Last week in Disturbing Numbers Part One, I noted that the number of years of the life span of current businesses and the number of new businesses are trending down. In the second part of this series, I want to address a foundational issue as to why this is happening. The 2013 Gallup State of the American Workplace shows that only 3 out of 10 employees are actively engaged and committed to the success of their organization. 50% just show up, and 20% are the contrarians always looking for a reason to complain and behave in ways that negatively effect coworkers as well as customers.
If 70% of your workforce is working to maintain status quo at best and actually trying to sabotage initiatives at worst, is it even possible that a company could survive? This number of unengaged employees definitely will negatively affect the work product, level of productivity and profitability.
You can read in management and leadership books lists full of technical reasons why this is happening: inadequate hiring practices, poor management practices, toxic company culture; all are critical.
I believe it is a much deeper issue. This is a reflection of personal character (integrity) and quality of work (excellence).
By integrity, I mean:
Telling the truth
Standing up for what is right
Keeping your word
Keeping confidences
Admitting mistakes
By excellence, I mean:
Doing the very best work with the resources at hand
Taking care of details
Going the extra mile
Following through and following up
Using time well
Finding solutions to problems
This is a moral compass issue that, in the workplace, ultimately effects the money issue. The path to a healthy, sound and profitable enterprise is built by people of integrity and excellence. Of course you can build a “House of Cards’ organization with people of low integrity and shoddy standards; but it will eventually collapse (note current trends).
Ask employees what integrity means to them and what an excellent work product/ethic is. I have found most people haven’t thought too much about this and aren’t able to define what it looks like .
Who will be the leader to model what strength of character looks like?
What obligation does the workplace have? Our educational system? The family?
One thing is for sure, great talent alone will never make up for lack of integrity and poor work quality.
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