Recently I was speaking with a senior leader who felt her workplace had gone to the dogs. She felt there was a lack of respect and commitment with the people she interacted.
“Things were so much better years ago at our firm. People followed through on their responsibilities and put in the hours needed to complete the job”, she shared. “But no one seems to care today and would rather just run out the door and leave it all behind for someone else to pick up the pieces.”
She was sensing a big change in attitude and behavior with her team, but couldn’t figure out why this was happening and how she could change it. She was longing for yesterday and wondered if she was an ineffective leader to feel that way. We got to talking and began to think that yesterday was not all bad.
Here is what we decided:
BRING BACK THE RESPECT
Having a culture that exudes respect is still critical in all our worlds of work. If we can’t communicate in a respectful way, we will never be influential. If we can’t see another person’s point of view that is different from ours, we can’t learn new things. What does being respectful look like?
- Listening without judging
- Commenting with kindness
- Supporting each other’s ideas and suggestions
- Making those around us feel valued
[Tweet “Leaders know that respect will always be an essential part of organizations.”]
BE OPEN TO NEW ATTITUDES
The world is changing and so must we to build healthy and transparent relationships. There are four generations working along side of each other today and that means different attitudes about work. Years ago putting in long hours at our desks was a standard many companies followed. Today, we can work from home or on a plane. We can even spend less time due to technology. We need to think about performing our jobs in a more flexible way, not with specific hours or location.
[Tweet “We can perform our jobs today anywhere and anytime.”]
CREATE INCLUSIVENESS
Diversity adds texture, innovation and excitement to our organizations and that means we must be welcoming of everyone. I worked with one leader who decided to add a “culture day” to learn about the different backgrounds of the team members. It became a day that people looked forward to both sharing and growing.
DISCUSS WHAT SHOULD STAY AND WHAT SHOULD GO
When companies and teams talk about the type of culture they value, it can be so empowering. A great way to get a dialogue started on what each team member thinks the work environment should look like is pose some helpful questions:
- What is the best part of being part of this team?
- What would you change and why?
- How can we cultivate stronger work relationships?
- Which processes of the past still work and which ones might you update or throw out?
- What is preventing you from leading?
Download these leadership exercises to empower you and your team to tackle some of these questions.
Do you “long for yesterday”? What strategies have worked to bring you and your team into the present?
If you need some help in propelling you and your team forward just contact me.
A very interesting topic, Terri!
Like most, I find a certain amount of nostalgia in remembering the past. The past seems to look a little rosier in retrospect, until I start to really think about it. When I’m honest with myself, I realize that “the past” is not usually a good place to stay because it means I would have to “unlearn” what has come to my attention during the intervening time.
I recently had a situation where I felt the need to go back to basics as I moved forward on a project. And while I pulled out my old notes, I also realized that things had changed in the interim. It didn’t feel right to do things the same old way so I changed quite a few action points while keeping the old approach.
I think there is a way to cling to what worked in the past as long as it is updated with a fresh outlook. That is always important. It’s just not 1984 anymore….
You are so right LaRae that the past is never a good place to hangout. It’s critical for leaders to honestly see what areas they can bring into the present without compromising a new vantage point. We always talk about the importance of continually growing our leadership and that of course means keeping an open mind and heart to what we must be doing today.
Thanks for sharing your story. I could relate as I am always changing and updating all my presentations to be relevant.
I appreciate your support LaRae!
It’s funny, I think many of us have a tendancy to look back and remember the good in the past, and overlook some of the more difficult stuff. I really like your approach here, of leveraging our memories to help guide our vision and actions today. Great topic and powerful post!
What I have come to realize is that sometimes parts of the past make sense and there is no need to dump out everything. With that in mind, it is critical for leadership to be open about new possibilities that align with organizational values in place.
Thanks Karin for your insights!
Excellent article Terri! Very important article for all leaders to read. Thanks for being an amazing leader!
I appreciate your support and your leadership as well, Cynthia!
Appreciate that you encourage people to talk about it and actively work together to create what they want in the future… not only looking back to the past.
When the consulting firm I worked for went public, many of us “old timers” longed for the good old days until we realized it actually created a rift between pre and post-IPO employees. We could either continue to fuel the split and the longing or be committed to where we were headed.
Will definitely share this! Thanks, Terri.
~ Alli
The story about the your consulting firm challenges with blending past and present strategies does happen in many organizations. This is where great leadership comes in handy. Strong leaders can facilitate both sides-meshing the successes that need to be carried into the present with the vision of a different workplace.
When “old timers” share their mistakes and failures, it really helps employees see them as human and be more willing to listen to their older input as well. It’s all about creating a trusting work environment.
Thanks Alli for helping us see some different sides to this issue!
Terri – I’m so glad she reached out to you to talk. It can be really hard to move forward if you’re spending too much time looking back!
And figuring out if you are looking back for healthy reasons or if you are simply stuck in the past is critically important!
At one point in my life I was spending a lot of time looking back, and while I needed to it to learn and heal, and am thankful that there was a very clear sign that it was time to move on. http://consultgiana.com/looking-back-7-times-you-should-and-7-times-you-should-not/
Knowing when to let things go is a sign of great leadership and a willingness to be open to new ideas. It can be so difficult feeling that our past plays a much smaller role in our present and future jobs.
So recognizing those signs of adding to ill health is being a smart, self-aware person and that is you for sure!
Thanks so much for sharing your journey with us, Chery! I always love your insights!