The Vicious Cycle of Poor Morale

Kelly:  I read a pretty amazing article the other day that said almost half (47%) of all executives don't like their jobs and most of those don't trust either direct boss or their company's CEO.  Almost the same number (42%) also reported that employee morale in general was only fair or poor in the companies they worked for.

The think that struck me was that these folks were undoubtedly in leadership roles within their organization, and that as leaders they have a direct impact on, and some significant measure of responsibility for, the morale of the people on their teams.  This has the feel of a problem that's not going to get better:  how can a demoralized executive lead the way to improved employee morale?  It got me wondering what a CEO can do to pull a company--or a division or a department--out of this sort of vicious circle.

Belinda:  These number are really breath-taking when I think about the resources and people these individuals are managing every day.  There are two issues here:  job dissatisfaction and mistrust.  It seems to me that the response might require dealing with the second issue first.

David Meister, in his book The Trusted Adviser, spells out a formula for trust.  He suggests that it is made up of the sum of Credibility plus Reliability plus Intimacy, divided by Self-Orientation.  In other words, we are trustworthy when we know what we are talking about, when we consistently do what we say we will do, and when we have genuine interest in the person, not just the bottom line.  The clincher, though, is that all of this is diminished by the degree to which we care only about our own agenda, whether that agenda is greedy and self-serving, or only focused on what we believe serves the common interest.

So if a CEO wants to pull her organization out of the vicious circle you describe, some initial steps would include:

1. How do you establish your credibility? Are you clear in stating what you know and also in acknowledging what you don't know?  How do you access information and experience when you are dealing with something you don't know about?
2. Are you reliable, consistently promising only what you can deliver and then following through on what you have promised?
3. Do you genuinely care about the people in your organization as individuals with aspirations and personal lives, or are they just worker bees?
4. How willing are you to set aside your own agenda?  Can you stand firm on an opinion and at the same time stay open to other opinions and data?

Kelly:  What you say makes me realize I missed the obvious, that more often than not situations like this are resolved from the top.  Even when external events (acquisitions, the recession, etc.) create employee commitment and morale issues, it's the way leaders behave and what they consciously do to build trust and confidence that turns the tide.  Strong leaders recognize bad situations and act before the mission of the group is impacted.  Or better yet, their leadership style and the very nature of their personalities prevent such situations from developing.

The responsibility certainly rests at the top of the organization but it's also part of the job of every leader at every level, in particular those in charge of large, diverse teams.  The CEO's role is critical and has a big impact, but each of us (including all those folks cited above who reported a lack of trust in their boss) have a similar impact on the groups we lead, and a similar responsibility.  We're the "mini-CEO's" whose job it is to provide leadership that creates credibility and belief in the mission of our team, and through the behavior we model, and the caring and respect we show for the people manage, we create confidence in their ability to succeed.

Belinda:  I'm reminded of Gandhi's statement that we must "be the change we want to see in the world."  Good morale starts with us, wherever we are in the organization.

Comments

[Brian Ahearn]

Nice article. I especially appreciate the insight on authority. When I host workshops we talk about bringing forth expertise and gaining trust as ways to tap into authority quickly. I like the added dimension of consistency to build even more authority over the long term.