A Sad Day in Paradise

Today is a sad day.  Today, an employee of one of my clients “position was eliminated.”  It happens all the time, for many reasons, but today I felt it rather keenly.  Imagine finding out a friend just moved to another city and you found out today…that’s how it felt.

I understand the business mentality and many times I am part of it a lot of times.  I get the need to make tough decisions in a “tough economy” in order to maximize profits…I do it all the time.  In fact, I was part of a similar process about three months ago.  We had two employees, one of their positions was eliminated, the other was reassigned to another location.  Honestly, I was the primary driving factor in eliminating one of the positions…so I get it.

What worries and saddens me is the lack of overall accountability in this picture.  I know, decision-makers can’t meet face-to-face with every “decision” they make and convey the news (that might have happened here, I don’t know all the details).  Oftentimes the people that make the decisions to lay people off, eliminate positions, and automate equipment are not the ones who feel the sting.

What we need is more accountability.  When I eliminated that position I did not feel the sting appropriately.  I justified…acknowledged…and framed things how I saw them, but in the end I feel the sting.  I miss that employee, and I think that’s what we need!  The people making the decisions should understand that “cutting costs” by eliminating positions must understand that “cutting costs” has costs. 

The cuts cost society jobs, employees, income, and people in the workforce (even if temporarily).  The cuts cost effectiveness of the employees in the environment.  We’ve all asked to be more with less, but the reality is that something is cut, something “unimportant…” perhaps something that our business was built on.  Finally, the cuts cost loyalty of the employees, after all, if someone is gone today I might be gone tomorrow.

We need to measure, assess, and weigh the costs of “cost-cutting” before making the decision.  The cuts might be necessary and best for the business, or they might not be…only time will tell.  Remember: consider long-term costs to short-term decisions.

I Want YOU to Succeed!

In a world that loves itself it’s easy to get caught in the never-ending spiral of “Me…me…ME,” but in the end it’s important to remember that we all need each other to succeed.  Over the past day I (a tried and true self-centered being) have been able to step back and say I want the best for others as well.

Situation #1

Background: we have an awesome Nanny that works for us.  My wife was talking about working from home a little more and I’m automatically thinking “YES, less expenses!”  Then my wise wife said, “Well, we need to make sure we’re paying consistently to ensure we keep our awesome Nanny.”  She’s so right, in order to keep great people you have to invest in them, not just pull the rug out from under them every time you get a chance.

Situation #2

Background: my Assistant Manager recently went to part time to go back to school.  While it creates some difficulties for me (I now share another AM type employee with another manager along with my PT’er), it actually is great.  I really hope he succeeds and finds something he loves to do.  In the end, our country needs smart, well-educated, driven, and capable people to run at every level, and if I can help make that happen I am making the world a better place.

Situation #3

Background: one of my work friends, from another company, is “going to win the Lottery tonight.”  He’s “going to win” a cool 2 mil, and walk away with about 800K or so (by his calculations).  While he’s offered me 5K, I really hope he succeeds.  He’s a smart, hard working, father of two, and I wish lots of success for him.  I’m sure I’d never see the 5K, but even so I hope he does win, as I think he deserves a break, and if I can help him in any way I want to do so.  We all need to wish joy and success on others, after all, if others aren’t happy with their lives they’ll probably spend a decent amount of time helping others join them.

Key Points

Point #1: In order to keep great people you have to invest in them, not just pull the rug out from under them every time you get a chance.

Point #2: In the end, our country needs smart, well-educated, driven, and capable people to run at every level, and if I can help make that happen I am making the world a better place.

Point #3: We all need to wish joy and success on others, after all, if others aren’t happy with their lives they’ll probably spend a decent amount of time helping others join them.

What is Inclusiveness Anyways?

There is no shortage of definitions in the world and inclusiveness is no exception; however, working from an agreed upon (or disagreed upon) foundation is a great starting point.

My very fluid definition of inclusiveness is as follows:

A long-term operating philosophy that empowers the voices of organizational stakeholders by incorporating their views into the organization’s mission and decision-making processes.

Visitors [NOT] Welcome!

Welcome to our organization we won’t share much with you and you’ll have to dig for that much!

In an age of electronics and information why is information about business and nonprofit bottom lines so difficult to find?  The truth is a double-edged sword: first, we aren’t fully embracing transparency and second, not very many people are looking that hard.

Businesses and nonprofits struggling with transparency should understand that if you are doing things right, you don’t have anything to hide.  I completely understand that you want to make a huge profit…that’s your job!  The problem becomes when posting those huge profits come after significant layoffs and other questionable but accepted practices.  Maybe some stakeholders and shareholders would understand that “We only made a $7 million profit rather than an $8 million profit so that we could avoid a few thousand layoffs, encourage innovation, and build toward a strong future!”  After all, you get what you pay for, and cutting jobs equals paying less…therefore you get less.

The flip-side of this sword is that a lot of us just aren’t looking for it.  In an age of cat videos on YouTube, recorded TV shows and the “world at your fingertips” the amount of information and distraction is nearly limitless.  Research the information about your organization and see what you find.  Look up what that company that you spend your money at is doing and see if you like it.  If you don’t like what you find, let them know.  If they don’t listen, go somewhere else.  Empower yourself to make the difference you want to see in the world!

Key points:

-       Sacrifice short-term profits for long-term people investments, that way your people won’t leave at their first opportunity.

-       Spend time researching what the organizations and businesses you support are really doing with their profits.  If you don’t like it, let them know and if they don’t stop, go somewhere else.

Inclusiveness is a “Be” Thing Not a “Do” Thing

Inclusiveness – put simply incorporating the views of the people that decision’s effect in every stage of the decision-making process – is a great theory but is quite difficult in practice.  Most everyone wants to be able to say “we are inclusive, we do this and that” but actually being an inclusive organization/company/board/community is much more than checking off boxes.  Inclusiveness is a state of being, not simply doing.  It is true that organizations can “do” things to become more inclusive, but doing those things does not make them inclusive.

Inclusiveness is a state of being in that it affects not only what you do, but also how you do those things and who you do them with.  It’s great to seek out the perspectives of your constituents when making decisions, but allowing your constituents inside as peers (as volunteers, staff, board members, employees, etc.) is what inclusiveness is all about.