Ethics

Political Correctness – BAH!

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I cannot think of another social movement in recent history which has done so much to stifle constructive dialog and collaborative problem solving.  Whatever the motivation, PC has now become a weapon for those who refuse to acknowledge the value of people holding different viewpoints, much less looking objectively at the value of their ideas.  According to PC proponents we must hold their viewpoints and march in lock step with their views.  Differing perspectives, differing viewpoints result in personal attacks on individuals who dare to voice a different opinion.  Problems abound because the proponents insist on focusing their efforts on personally attacking those individuals rather than collaboratively focusing on the issue or situation causing the problem.   Political correctness has shut down any conversation involving difficult topics.  People are walking on eggshells, afraid of being called whatever “-ist” the PC police will label them if they voice a different viewpoint.  For people who allegedly want to defend the feelings of others, the PC crew sure do fail to follow their own rules when they attack individuals who dare to express some independent thought.  Ethics and morality be damned in the PC world.

ENOUGH OF THIS INTELLECTUAL TYRANNY CLOAKED IN THE APPEARANCE OF MANNERS!

As the leader of your organization what positive steps do you take to encourage conversation and collaborative problem solving?  Or have you taken the path of least resistance and just allowed political correctness to rule?  If that’s the case, take a good look at the quality of problem solving in your organization.  If you want some “correctness” in your organization, implement emotional correctness.  More on that to come.

 

“What difference … does it make?”

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First, this article has nothing to do with politics.  If you want to attack or defend the individual who spoke these words some months ago please go find another page or write your own blog.  My focus is on the importance of always considering the consequences of what we say.

It is my assessment that in the heat of the moment the individual who spoke these words did not fully appreciate or understand the potential consequences of her words.  Even today her words carry some weight.  At all times, no matter the venue, setting, or circumstances she has a responsibility for being cognizant not only of the words spoken but the potential impact upon others – in other words the full message.   She’s not the only one in such a position and should not be singled out for criticism, invective, or other agenda.

Each of us in a leadership or management position, no matter how high, carries the same responsibility.  While it might sound good in private or among friends – and maybe in the heat of the moment – our words are never spoken in a vacuum.  Our comments are subject to interpretation by friend and critic alike.  How more effective can we be as leaders when we take that extra moment to think about the consequences before uttering statements we might spend months and years regretting and/or explaining.

“What difference … does it make?”  This comment illustrates the importance of taking that one brief pause before uttering words that muddy the waters, distract from the issue, or unintentionally cause someone pain or anguish.  Lesson to be learned and implemented – think before we speak.

Can it get any worse?

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Aunt Nell was furious with you.  Over the objections of the board you went ahead and commissioned a new program to implement political correctness.  After spending almost half a million dollars on your plan, the new employee job satisfaction surveys have come in.  Good Lord!  Aunt Nell pointed out that despite the money spent productivity is no higher and surprisingly, employee satisfaction is flat in some areas and down significantly in others.   “All you’ve done is introduce our employees to tyranny cloaked in the appearance of manners,” she pointed out.  When you stated that we’re now in the 21st century and political correctness was the dominant approach, meaning the company had to consider the feelings of people, she slammed her hand on your desk.  “You’ve forgotten our history,” she said in a frosty tone of voice.  “You’ve just told me that treating people with dignity and respect is obsolete.  When your grandparents started this company people were hired on the basis of their qualifications.  We didn’t care about their race, sex, color or creed and we still don’t.  We don’t even care what they do in the privacy of their own homes as long as it’s not illegal.  What matters is that we created and maintain a business where people feel valued for their contributions.  You’ve created an atmosphere where people can’t even talk with one another about issues or behaviors, for fear of being labeled a racist, bigot, sexist or whatever.”  She got up to leave.  “Since when have the demands of a vocal tyrannical minority been more important than treating everyone with dignity and respect?  All of our employees matter, not just those who want to promote their own agenda.  Give me one concrete example where your political correctness has built a cooperative sense of belonging to a team that truly values you as an individual.  You need to take a good hard look at what you’ve done to this company. More importantly, take a hard look at the message you’ve sent our employees. You don’t listen to what our employees have to say.  Instead, you hide behind some fad set of policies. You think I’m a meddler because I frequently visit with our employees.  What’s the name of the foreman in our Branch #2?  How’s his wife doing after her surgery?”  Aunt Nell walked to the door.  “We don’t need your political correctness.  We need to continue to treasure our employees because at the end of the day, they’re the foundation of our success.”

A Teachable Moment

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Like many of you I have been watching with increasing frustration the daily debacle coming from Washington.  Rather than just fume I’ve decided to try to turn this into a teachable moment.  I’m not going to play the blame game – there’s more than enough blame to cover the professional politicians involved in this mess.  Instead, let’s look at this in terms of compromise and consensus.

Compromise is a term often used to characterize negotiations.  “Everyone has to compromise” is the phrase often heard, usually an instruction from the party in power to the weaker party, right?  How many of you have been involved in negotiations where demands were made on you to give up something in order for you to gain something?  Here’s the problem.  If what you have to give up has a greater perceived value than what you receive how willing are you to compromise?  Compromise works best when mature adults engage in a balancing act where the guiding principle is fairness, not getting one over on someone.

Consensus is defined as achieving general agreement through harmony.  The starting point is the focus on the issue or situation,  usually accompanied by an objective identification of the problems.  When engaged in trying to find a general agreement mature adults use creative and critical thinking skills.   Again, the guiding principle is fairness.  The parties involved in consensus are not asked to give up anything in order to gain something in return.  Consensus works best when the communication stays open and fair.   Ultimately what results generally treats the staff fairly.  Isn’t it an accepted business practice that if you do right by the people who work for you they will do right by the organization?

So which approach works best for you?

Some More Thoughts

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I’m pretty sure that if I mention group dynamics one more time you’re going to end the blog visit and walk away.  So let’s take a brief break.

During some recent travel I met an individual who caused me to walk away, shaking my head.  He is very successful in business and if you ever have a doubt he’ll make sure to tell you just how successful he is.  In the course of our “conversation” I was struck by the stark differences between us.  This man made sure I knew just how stupid everyone is ((I’m presuming that included me) and he’s the only one with the answers.  I realized that this man truly thinks people are stupid and not worth his time.  I saw the way he treated the young man at the coffee stand and I cringed.  It finally dawned on me that this man has a sense of entitlement due to his own ego.  Are people stupid?  No, not really.  Do we all have the ability to behave stupidly at times?  You betcha!  And that’s the difference.  Where the so-called successful man dismisses people because he believes them to be stupid I work hard to focus on the issue or the behavior, not the individual.  This businessman, through his attitude that he graces us with his presence, sends the message loudly and clearly that people are of no value to him other than what he can get out of them.  By focusing on behaviors I work hard to let people know, including my readers, that individuals do have value.  When there’s a problem we address the behavior without demeaning the individual.  Which approach do you think will enhance performance, job satisfaction and the bottom line?  Which type of person are you?

Things Don’t Seem Quite So Bad

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When preparing this week’s blog, I was distracted by the news of the pending hurricane, Sandy, and its growth into a super storm.  I’ve experienced killer hurricanes and blizzards and know the havoc and devastation such a storm can cause.  My distraction was compounded by the fact that I have family and friends who were about to affected by this storm.  Fortunately, everyone is safe.  But in watching the news coverage of the devastation left behind, it struck me that while our problems in our professional lives can seem so important and perhaps insurmountable, we know where we’re going to sleep tonight, we know we can purchase food and gas, and our lives have not been turned upside down.  Our business problems don’t seem quite so bad when compared to what is happening to millions of people living across the mid-Atlantic and eastern seaboard.

So I ask you all who happen to come across this blog or who read it regularly, please take a moment to pray for those who have lost everything – family, friends, homes,  possessions, and for more than 100 of our fellow citizens, their lives.  Please  consider making a donation to any of those charities helping our fellow citizens try to find a sense of normalcy in the midst of unspeakable devastation and loss.   It’s times like these when we truly show how good, caring and compassionate we are.  Our fellow citizens need us.

Cheerleader or Saboteur?

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When it comes to problem solving, as the leader of your organization are you a cheerleader or a saboteur?  Do you sit on the sidelines while others work to find practical and realistic solutions, supporting them and encouraging them in their work?  Or are you sabotaging their efforts by second guessing their decisions and trying to force your choices on them?  When someone brings a creative solution to a problem do you give them lip service and then undermine any effort to achieve a consensus?

Does this really matter?  Yes, it does, if you’re serious about resolving problems within your organization.  Being a cheerleader reflects your confidence not only in your skills to lead but in the skills and talents of the people working for you.  Think back to a time when someone supported you and how motivated you were to achieve the goal or complete the task.  That same approach will motivate your employees to work as hard as they can to complete the tasks and achieve the goals.

What do you think happens when your employees figure out that you’re a saboteur?  How motivated do you think they will be to work as hard as they can to make the organization a smooth running operation, profitable and successful?  As the saboteur, how much support will you get for the solutions you support?

Put in these terms, which role have you played?  Honest answers may just help you begin the process of engaging in problem solving that is finally effective.  Bringing a professional problem solver into the mix can help you be even more effective.

Leadership and Ethics

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If you know what you’re doing is wrong but there’s no one to notice or learn of what you’re doing, is there an ethical issue? When it’s put that bluntly, what do you think? Remember the common sense definition of ethics. Ethics is what you do when no one’s watching. You as the supervisor, manager or leader have a moral obligation to your organization and to yourself to always try to do the right thing. If you don’t but you instruct your employees to do so, aren’t you really simply stating that they’re to do as you say, not as you do? Are you truly behaving as a leader?

Ethical conduct these days seems to be in short supply. We’ve all read the headlines and heard the talking heads pontificate about the waste and abuse by federal agencies, state agencies, and private sector organizations. Why does it keep happening? For one thing, what are the consequences? A few folks have resigned their positions or retired. And in “fifteen minutes,” figuratively speaking, no one will remember, the agencies involved will suffer no lasting consequences and the same old mind set continues.

Here’s the big “however.” If your organization relies upon its reputation for honor and integrity, any behavior by any employee which is contrary to those principles will undermine that reputation and ultimately end up hurting the organization. As a member of the leadership team you bear a great responsibility for protecting the good name of your organization and the reputation of each and every employee. With that in mind, how will you respond to the next ethical dilemma you face?

Back to Work

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How many of us have thought dark thoughts that first morning we’ve had to go back to the office after spending however long on a great vacation?  It can be overwhelming facing the tasks, the emails that need to be answered, the phone calls to be returned and the mail stacked at least 2 feet high on our desk.  This is especially true for leaders, managers and supervisors.  It’s almost enough to make us turn off the alarm, pull the covers back over our heads and call in sick.  But we don’t.

How best to ease back into the routine?  Here are a few suggestions.

Get in early.   If it’s possible, try to get in early on your first day back.  It can be tempting to stay in vacation mode but this is one day that you have to be on your game from the very start.  Why go in early?  Believe it or not, the peace and quiet of the early start gives you some valuable time in order to get back into work mode.

If you’re not alone in the office when you get in, resist the urge to start telling folks how great your vacation was.  That chat can wait for a coffee break or even lunch.  Phone calls welcoming you back need to be kept to a minimum.  Politely let the caller know that it’s your first day back and you’re swamped.  Try to set a time when the call and conversation will be convenient for both of you.

Set priorities.  Once back at the office you’ll need to establish what tasks need done right now and what can wait.  [Here’s a hint – the social networking emails can wait.  As a matter of fact, those emails need to be done on your time, not company time.]   What’s the most important task to get done the first day back?  How soon is it due?  Each task gets looked at to get the due date and what’s needed to accomplish the task.   If you need to assign work to the folks you supervise, make sure you’re aware of their schedules.

If problems arose while you were gone, take time to talk to the individual who handled the problem in your absence.  You’re going to need that person’s input before making any additional decisions on the matter.  Whatever you do, try not to critique their handling of the situation.  They’re not you – they’re not going to do things exactly the way you would.  If additional action is needed to address the problem fully, initiate that action as soon as possible.  Thank the individual for covering in your absence.  A little good will goes a long, long way.

Accept the fact that you’re going to be wishing you were still on vacation but expend the time and effort to stay on task.  It sets a good example for others and lets them know you’re back and in control.

Before you go on vacation, don’t schedule that performance appraisal with the difficult employee for the first day you’re back.  Give yourself a day or two to get back fully into work mode.  If it’s your practice to have unit meetings, staff meetings, group meetings, or whatever you call them, schedule that meeting for a day or two after your return.  Why?  It gives you some time to get a sense of what has happened in your absence and to be fully prepared for the meeting.

Just some thoughts and ideas that may make the return to work a bit easier.  Glad you’re back at work and here’s hoping the next vacation is just as much fun.