looking backwards – Part 2 – first principles
During a team building session attended by every employee in the company the boss put forward the view that clients were the most important thing that the company had. "Without them there is no money coming in and therefore no company!" The alternate view, that the employees were the only thing that the company had, was brushed aside. The employees were only there to serve the clients.
Call me crazy but I don’t think that is the right thing to say in front of all of your employees. I don't think I am crazy though because last I heard the company in question had a lot fewer employees and a lot fewer clients.
A quick Google search on the topic of “how we treat our employees” brings up phrases like “We know how important our people are for the success of the business and we value them as much as we value our clients.”. I happen to think that is worse than saying clients are more important because it is dishonest. The word ‘almost’ is clearly implied. It would be better if it said this (but I don’t think you would find these words on many Company websites!):
“We know how important our clients are for the success of the business and we value them as much as we value our people.”
The preamble from my 1968 Corporation's GUIDING PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES IN EMPLOYEE RELATIONS addresses the issue this way:
I like the honesty in the first paragraph and it is clear that even not-for-profit organisations have to make money to continue their work. (I will note though that it doesn’t indicate the size of the profit that is required.)
The second paragraph puts the first in perspective through the use of the word “principal” which means ‘first in order of importance’. The only way the Company can achieve its purpose is through the contributions of the employees. No employees no Company.
So far so good with me. I am happy to have those two paragraphs open the guiding principles for any organisation.
The great thing about the next paragraph is that it tells me how to go about realising those first two principles. It is the responsibility of the executives, managers and supervisors to ‘create a climate’ – what a great phrase – they are expected to be proactive and create a climate in which employees can gain satisfaction from their work. In 1968 it was recognised that this is how you get maximum contribution from your employees – by making it the manager’s work to make sure the employees gain satisfaction from what they do.
Notice it doesn’t say managers should “ensure that employees regularly receive performance reviews, financial incentives and pay increments”. Recently I revisited this great animation adapted from Dan Pink’s RSA talk “Drive” on what motivates us. Some 40 years later it seems we have rediscovered that it isn’t just money. It is a purpose and autonomy that helps give us the satisfaction we all desire.
Seth Godin blogged on the second piece of the puzzle that we seem to have forgotten. A manager’s job is, to quote Godin, to “provide access to the people, systems and resources that would allow me to do my job the best possible way.”
That is what managers were expected to do in 1968. The GUIDING PRINCIPLES acknowledge that managers don’t always get it right so the preamble finishes by providing them with some hope and words of encouragement. If management conscientiously adhere to the principles and objectives set out in the document they will get better at creating a climate where the people they work for, the employees, gain satisfaction and thus contribute the maximum they are able.
Which begs the question, if we knew all that in 1968 what happened in between time to cause us to forget it until now? I would love to hear your thoughts.
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This is the second in my looking backwards series. You can read the first in the series here: looking backward to find a way forward.
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