Principle 7: Enthusiastic People (Item 8)

Potential of an organization is realized through its people's enthusiasm, resourcefulness and participation.

Why this is important

You should actively search for what dissatisfies your employees and to overcome those work dissatisfiers.

For the same reasons as providing value to customers. The best way to provide more value is to find what your customers/employees dislike and eliminate those dissatisfiers. This method prevents you from having to guess. In both cases, your customers/employees tell you what you should be working on. You just have to listen to them and work to fix the problem to their satisfaction – not yours.

What employees dislike

Below is a list of what causes employees to be dissatisfied and so withdraw their enthusiastic volunteering. It was used to build the `what employees value' list shown earlier. It is not in an order of priority. Different personality types and will have different priorities of dislikes.

• Not being respected
• Not being appreciated
• Not being trusted
• No recognition for achievement or of themselves as individuals
• Criticism of all kinds (constructive included)
• Dishonesty and broken promises
• Not allowed to have their say, or having their say dismissed
• No security of tenure
• Lack of safety
• Not knowing where they are going (and no idea how to get there)
• Being told in detail how to do the job
• Not receiving sufficient skills, knowledge, resources and authority, but still being expected to do their work
• No opportunities to learn new skills and knowledge
• No recognition of the role of the work family and work relationships
• Not being involved in decisions that affect them
• No opportunity to demonstrate competence
• Not cared for
• No chance to show their status, no place in a hierarchy
• Prevented from doing their duty and acting responsibly
• Cowardly, gutless behavior. Expediency
• Being forced to do things contrary to their values and beliefs
• Not working for a `just cause'
• Not able to live a meaningful life
• No chance to have fun or do neat stuff
• No opportunity to be creative
• Being blamed unfairly
• Time away from the rest of their interests – family, hobbies
• Put downs
• Their self-esteem damaged. Challenges to their picture of their self-worth

No sense of being valued or doing something useful

Let us look at the four dimensions of Chris Russell's model in this context. It paints a very bleak workplace. Like it or not, most workplaces, including yours, look like this to employees. To have a workplace where people volunteer their enthusiasm, creativity and resourcefulness, you must overcome these dissatisfiers. Obviously! That is what we have been talking about.

No sense of purpose. Poor consistency between the company's purpose and the individual's. An `unjust cause'. No higher purpose than making a bundle of money for someone who already has a bundle. An expendable role. Forced to act contrary to their beliefs and values. No sense that it extends them personally.

No sense of control or `choice'. The individual can exercise no control over his or her situation. Decisions that affect them made with out their knowledge or input. They can exercise no discretion. Not allowed to do what they think is best. Not allowed to contribute their ideas or act on their ideas. Information and knowledge withheld. No free choice. No freedom to act.

No sense of achievement. They do not see the results of their work. The only feedback they get is criticism from a boss. No `well done's, only `do better's. No relationship with the end-user. No freedom to inquire. No opportunity to learn new skills or refine skills.

No sense of affiliation or `belonging'. No feeling of contribution. No alignment of what the person wants to do with what the organization is doing. No alignment between the person's values and the company's values. No respect for humanness. No one listens. Diversity of though and action is punished. Surprises are punished.

Value diversity

Diversity is about respect for individuals and valuing and seeking different perspectives. It is best managed through deliberately building your teams so that they comprise people with a variety of perspectives, encouraging people to see things differently and to speak up. Different perspectives can come from people of different ages (dotcomers versus generation X versus baby boomers), different ethnic groups, different psychological types (thinkers versus practical doers, feeling versus impersonal), different work functions (gemba versus finance versus marketing versus design), different sexes, different countries.

If you surround yourself or build up teams with people who all agree with you and with each other, you are setting up a very great risk. For example, you may miss the huge hole in the practicability of your idea. You may overlook that it is a product that no one wants; or that the "solution" that does not address the problem; or that consumers will not understand or will hate the product; or that you can't make it or deliver it; or that your staff won't know how to sell it.

People often get a reputation for picking holes in the bosses' good idea. And the boss stops asking for their opinion. Wrong! You need people on your team who are willing to challenge. You must do everything you can to encourage them – even if it is hurts your ego and how much it stings. You must withstand the pressure by others to get rid of that troublemaker. Cultivate them. Get your ideas out to as many of these people as you can.

No put downs

Have a "No Put Down" workplace. Do not say anything that is a put down to other people. Many people (and most bosses) think they have to put down everyone. This shows low self-esteem. They are essentially saying, "I need that person to be below me. I need to show I am better and they are worth less than I am. The only way I will achieve it is to put them down".

Much workplace chat and most jokes are aimed at putting people down. Put downs are a major withdrawal of trust. They often cause an instant withdrawal of volunteering enthusiasm. Do not use them at all.

No jokes and no put downs.