Organizations Still Do Not Get That Person In the Employee

Posted by Cathy on May 22, 2013 in Cathy's Thoughts, News | 0 comments

This article by Cy Wakeman – The Four Myths of Employee Engagement – is spot on in regard to how organizations still do not see or support the person who is inside the shell of the employee.  She points out four myths that many organizations believe are helping their employees feel more empowered and respected.  As Wakeman puts it, NOT.  The four myths are below and when you read them you will probably go, “yah, right!”.  She believes that our approach to employee engagement is backwards and that the root of the problem lies in our reasonable (but wrong) assumptions about human motivation and behavior.

At some point, we convinced ourselves that engagement was about perfecting the employee’s circumstances. Removing their hassles, obstacles and annoyances, we reasoned, would unleash unprecedented levels of productivity and performance. These unencumbered souls would be super versions of themselves: happier, stronger, better, and more engaged.

But what I really like about this article is Wakeman’s bottom line points where she states, “You can’t manufacture employee engagement with gimmicks – at least not in a sustainable, long-term way. That’s because true happiness and engagement comes from a mindset of personal accountability. When an employee views the world through the lens of accountability, he/she recognizes their own power to affect her circumstances. They sees themselves as an architect of their life, not a victim. And that mindset buffers her against all the frustrations of living in the real world, enabling her to strive for success despite the circumstances – and take responsibility when her efforts fall short.

Here are the four Myths Employers Think Are Working to Improve Employee Engagement

Myth #1: It is possible to make everyone happy.
Busted: It is impossible to please multiple people simultaneously. Our individual desires often put us at odds with each other, but that’s why we invented compromise.

Myth #2: It is possible make just one person happy.
Busted: Have you ever tried to make someone else happy? Doesn’t work. Happiness isn’t something you can do for people. They have to find it on their own.

Myth #3: It is possible to create an ideal working environment.
Busted: There is no such thing as a perfect working environment. By its nature, the world is chock full of big problems, small annoyances and everything in between. The best employees work with what they have.

Myth #4: An ideal working environment would bring out the best in our employees.

Busted: We may imagine that a stress-free, problem-free workplace allows us to do our best work, but in fact humans can reach their full potential only when confronted by challenges. In a perfect world, our unique talents are not needed, and our motivation dissolves.

Cy Wakeman http://http://www.realitybasedleadership.com/ offers a Reality-Based approach to navigating today’s workplace, defying conventional wisdom with bold tips for business leaders and employees on how to “ditch the drama, restore sanity to the workplace, and turn excuses into results.