Digging in the Dirt - Walking the Rows (Part Trois)

Digging in the Dirt - Walking the Rows (Part Trois)

REGARDLESS OF OUR INDUSTRY or business type, some issues plague all of us. And one in particular seems to exist everywhere. The average American worker is stressed beyond belief because he or she is burdened by unrealistic expectations from management.

The most effective executives understand that never-ending, excessive expectations demoralize employees and that they’ll never get the greatest return from their people if they destroy their self-confidence. The best “coaches” win in their marketplace because they get this concept, whereas their competitors don’t. I’ve seen this occur in both large and small enterprises, but it is particularly the case in publicly held companies where the pressure to make the number each quarter becomes a weed that chokes the creative life out of employees. Wall Street is not going to change, but how you communicate with your employees can.

Execs, I challenge you to walk the rows. See your employees’ faces; look into their eyes. These are real people who may be giving their all to your organization—even as they’re burning out fast. Give them a reason, besides a paycheck, to continue to invest their hearts, minds, and bodies in your enterprise. It took me years to get brave enough to do this, but it works: you will win them faster by sharing your own struggle in the fight. It’s okay to let them know you’re tired, too, but that you continue because you believe in them. Trust me; they’ll respond to your honesty and vulnerability, coupled with confidence and leadership, much faster than another disheartening critique.

Of course, the same is true at home. Sure, you may be exasperated because you’ve noticed your children can hear an ice cream truck six blocks away but never respond to your requests, made from the doorway, to come set the table. Maybe your husband never finds time to repaint the shutters but refuses to miss a televised Sunday afternoon football game. While you have the right to expect family members to contribute to the running of your household, they’re likely to respond better to firm but loving requests than to commands yelled from the next room.

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. (Philippians 2:13)

Yes, I know it’s hot out there. And, yes, I know you have a lot of work to do in your own office and at home. But you can’t see the weeds from there. Come on. It’s time we get out from behind our desks (or our kitchens) and walk the rows.