Category Archives: Human Value

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Why “inclusiveness” is in at GE

jeffrey_immelt1.jpgAs word has spread that General Electric is trying to increase “inclusiveness,” cynics might snicker and comment that Jack Welch was mistaken to hand over the CEO reigns to a teddy bear like Jeff Immelt. They would be wrong.

Implicit in any criticism is that GE is getting soft. That’s highly unlikely. A core value of GE’s culture is a passion for excellence..that’s not going away. The problem at GE, and in many other organizations, is that under employee performance ranking systems, employees who are not rated in very highest category can begin to feel like second class citizens, especially if the top ranked employees treat them as such. It may be that they’re not kept in the loop or given an opportunity to share their ideas and opinions anywhere near as much as the stars, so they may not feel like they are valued or have a voice.

To Immelt’s credit he knows that these are the core employees of GE. If GE thrives, it will be in part because the core employees are playing at the top of their game which means they need to know and feel like valued members of the team.

There’s no management problem that I can’t find a sports analogy for, including GE’s current situation. Consider Michael Jordon and the Chicago Bulls predicament before the Bulls dynasty run of six NBA Championships. When Phil Jackson became the Bulls’ coach, he helped Michael Jordan see that the Bulls would never be champions if the rest of the Bulls’ players didn’t feel like they were Michael’s teammates, which they didn’t because Michael hung around with his entourage all the time and hogged the ball, especially at critical moments. When Jordan became inclusive by hanging out with the other Bulls, coaching some of them, and trusting them enough at critical moments to pass the ball to them, well, that’s when the Bull’s dynasty was born.

At GE, the stars need to learn to be inclusive in dealing with core employees. They need to be inclusive socially (by getting to know them), economically (by paying them fairly), and politically (by keeping them informed and considering their opinions and ideas). Doing so will meet their human needs for respect, recognition and belonging. Failing to be inclusive will result in low employee engagement and potentially sabotage behavior.

Leading GE is one of the most challenging leadership assignments in the world today. GE’s “inclusiveness” agenda is yet another reason to believe Jack Welch knew what he was doing when he handed the baton to Jeff Immelt.

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Alone No Longer

Michael and Katie StallardFour years ago this month, I learned that Katie my wife had advanced ovarian cancer. I set my work aside to focus on helping Katie and our daughters through a difficult season in life. During that period, I spent a lot of time with people. As a result, I learned that I am an “achievaholic” and because of it I had been missing the joy of developing relationships in life beyond my family and close circle of friends. Amazon.com recently published my essay entitled “Alone No Longer” about what I learned during the years Katie battled cancer. For a free download, click here.

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Strengthening Human Value in the Workplace

Pantheon GargoyleI discovered this face on the Pantheon Fountain in Rome. Look into its eyes. What emotion do you see? Fear? For much of history, the average man lived in fear. During Ancient Times, empires killed or enslaved humans. During the Middle Ages when feudalism prevailed most people were considered to be property and lived in fear of their owners. The Modern Age began around the time the Pantheon Fountain was designed by Jacopo della Porta in 1570. During the Modern Age, human rights expanded dramatically. Today, it’s unfathomable that four decades ago, African-Americans had to attend separate schools, sit in the back of public buses, drink from separate water fountains and were not allowed to dine at many restaurants.

As human value has increased, so too has economic prosperity. When people are treated with respect, have a sense of belonging to the society they live in, and have access to educational and occupational opportunities, they feel valued and are more likely to thrive.

What might tomorrow bring when it comes to human value?

There is reason to believe human value will increase in the workplace given the coming labor shortage and competitive pressures of globalization. Employers will need to increase human value to attract and retain the people they need to meet market opportunities. And what might the workplace look like if human value increases in the years and decades ahead? Perhaps more people will feel informed and that their ideas and opinions will be considered by decision-makers. Perhaps everyone will have a mentor to help them grow. As human value increases in the workplace, so too will employee engagement, productivity and innovation. Why not increase human value in your workplace today? If you’re a leader, how might you make the people you are responsible for leading feel valued? If you’re not in a leadership position, how might you help your colleagues feel valued?

Note: Leader to Leader published an article in its current edition that Jason Pankau and I wrote. The article is entitled, “Strengthening Human Value in Organizational Cultures.” This is an especially meaningful event for me because it is the first time my work has appeared in Leader to Leader, an award-winning leadership journal that has a connection to two of my heroes: Frances Hesselbein and the late Peter Drucker. Peter Drucker was the founder of Leader to Leader and Frances Hesselbein was a co-founder and has been its editor-in-chief. To find out more about Frances, pick of a copy of Fired Up or Burned Out where you will find a chapter on her miraculous turnaround of the Girl Scouts of the USA. To read the essay, “How Peter Drucker Changed My Life,” click on employee engagement.

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“Intentional Connectors” boost employee engagment

Years ago when I was chief marketing officer for a business unit at Charles Schwab, I met David Bradley for lunch in New York City. David is an extremely successful entrepreneur. He founded the Corporate Executive Board and is the owner of The Atlantic magazine. David wanted to pick my brain about how to make his magazine more attractive to advertisers. To my surprise, early in our conversation David asked me to tell him about my personal story…where I was born and grew up, what events influenced my beliefs, who were the individuals I most admired, etc. As I began to recount my journey in life, David asked question after question and was genuinely interested in me.

After a long lunch conversation, I felt like David cared about me as a person and not just as a potential source of revenue. His example taught me a powerful lesson: intentionally connecting with people is wise. I believe being what we refer to as an “Intentional Connector” is one of the factors that has contributed to David’s success.

Many of our clients at E Pluribus Partners have committed to become Intentional Connectors in 2008. As our work shows, great leaders are Intentional Connectors. By their words and deeds, they create Connection Cultures that improve employee engagement, productivity and innovation. Why don’t you commit to becoming an Intentional Connector too? The personal benefits include improved physical and mental health and superior productivity and creativity.

Empathy and understanding provide the foundation to establish human connections. Would the people who work alongside you say that you think of them as human doings or human beings? Do you know their stories? We encourage you to devote some time early this year to getting to know the people around you. When you do you’ll find that, in addition to enriching your life at work, your colleagues will become more trusting and cooperative. One-on-one time during an occasional coffee break or lunch together is a great opportunity to get to know your colleagues. This simple step is common sense… yet in our day and age it is surprisingly uncommon in practice. Task excellence is a must to thrive in business but it is unsustainable if not accompanied by the relationship excellence that comes from a Connection Culture.