Leaders Can be on a Crash Course, if they remain unaware
Research is showing what we have suspected for decades
It is becoming clear creating an environment where your employees are allowed and encouraged to be happy is going to be the competitive advantage for businesses in this New paradigm for leadership.
Any business or organisation that might unwittingly be on a leadership crash course needs to be aware of the by Professor Andrew Oswald of Warwick University, which demonstrated a definite causal link between productivity, work and human happiness. Reporting on the work of Oswald, the Daily Mail published an article about the report which quoted Professor Oswald as saying ‘Companies like Google have invested more in employee support and employee satisfaction has risen as a result. For Google, it rose by 37%, they know what they are talking about. Under scientifically controlled conditions, making workers happier really pays off.’
Further research by Professor Satya Paul, of the University of Western Australia concluded that “happy people are more active, more productive and get less upset by the work,’’. Significantly he found happy people also earned more.
It’s a global phenomenon, and a worldwide awakening, which has been marked by the United Nations when they introduced the on the 20th March each year. The indications are heartening, and anyone who does not realise they are on a leadership crash course can learn from this emerging information.
Strategies to create a happier environment at work
Earlier this week, I was delighted to share my who has for many years used core behavioural values to develop his team. Speaking to David, and hearing his absolute enthusiasm for the magic ingredient, he had fostered to get phenomenal results; I had no doubt that in the end, his method helped his people be happier at work. The behaviours are encompassed in his book, The 7 Non-Negotiables of Winning.
In my article , I share some simple strategies you can adopt as a leader and employer to create an environment which fosters happiness. My tips don’t go as far as David Williams’s methodology, but they can be quick wins to immediately help raise the vibration of your organisation.
If you are a leader, the single most transformational action you can take is to create an environment whereby your employees feel good about who they are and what they are doing.
Becoming aware of the Leadership Crash Course is Vital
Unfortunately some leaders, both at world and business level, are simply on a crash course to failure given the current paradigm they are working in. The problem is, unless a leader can recognise how bad it is, little is going to change to make the transformation political and business leadership so sorely needs.
Here is a checklist of situations which are present in your country, organisation or business, which are wake-up calls telling you to change course.
- There is a “them and us” attitude.
- Your organisation ethos is that employees ought to be grateful for a job
- Culturally it is ok to blame individuals or teams for what goes wrong.
- People are scared to say what they think, and you never ask them anyway
- You think you know better
- There is a culture of complaining and negativity
- There is a “business like” culture which squeezes out basic caring of people in the organisation and beyond
- Profit is king, values will be breached if the profit margin is threatened
- Policies and procedures do not take into account that people have lives
- Employees are not encouraged to learn and grow
An inconvenient truth?
Sometimes it can be an inconvenient truth to look within and see that even one of these statements is true. But if you are brave enough, then all it needs is some self-forgiveness and a determination to get on the right track.
What do you think? Do you have any other cultural or leadership behaviours which demonstrate that an organisation or business is on a leadership crash course?
