QUESTION: What is the morale like, overall, in your work area?
ANOTHER QUESTION: What is your consistent attitude toward,
• the work you do?
• the individuals with whom you work?
• the consumers, clients and fellow employees of whom you serve?
LAST QUESTION (for now): Do you believe that these aforementioned concepts (“morale” and “attitude”) impact such things as: worker productivity, program effectiveness, employee retention, worker safety, operating expenses, employee turnover, worker absenteeism and tardiness, consumer satisfaction, patient care, supplier relationships, community partner longevity, employee performance, constituent support and the overall PUBLIC TRUST???
For now, suffice to say that, how we think and behave in the workplace impacts everything that the workplace is in place for.
I was told by a friend a couple of summers ago on a clear sunny day when my mood was less than chipper, that “you cannot be unhappy and grateful at the same time…try it Jerry,” he said. I did. Like opposing magnetic fields, gratitude and unhappiness repel each other; as do happiness and ungratefulness…at least they do for me.
When we emerge as leaders (formal and informal), our impact on others expands, whether we like it, and ask for it, or not. This exponential impact can be cherished or abused – with all the muckiness in between.
Whatever title you hold in the workplace, you are leading and impacting people. Whether you work in the executive suite, the cafeteria, marketing, the production line, HR, public works or legal, the breadth and depth of your influence is great. And I’m not just talking about influence while at work. The people you are “leading” discuss YOU at their dinner tables and on their vacations and at the gym and, well, you know where else, because you do the same thing, and so do I. And I don’t have to tell you - but I will - that not all of what they are discussing positions you in a positive light.
But whether or not you agree with my assertion about your impact to this extent, my question to all of us is this:
Are we willing to take a close look at our own attitude and morale in the workplace? Not other’s attitude and morale, but ours…the only one we can control.
If so, then leading others through a mindset of “servitude” is possible. But the key is this oft-forgotten virtue – gratitude. The willingness to give of our talents and energy for the betterment of others is highest when we are grateful, simply, for that opportunity. However, as “power” works its magic on our egos and our self-importance, we can easily lose that inspiration to serve and instead demand to be served. That ever happen to you or those around you? It obviously happens to some more so than others. But we all fall fray to our “larger than life ideas” of who we think we are. Yet it takes a keen desire to be of use to others in order to get out of that trap. When gratitude is given the helm, only then can we right ourselves back to service. No easy task, for sure. Everyday, good leaders (and bad ones) are continually thrown off course due to a lack of gratitude in serving and helping other people. The examples are numerous, both nationally and locally.
And the interesting thing is that without gratitude, other virtues struggle to surface. Think about it. Try to be empathic without being grateful. Try to think in abundance while being ungrateful. Try holding on to a grudge and not forgive someone and at the same time be honest and genuine in your gratitude of having them in your life. It ain’t easy.
In moving forward as leaders, our gratitude plays a most important role. Those of you who feel fortunate to assist others in the community (and in the workplace) and see your “work” as a vehicle in which to utilize your talents and energy to give and serve, then your leadership is invaluable to this region. It’s invaluable to this state. And it’s invaluable to me if I report to you! And the inverse of all that applies as well…
When we measure and report out on the bottom-line indicators mentioned earlier (retention, absenteeism, satisfaction, etc.), careful consideration should also be given as to how those numbers are shaped. Annual reports, financial statements, annual reviews (if given), figures, data, percentages, stats, and analyses that tell a story of the “state of the area” are all impacted (to a large extent) by the individuals performing the tasks at hand. These reports come from somewhere. And that somewhere is in the energy of the people performing the duties that make up these nicely-packaged summaries.
We must not overlook “gratitude” just because it’s not a business term; or because it’s not talked about at weekly meetings; or because it’s not as easily measured as productivity. Gratitude drives the “spirit” of our work. The trick is, first, how to make “available” the immeasurable (spirit, inspiration, spiritual-ness, gratitude) components of the job; and then how to connect them to tangible, and performance-driven variables. This duality is our challenge when living the life of a Servant Leader.
By:
Jerry M. Nehr, Jr.
ANOTHER QUESTION: What is your consistent attitude toward,
• the work you do?
• the individuals with whom you work?
• the consumers, clients and fellow employees of whom you serve?
LAST QUESTION (for now): Do you believe that these aforementioned concepts (“morale” and “attitude”) impact such things as: worker productivity, program effectiveness, employee retention, worker safety, operating expenses, employee turnover, worker absenteeism and tardiness, consumer satisfaction, patient care, supplier relationships, community partner longevity, employee performance, constituent support and the overall PUBLIC TRUST???
For now, suffice to say that, how we think and behave in the workplace impacts everything that the workplace is in place for.
I was told by a friend a couple of summers ago on a clear sunny day when my mood was less than chipper, that “you cannot be unhappy and grateful at the same time…try it Jerry,” he said. I did. Like opposing magnetic fields, gratitude and unhappiness repel each other; as do happiness and ungratefulness…at least they do for me.
When we emerge as leaders (formal and informal), our impact on others expands, whether we like it, and ask for it, or not. This exponential impact can be cherished or abused – with all the muckiness in between.
Whatever title you hold in the workplace, you are leading and impacting people. Whether you work in the executive suite, the cafeteria, marketing, the production line, HR, public works or legal, the breadth and depth of your influence is great. And I’m not just talking about influence while at work. The people you are “leading” discuss YOU at their dinner tables and on their vacations and at the gym and, well, you know where else, because you do the same thing, and so do I. And I don’t have to tell you - but I will - that not all of what they are discussing positions you in a positive light.
But whether or not you agree with my assertion about your impact to this extent, my question to all of us is this:
Are we willing to take a close look at our own attitude and morale in the workplace? Not other’s attitude and morale, but ours…the only one we can control.
If so, then leading others through a mindset of “servitude” is possible. But the key is this oft-forgotten virtue – gratitude. The willingness to give of our talents and energy for the betterment of others is highest when we are grateful, simply, for that opportunity. However, as “power” works its magic on our egos and our self-importance, we can easily lose that inspiration to serve and instead demand to be served. That ever happen to you or those around you? It obviously happens to some more so than others. But we all fall fray to our “larger than life ideas” of who we think we are. Yet it takes a keen desire to be of use to others in order to get out of that trap. When gratitude is given the helm, only then can we right ourselves back to service. No easy task, for sure. Everyday, good leaders (and bad ones) are continually thrown off course due to a lack of gratitude in serving and helping other people. The examples are numerous, both nationally and locally.
And the interesting thing is that without gratitude, other virtues struggle to surface. Think about it. Try to be empathic without being grateful. Try to think in abundance while being ungrateful. Try holding on to a grudge and not forgive someone and at the same time be honest and genuine in your gratitude of having them in your life. It ain’t easy.
In moving forward as leaders, our gratitude plays a most important role. Those of you who feel fortunate to assist others in the community (and in the workplace) and see your “work” as a vehicle in which to utilize your talents and energy to give and serve, then your leadership is invaluable to this region. It’s invaluable to this state. And it’s invaluable to me if I report to you! And the inverse of all that applies as well…
When we measure and report out on the bottom-line indicators mentioned earlier (retention, absenteeism, satisfaction, etc.), careful consideration should also be given as to how those numbers are shaped. Annual reports, financial statements, annual reviews (if given), figures, data, percentages, stats, and analyses that tell a story of the “state of the area” are all impacted (to a large extent) by the individuals performing the tasks at hand. These reports come from somewhere. And that somewhere is in the energy of the people performing the duties that make up these nicely-packaged summaries.
We must not overlook “gratitude” just because it’s not a business term; or because it’s not talked about at weekly meetings; or because it’s not as easily measured as productivity. Gratitude drives the “spirit” of our work. The trick is, first, how to make “available” the immeasurable (spirit, inspiration, spiritual-ness, gratitude) components of the job; and then how to connect them to tangible, and performance-driven variables. This duality is our challenge when living the life of a Servant Leader.
By:
Jerry M. Nehr, Jr.
Jerry, I started a "gratitude journal" years ago. It's amazing how writing down the little things you appreciate opens your eyes to all of the amazing things around you, at work and in life.
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