last year, and as he told the audience last night, he works at it, and keeps working at it.  He says he  really believes that Woody Allen line about 80% of success is about showing up.  “I just got back from Iceland where I was invited to judge an entrepreneurs contest.  They’re trying to save Iceland.  Why do I go?  I’m not sure.  But I’ve been showing up for a long time and it works.”

Jeff has two companies now - Eons - an online community for baby boomers, and a spinoff called Tributes.com for online obituaries.  If you’ve read Motivate Like a CEO you know that coming up with big ideas and inspiring others to get behind them is one of the characteristics of successful leaders.  One of the best questions last night were about where leaders get these “big ideas.”  “I have ideas all the time - I’m in the shower, I get an idea, and then I get out, and I forget.  I have to get back in the shower to find the idea,” he says.  “I wake up in the night, with a pad of paper next to the bed, and write them down.”  Of course everybody HAS ideas, says Jeff.  It’s those who ACT on them who make things happen and attract other people who are excited about them too.

You know the blimp ski story?  Jeff says the coolest thing was that as he was bumping along, he was hit by a huge wake left by a barge and wiped out.  All 500 of his employees were gathered in the cafeteria watching it live.  They went wild.  They loved it.  Working for Jeff was like that.  “We had the absolute best culture at Monster.  People loved working there.”  What you have to appreciate about Jeff is he gets that.  When he dons his skis, or builds snow forts, he’s out to have fun, and he also knows how his employees will feel about it.  He’s their leader.  

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Leadership guy Jon Gordon is writing about a timely topic. The author of  Playing to Win, What the Best do Better Than Everyone Else, and Training Camp, Ten Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work and team with Positive Energy, writes this week that “There was a time in most of our lives when we had no fear-that feeling when we jumped from the jungle gym and slammed our little bodies to the ground.”  He says we “felt there was nothing we couldn’t do.”  Yet somewhere along the way Gordon notes that we start to understand what it means to be fearful, and “let fear into our lives.”  And this of course, changes the way we approach our careers and our lives.

This is a timely message.  Even the most intrepid, courageous leader has been battered by tough economic times.  No question that the downturn has helped us focus on the highest priorites, improve efficiency, and execute with fewer resources.  Yet now is not the time to operate in fear. It’s time to screw up our courage, dive in the pool, and encourage our teams to do the same.  We’ve need to break away from the negative energy that is feeing our fears and insecurities; stop listening to the inner voice that says we shouldn’t or can’t.  As Gordon says, “go after our dreams.”  What’s at stake is not just the opportunity in front of us.  Living in fear can become a habit that keeps us stuck for the rest of our lives.

If you “play to lose,” and communicate this to others, then everyone in your organization will do the same.  That’s why everytime you speak with your direct reports, your teams, and your organization you need to get focused and feel the courage. People aren’t just listening to the words, they are reading between the lines.  You can’t fool them.  Take charge of your emotional state before you speak.  Communicate wih confidence. Invite others to make courageous decisions.  Make them believe in themselves.  Encourage them to lose the fear. 

As I’ve discussed in Motivate Like a CEO, leaders are the keepers of the emotional life of their organizations.  In challenging times, they must take control of their emotions and lead the way.  If you are a leader, now is the time to take an emotional inventory, before you stand up to speak.  Get in touch with your own courage, and then, light a fire; make them believe. If you live and work with zeal and act with courage they will do the same. As Gordon puts it, “overcome fear and adopt a play to win mindset.”   

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This week I’ve been thinking about that saying, “lead by example.”  The origin of this well-worn standard is a Chinese proverb, yi shen zuo ze, which means ”to set a good example,” or “set yourself as the standard.”  For thousands of years people have known that a leader’s actions must match his or her words.  As I have discussed in the 8 principles of Motivate like a CEO, great leaders walk the talk. 

But is that enough?

Yes and no.

If you work in a high functioning organization, chances are your leaders walk the talk.  They live the values.  It comes from the top down.  Leaders who live the values inspire others.  

This brings me to posting your values statements on the wall.  This is a form of communication, but it isn’t the answer to creating a values based culture. People believe what they see and hear from their leaders, not what they read on a poster. If one leader in the organization is acting by a different set of rules, people will see that individual as an outlier.  However, if employees see that more than one leader living by different standards, that’s a trend.  They’ll scoff at the values and their cynicism will foster a negative, demoralized workplace.  

So of course, leaders have to live the values.  But is that enough?

Not really.  Why?

Because in a large organization, most people don’t get to meet you.  They certainly don’t see you every day, every week or every month.  In fact, they may go years without ever shaking your hand.

However, most people will be invited to a business meeting and hear you speak; they may receive emails from you; they may hear from their own bosses about how you’ve handled certain situations.    

This is why a leader has to not just lead by example, but also talk about examples of how the organization are living by its values.  If you can’t have lunch with every employee, you need to connect with them in a personal way through the stories of the organization.  You can do this through speeches, presentations, videos and even email and blogs.  

Tell stories that demonstrate how successful people in your organiztaion are walking the talk.  Collect these stories routinely and then share how teams and groups have been living the values.  Once you start to do this people will tell you more stories about living the values and you’ll soon have a collection of these stories to share. 

The ability to share compelling stories with points through speaking and writing is a critical leadershp skill.  if you’re not sure how to find stories - think of a time when your team has faced a difficult situation.  Perhaps you disappointed a customer and had to “do right by them.”  Perhaps someone working on a project had to go above and beyond.  What happened?  Why did the team or individual make that decision?  What was the outcome?  How did it illustrate the values? What did the team learn from that experience?  How can others apply the lesson?

These are the stories that you need to share with your organization.  For your next presentation, investigate three examples of how the organization has succeeded, and analyze how those successes are tied to your values.  It will be well worth it, because when people hear a story, they remember the story, and then they remember the point.

So living by example is only half of the battle. The rest is sharing the stories with others. 

以身作则
yǐ shēn zuò zé
To set a good example / Set yourself as the standard

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Tory Johnson interviewed me about the importance of “Motivating like a CEO” in today’s economy.  Watch our interview here: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8209974

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If you subscribe to the idea that workplaces operate a lot like families (the personalities, the relationships, the challenges) then you might be interested in some information I found while researching the long term impact of crisis on a family.  This information came from the Head Start program model for assessing crisis.

As you read these, ask yourself how it might apply to your team or organization.

During a crisis, people tend to:

Have difficulty thinking clearly.  People in crisis may quickly skip from one idea to another in conversation, making them difficult and confusing to follow.  They may have trouble relating ideas, events and activities to each other in a logical way.

Dwell on meaningless activities.  In an attempt to combat anxiety, people in crisis may become overly involved in activities that are not productive.  They are likely to need considerable help in focusing on activities that bring the crisis to an end.

Express hostility or numbness.  The feeling of loss of control and vulnerability experienced by most people in crisis may be expressed through hostile words and actions directed toward anyone who intervenes in the situation.  Others may withdraw or experience depression; they seem not to care about the crisis or its outcome

Act impulsively.  Although some people become immobilized in crisis situations there are others who react impulsively without any regard to the consequences of their behavior.  This makes a complex situation even more difficult to resolve.

Feel incompetent.  A crisis presents a threat to one’s sense of personal competency and self-worth.  To counter low self-esteem, people in crisis may assume a façade of adequacy or arrogance.

How can you counteract the impact of a prolonged state of crisis in your organization?  Here are 7 steps you can take immediately to help you take the pulse of individuals and the organization as a whole, and get people focused and on track:

1.    Schedule meetings with individuals on your team

2.        Ask them about projects they enjoy or would enjoy doing

3      Facilitate ways for them to do work they enjoy that has an impact on the organization

4.      Schedule the next meeting in two to three months to check in on how they’re doing

5      Talk about the big picture people long to work for a purpose greater than themselves

6.      Focus conversation on the future – exciting opportunities ahead – this is one of the most important tenants of crisis communication – help people see what is possible

7.      Talk about it in your meetings, your conversations and your emails – a steady flow of positive, future focused communication will alter the din of bad news

For more tips on how to lead during crisis, go to the articles section of our web site:

www.bates-communications.com/articles and click on leading in crisis.

Or go to our bookstores and order a copy of the booklet: The Power of Adversity, How to Communicate with Confidence, Make Powerful Connections, and Thrive in Challenging Times

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Here’s our latest press release - just  out this morning - on motivating employees.  Please read on, it may alter some of your assumptions about how to retain top talent and motivate people –through this economic recession and beyond.

The Top 5 Myths About Motivating Employees

Dangerous in a recession, deadly in a recovery

MEDIA CONTACT:
Sal Vittolino
Phone: (610) 359-8773
mailto:salvitt@comcast.net

In a typical workplace, only 29 percent of employees are actively motivated and engaged in their jobs, while 71 percent are unmotivated and disengaged - either not engaged at all (54 percent) or are actively disengaged (17 percent) - according to the Gallup Management Journal’s Employee Engagement Index.

“While there has been a slight uptick in employee motivation in recent surveys, this may be only temporary because it’s based on survival. As the pendulum swings back, employers should watch out - because employees will look at their jobs and their companies differently,” said Bates.

The Top 5 myths about motivating employees, according to Bates and “Motivate Like a CEO,“ are:

Myth #1: Money is the number one way to motivate employees. “Salaries and bonuses have been the staple of motivation. Most companies relied primarily, even completely, on monetary rewards,” said Bates. “Money is only one of many factors in motivation. Yet companies have become lazy about motivating people instead of giving them what they really crave, which is recognition, praise, and the opportunity to learn.”

Myth #2: If you want to motivate people, don’t let them in on the bad news. “This is a particularly damaging myth. Bad news always gets out to employees. They hate it when you hide bad news; they consider themselves partners in the company, and they long for a chance to contribute and make a difference, especially in tough times,” said Bates. “The surest way to motivate people is to empower them even with terrible news, so they can come to terms with reality, think their way through the crisis, and contribute to creative solutions going forward,” said Bates.


Myth #3: Most employees know what motivates them. “Many people are searching for a larger purpose, and they are not finding it in their work,” said Bates. “In challenging times, employers can become a powerful source of motivation and pride among talented people. In a downturn, leaders must talk to employees and help them discover who they are and what motivates them. Spend time with them; ask them why they enjoy the work, what they enjoy most, how they want to contribute, and where they see themselves in the future,” said Bates.

Myth #4: You simply cannot motivate everyone. “This was true in boom times, when organizations were bloated and some people you hired were marginal. Those days are over,” said Bates. “Now that companies have downsized and are arguably leaner and meaner with the best talent, this is a damaging assumption. It is a leader’s responsibility to motivate employees. It’s time to stop blaming employees, and start looking to leaders to ignite the spark,” said Bates.

Myth #5: People are just grateful to have a job, and this attitude will survive the downturn. “Top talent will always have a place to go, and while they may have had less mobility during the recession, your competitors are already looking around to see who is unhappy and ready to leave,” said Bates. “Employers who keep believing their people are just grateful to have a job will be blindsided when their top talent walks out the door because they don’t have leaders who are engaging them, praising them, recognizing them, and giving them opportunities to grow.”

If you are member of the media and would like to schedule an interview or set up a time to speak with Suzanne, please contact: Sal Vitollino - salvitt@comcast.net

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Why is a well articulated theme or vision so essential to greatness? Many years ago, Microsoft, founded in 1975 when computers took up entire rooms, said it wanted: “a computer on every desk and in every home, running Microsoft software.”  This was unimaginable at the time, and yet, today the personal computer has revolutionized and defined how we work and live.   

Big, exciting visions for a company allow people to see how to organize their activities and contribute.  As I write in Motivate Like a CEO, people long to have a purpose and are energized by challenges.  This is what motivates them.  Leaders connect people with purpose and passion toward a common goal.  Without this connection between the employees and the mission, an organization cannot succeed or thrive.  In today’s economy, as you look at how to move your organization forward, it’s obvious you must have a motivated, inspired team of people who are working together on creative ways to grow and be profitable over the long term.

Recently, I was asked by CIO Leadership, a U.K.- based resource for executives in the information business,  “What is the secret to effectively communicating this exciting theme or vision?”

The answer is to have a powerful vision and strategy, and then make communication of that priority one.  People who work in your organization, to a person,  should be able to repeat back to you the most important points of your vision and strategy.  In other words, if asked what your mission is, and how you’re going to get there, everyone should be able to say it without prompting.  This is because when they can repeat it, they can organize their activities around it, making them more efficient, productive, and motivated.

In order to be very good at communicating your vision and strategy, you must invest in your own professional development.  We often work so hard that we just get by on the skills we have, too busy to take courses or get coaching, not realizing how important it is to raise the bar on our own performance.  To motivate and inspire others is the highest definition of leadership.  The challenge for many busy executives is to take this seriously when they arrive in a leadership role; to embrace the idea that they must inspire their teams toward a vision.

If you would like to read the full text of this article click here to go to the article page on CIO Leadership.  

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According to new research, employee engagement decreased during the first year of the recession and has since bounced back. Modern Survey’s Employee Engagement Index found in February 2009, more employed American adults than in August 2008 said they take pride in their company, see a promising future there, and go “above and beyond” for the company’s good.

“It’s important to note that our survey only included people who haven’t lost their jobs and are currently employed,” said Bruce Campbell, a Senior Consultant at Modern Survey. “I think most people these days realize that there is nothing like a guarantee of job security anymore. Most of us know good, hard working people who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own. Perhaps more than ever, employees are feeling a real sense of gratitude that they still have jobs, and have come to understand that the best thing they can do to improve their chances of keeping their jobs is to do whatever they can to contribute to the near-term success and long-term viability of the organizations they work for.”

Modern Survey says these results suggest that the majority of employees are motivated to do their part to help the organizations they work for survive the current economic crisis. That’s what I call a strong, common purpose.  They’ve rallied around their organization knowing that it may not survive without their enthusiasm, energy and support. 

As the survey authors report, that’s very good news for executives and managers in the short term. But looking forward, what can employers expect as the economy eventually recovers and employment opportunities begin to improve?

According to Modern Survey’s President, Don MacPherson, there has been a major shift in how people view their employment. “Right now many people feel very fortunate to have their jobs. A year ago the same people may have felt they were entitled to their jobs. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by a job cut or layoff. The surge in cuts and general employment uncertainty is real enough to change perceptions and behaviors.”

Because behaviors have been changed does not mean they will last. MacPherson says organizations need to pay attention to their employees now more than ever. “The last thing you want to do as a manager or senior leader is take your employees for granted now. Companies will have fewer people taking on greater responsibilities. Those organizations that neglect their employees by failing to provide recognition or developmental opportunities risk losing people as the economy improves and other opportunities present themselves.

“I can’t stress the importance enough of checking in with your employees throughout this downturn. No management team wants to struggle during these challenging times only to lose those people who got the company through it because they were ignored.”

When I wrote Motivate Like a CEO, we were at the beginning of a downturn that no one could have anticipated would be as deep, wide and painful as it has been.  Yet, it became clear that the principles of motivating and inspiring a team that worked in good times were even more important to know, in times of hardship.

If your employees are highly motivated now, will they feel as united and committed when the economy improves?  This depends upon how well you engage them.  Here is a brief on the eight principles of motivating through communication:

1.   It begins with you: your purpose and passion - a leader can only motivate others if he or she feels passionate about the work and the organization

2.   Communicate a clear powerful mission - beyond survival, what is the exciting vision you want your employees to embrace?

3.  Learn what motivates people - after the economy begins to recover and they feel more secure in their jobs, what else will keep them as engaged as they are now?

4.  Make a personal connection with others - in times of crisis, leaders tend to retreat and carry the weight of the world on their shoulders but instead they need to reach out to others.

5.  Make the conversation about them - the easiest way to discover what connects people to your organization is to ask them.  Find out what they love and what they find rewarding.

6.  Praise, recognize and reward - a precision tool in leadership, which allows you to recognize the employees who represent the behaviors and values you want to drive through the culture

7.  Walk the talk - when people see the leader of their team or organization doing right by others, they are proud of where they work and try to emulate those behaviors and actions.

8.  Empower people - in a crisis - you’re looking for great ideas and give people latitude to execute.  Be sure you continue to show the same confidence in them when things improve.

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