Could Business Success Be That Easy?
Image by Annie Sprat@anniespratt
During the last administration, in a particular period of rather nasty and heated political back and forth, I found myself thinking, “Whatever happened to decency?”
That started me thinking about our current social norms and behaviors. Since we at Momentum are consultants, I was reflecting particularly on work environments.
Most conversations about “decency” tend to take a moralistic approach: “Do unto others…” But sheerly from a business perspective, it seems pretty obvious that if you treat people decently, you get better results.
There is a genuine economic benefit in treating your people with decency; it gives you a performance edge over the competition. Think about who you do business with. You probably do business with people you like, and you like them because of the way they treat you.
How you are treated at the places with which you do business is a reflection of how that business treats the people who work there.
As the COVID pandemic swept through this country, it reshaped how people thought about work. The safety restrictions, as with many other businesses, threatened to shut down our business. Forty percent of our work stopped cold. It has slowly returned, but my first thoughts back in March of 2020 were, “How long can we last?” Fortunately, our recovery turned out less dire than I expected. But that abrupt change and struggle to do business began a long period of reflecting on work for a large portion of our population.
Some companies took a slash-and-burn approach to employee expenses; some put themselves at risk to take care of their employees. Which one would you prefer to work for?
I do not have hard evidence, but logic tells me the organizations that put their people first are performing at a higher level today than those who did not.
What does treating your people with decency mean?
Considering performance is a function of behavior, and in organizations, behavior is largely driven by environment or culture, then creating an environment in which people feel safe, both physically and to speak up, creates trust. Trust and safety create engagement, which is the basis of high performance. Surveys show that organizations that score high on engagement perform above the pack consistently! Once again, apply this to yourself and see if it rings true.
Studies of organizational behavior, notably Gallup, consistently rank three things that engage people at work and produce high-performance environments:
People want to feel that what they do is valued.
People want to feel they are listened to.
People want to see opportunities for development, growth and advancement.
On the flip side, half of the people who leave a job do so because of how they are managed or treated. This is a big part of why so many people rethinking the nature of work. “Quiet quitting” is a manifestation of asking…
Why am I busting my butt for someone who does not really appear to care about me?
Some organizational cultures are not faring well in this rethinking. And I will wager that the organizations that place a strong value on their people and demonstrate it are doing just fine. Mackey’s Conscious Capitalism movement says by as much as ten times.
We just celebrated the 20-year anniversary of 911. During that horrific period in our history – as with other calamitous events like hurricanes, floods and COVID – people showed up with care and assistance for those in need. That phenomenon is evidence of the essential decency within each of us, at the heart of us. After all, humans are pack animals; we thrive best in community.
We say, “Organizations that focus on group success over individual success will score higher.” The material drive to “crush it” can and often does separate us from the pack but leaves a void.
When your people feel as valuable to you as your customers, your business will prosper.
There is a current reconciliation of work going on in this country. It allows you to rethink your organization or who you want to work for, as well as what you have to offer. The Economics of Decency is a fresh mindset for a fresh beginning.
Cheers,
Comment below
or
Fundamental of the Week #20: APPRECIATE AND ACKNOWLEDGE
Regularly let people know you appreciate their qualities. Being acknowledged for a task well done is important; being acknowledged for a character quality is lasting.
Momentum Consulting offers executive business coaching, top-level executive consulting, team trainings and team off-sites to build and transform your business to the next level. Inquire about business consulting and leadership coaching today.
