Today’s Morning Buzz is brought to you by Hannah Brown, Traffic Operations Manager for the City of Huntsville, AL. Connect with Hannah on LinkedIn.
- What I’m watching: “Dancing with The Stars”
- What I’m reading: Recently returned from a trip to Scotland and can’t get enough Scottish history/historical fiction.
- Who my pets are: Eliza (Siamese Cat), Bonnie and Clyde (sibling rescue cats), Rosco (rescue dog)
Through time spent in management, I have slowly built a list of phrases which should be discouraged for use by leadership teams. I’ve even had to actively stop myself from using one of these phrases. This go-to phrase is commonly used by most managers; yet only recently have I begun to understand why it is so frustrating. This phrase can take several different forms: “You can’t make everyone happy,” “you’re not here to make everyone happy,” “employees will never be happy.”
Shockingly, in a way, this phrase is 100% true. Even when leaders are utilizing the best practices, it is a given that at some point those working under management will be unhappy with decisions being made.
The phrase itself is not the problem, the issue lies with the intention behind it. It is almost always used in situations where management is unwilling to explore the underlying issues, in other words, a blanket excuse used to cover valid concerns that often need to be dealt with. Why are managers so ready to embrace a phrase which actually undermines employee satisfaction? This phrase indoctrinates leaders into believing that dissatisfaction from employees is the norm, when in fact, real leaders should strive for employee satisfaction to be the norm. After all, study after study shows that satisfied employees work harder, longer, and are far less problematic than dissatisfied employees.
When this phrase is habitually incorporated into any leader’s vocabulary, excuses are created absolving leadership of any effort exerted toward building a “happy” team. We become convinced such effort is not worth our time or part of our job. It gives us an out to avoid the commitment it takes to understand and resolve difficult issues inherent in managing people. Any manager who cares nothing about the satisfaction of employees, probably should have avoided managerial work in the first place. Managerial work is “people work” and the manager’s job will be much easier if the people are happy. Instead of constantly verbalizing what cannot be achieved as a leader, make it a habit to verbalize what can.
I’m not here to make everyone happy but I am here to:
- Provide a rational explanation for decisions. Teams do not have to agree with leaders’ decisions, but a good leader takes the time to provide explanations. Generally, discontentment stems from management’s failure to communicate effectively regarding changes of plans.
- Seek to understand where discontent might be stemming from. Just because everyone will not always be happy, does not mean leaders should use this as a blanket excuse to avoid taking the time to correct wrongs. As a leader, your team is your most important asset, and general disgruntlement usually speaks to a problem which needs attention.
- Be inclusive in the decision-making process. Including team members in big decisions which affect all, is crucial. It mitigates so many issues, dissatisfaction being one of them, and helps managers see things from employees’ perspectives.
- Strive for majority satisfaction: Any manager worthy of the position, while knowing that 100% employee happiness 100% of the time is not feasible, should not let this discourage them from striving for majority contentment most of the time.
- Create the space for employees to bring up concerns: It is crucial that managers establish an open door of communication with employees. They must be allowed to express displeasure and have hard conversations about needed changes. This is the biggest proponent of avoiding discontented teams achieving less than expected. In fact, it is more necessary that employees voice their frustrations than their appreciations, otherwise managers will never know what needs to be corrected.
- Show teams respect: Treat employees like people deserving respect. Listen and respond to issues they bring up. Teams deserve being shown their opinions matter.
Byproduct is defined by the Oxford Dictionary as a secondary result, unintended but inevitably produced in doing or producing something else.” For example, oxygen is a byproduct of plant photosynthesis. It is not needed by the plant, but it is crucial to humanity. Communication, understanding, inclusiveness and respect are all required skills of a good leader. Employee happiness is usually an unintended byproduct of these leadership traits. While not the goal, employee satisfaction is generally produced when management strives to take all the right actions. And it is crucial to building high performing teams.
In any position where you have the power to affect how employees feel, you owe it to your team to finish the sentence — “I can’t make everyone happy, but I can…?” Choose to produce the byproduct.