Talk with you soon!!

Perhaps managers are measuring their effectiveness when times are bad and employees have no real options but to remain in their jobs and with their organizations.  The real measure of a manager is determined during the good times when employees have many options open to them but choose to remain with their leader.  Consider reading Leadership and Self-Deception and get down off that org chart!

 So why have some professions consistently had significant variable pay components and others none?  Why do banking executives need an exorbatant bonus to work to the best of their ability while pilots or teachers manage to do the impossible on far less pay?   As the demands for productivity and wealth creation fall on all employees, perhaps we need to rethink our out-dated compensation systems.

The Broken Laws and Unprotected Workers Survey may now be confirming what I suspected all along.  Wage and hour violations and retaliation against employees are not only on the rise but are entrenched in practice for more than 25% of the workforce.  Those conducting the survey sought out the feedback of employees that are often excluded or aren’t easily accessible.  These survey results may, therefore, be the most representative of workplace reallity. 

One might argue that the niceties of the workplace have deteriorated because of the economy but the survey was conducted over an extended period of time and initiated prior to the financial crash.  Just because times are bad, doesn’t give anyone permission to behave badly.  Employers should always behave with character.  Remember better conditions are on the horizon.  4 million search for work online daily and by 2030, it is projected there will be a shortfall of talent, leaving 35 million jobs unfilled. 

We cannot measure our effectiveness as leaders when employees have no choice.  We have to measure our effectiveness when employees have many good choices and they choose to work with us.

Chen-Bo Zhong of the University of Toronto conducted a series of experiments partnering test subjects with anonymous people.  Each test subject had two options: treat their partners fairly or lie to them.  If they decided to lie, they would gain at the expense of their partner. 

Prior to making their decisions, some test subjects were encouraged to think rationally about the situation and ignore their emotions.  69% concluded, despite analysis, to lie.  Other test subjects were encouraged to make decisions based on their gut feelings.  Only 27% lied.  Surprising, I’m sure but no more surprising than the fact that even though we are treated better by people who trust their feelings, we actually don’t trust them.  75% of the partners chose to deal with the “rational” test subject despite their tendency to cheat them. 

These results put a new perspective on the recent financial debacle.  When times are good, we may quiet our gut feelings rather than listen to their warnings.  We automatically provide rationalizations for what we and others are doing.  And we may only seek out information that agrees with our rationalizations.   There are those within our financial institutions that had a “bad” feeling about what was occurring.  We can only hope that the next time, we all listen.

65% of women ages 20 to 39 have a risk for heart disease, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity or smoking (from the National Center for Health Statistics).

22% of women in their 20′s (yes, in their twenties) have high cholestrol and

68% of young women don’t get the recommended two and a half hours of exercise per week.

Whether men or women, since I suspect men’s numbers are no better than women’s, having serious medical issues so early in our lives will tend to indicate we may get chronic illnesses earlier in our lives than ever before.  As individuals assume more of the cost of their healthcare, our best option may be to stay well and help our families understand why their elders say, “well at least I’ve still got my health!”

Perhaps the more fundamental concern is about the redemption of our souls rather than theirs.  Have we become so anxious to shed responsibility for ourselves that we no longer judge the character of our associates?  Perhaps character is becoming much harder to assess than it used to be or perhaps good character is becoming so scarce that we’re forced to trust more scroundrels. 

Who else isn’t what they appear to be?  And who are you, really?

This idea isn’t really new.  But certainly the magnitude of the finding is compelling.  Despite thought leaders urging transformational leadership for decades, organizations are still focused on “the numbers” rather than the people and hard skills rather than soft.  Remember, doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.  Stop the insanity and get in touch with your organization’s heart and soul.  A great resolution for the new year.

Granted, we are unclear the numbers of medical marijuana users are included in these numbers.  Many of the participants appear to have continued smoking throughout their lifetime but a significant number have resumed the drug’s use.  Although unsupported by research, substance abuse professionals feel that marriage and children tend to reduce drug use while divorce and retirement tend to increase drug use.  It’s also clear that “resumers” were not drawn back to smoking by their children.   Rather, users cite a desire for the calm and serenity that comes with marijuana that they didn’t experience when they were younger.  They’re seeking the fabled “mellow”. 

Let’s be very clear about why we point out this behavior.  There are very real legal and medical consequences to drug use.  In particular, the greatest danger for Baby Boomers is a fivefold increase in the risk of heart disease.  A 2008 American Heart Journal study also found increased instances of cardiovascular distress and death in recreational smokers.   We strongly encourage our readers to identify legal and safe ways to reduce stress and cope with the pressures of their lives.