One of my stories related to this is from a client I worked with years ago.  The main character in this story is an up and coming young executive – we’ll call her Sarah (not her real name).  Sarah was a go getter, recognized by corporate leadership for her achievements, her performance and her potential.  She was just 33 years old when she got her first chance to truly lead.  She was named president of a small division within the large global corporation for which she worked.  And boy was she ready – this was her chance to really prove herself.

This part of the business was new to her.  But Sarah was a quick study and knew just what to do.  She wasted no time evaluating the competitive landscape and identified some “quick hits” to gain market share.  She worked hard developing plans, securing resources, contacting clients, and informing key stakeholders.  She found places to cut costs, introduced efficiencies, and pushed ahead with some innovative product development.

There was just one problem.  Morale on her team was very low.  Sarah could sense it, but she couldn’t name it.  Something was amiss in the work environment.  Silos were strong.  Conflict was high.  She had lost one of her most experienced managers.  She knew she had to get people working as a team or all her hard work was for naught.

The news – and the solution – was not at all what Sarah expected.  You see Sarah had forgotten to lead.  She worked hard – early in the morning, late into the evening, weekends – she was always at work.  Her strategies were sound.  Her solutions were practical.  But she wasn’t leveraging her team.  Her team could see how hard she worked – alone – which left them feeling less than valued.

It was then that Sarah learned to let go.  She had been promoted for being a doer, but that wasn’t going to cut it anymore.  She had to learn to trust, to delegate, to empower.  Were her team’s ideas as good as hers?  Often no.  But Sarah learned to take some risks.  At times there were failures.  There’s learning in that as well.  And now her leadership team was learning together.  They would dust themselves off.  They would try again.  And they would accomplish much more as a team than Sarah ever could have imagined.

Today Sarah is a much better leader.  She’s still a brilliant, innovative, and hard working.  But she’s learned to forget how smart she is, let go, and let her team carry the torch.  As every good leader does, she learned the story was never really about her.

Anna Erickson, Ph.D. | Director, Consulting Services

Gallup does not provide a historical comparison in the article posted on their website.  But I have to believe this has increased – if not in the past few years, certainly when taking a longer term perspective.  And on the eve of SIOP’s 25^th anniversary, I like to believe that the contributions of Industrial and Organizational Psychologists have played a key part in this improvement in person-job fit.

• Accessibility of career decision tools and processes increase the chances that individuals have carefully chosen the their career path based on values, interests and abilities.
• Effective employee selection processes that include job analysis, valid testing and structured interviews increase the likelihood an employee will have the skills needed to be successful.
• Widespread implementation of employee engagement programs have helped employers remove common barriers to success on the job.
• Recognition of the negative impact of stress, incivility, and discrimination on organizational performance has led to a focus on eliminating these from the workforce.
• Research on the importance of performance feedback has improved the ways in which managers provide feedback to their employees.
• Better processes for talent identification and leadership development have helped organizations better recognize individual potential and support employee growth in the workplace.

There’s still work to be done.  The differences that Gallup found between ethnic groups, income, and education levels make it clear that not all employees are benefiting equally from advances in the workplace.  Yet we’ve come a long way since the days of Taylorism and Scientific Management.  What will we accomplish in the next 25 years?

Anna Erickson Ph. D. | Director, Consulting Services

The Psychologically Healthy Workplace Conference is taking place this weekend in Washington D.C. (if you are interested in attending there is still time to register).  The conference will be a great place to network, learn and celebrate healthy, high-performing organizations.

Some of the key note speakers include:

• Nico Pronk, PhD, FACSM – Vice-President and Health Science Officer, JourneyWell, HealthPartners, an expert on worksite health promotion and multi-component interventions
• Benjamin Schneider, PhD – Senior Research Fellow, VALTERA, an expert on employee engagement
• Cali Williams Yost – CEO and Founder of Work+Life Fit, Inc. and author of Work+Life: Finding the Fit That’s Right for You, an expert in work flexibility and work-life issues
• Rich Cober, PhD – Senior Director of Talent Management Analytics & Solutions, Marriott International, an expert on employee assessment and selection, performance management and hiring effectiveness
• Fran Melmed – Owner, context communication consulting llc, an HR communication consultant and blogger at free-range communication and Fistful of Talent.
• Roy Saunderson, MA, CRP – President, Recognition Management Institute, an authority on employee recognition
• Judy Martin – Emmy-award winning broadcast journalist, speaker and founder of WorkLifeNation.com
• Howard Ross – Founder and Chief Learning Officer, Cook Ross, Inc., an internationally recognized speaker on diversity, leadership and organizational change
• Tonya Vyhlidal, M.Ed., CHPD – Director of Wellness, Safety, and Life Enhancement, Lincoln Industries, an experienced health and wellness professional with a track record of success
• David C. Munz, PhD – Professor of Psychology, Saint Louis University, a recognized expert on organizationally-based stress management training
• Michelle James, MBA – Health Communication Manager, Intel Corporation, an experienced communications professional with expertise in wellness program development and health promotion
• Matthew J. Grawitch, PhD – Chair of the Organizational Studies Program in the School for Professional Studies at Saint Louis University, an expert on healthy workplace practices

For more information please visit: http://www.phwa.org/conference

Of course you have.  The saying is so ubiquitous, you’d have to be pretty sheltered to have never heard this.  In fact, it’s hard to find a corporate website that doesn’t include something declaring the importance of people to their business.  “Employees are our greatest asset” is frequently followed by clarifying statements, such as

• “Our ability to deliver on our strategy is dependent upon our employees — they are our single greatest asset.”
• “Our business success depends on the quality of our employees.”
• “Our employees are our greatest asset and key to our continuing success.”

So … do you believe it?

I’m sure that you do.  It’s hard to argue in this service economy, knowledge worker world we live in that employees don’t make a difference.  And I have yet to meet a successful leader who doesn’t value the contribution of his/her employees.  It’s like Jim Collins says in his best selling book “Good to Great,” it’s all about “getting the right people on the bus.”

Questar’s research shows that employees are contributing, and they too understand the contribution they make.  Yet while more than 80% of all employees say they know how their job contributes to the company achieving its business goals, only about half (56%) say they feel valued as an employee of their company.  When we asked employees how they would like to be recognized, many say pay.  But just as many reply that a simple “thank you” would be nice.  Comments like these are common:

• “Sometimes just a positive comment goes a long way.  I don’t necessarily need to be put on a pedestal every time I do a good job, but it is always nice to be recognized for doing a job well done.”
• “Would be nice to be told you are doing a good job.  We never hear that – just when things go wrong.”
• “Either a raise or a bonus would be nice, but mostly I would prefer my employer tell me I’ve done a good job.”

As the year closes, take some time to reflect on your employees and their contributions.  Set aside time to talk with employees about their accomplishments, gifts, and contributions – now and throughout 2010.  I know you know the impact that they have – but do your employees know that you know?

Anna Erickson Ph. D. | Director, Consulting Services