THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS IN THE WORKPLACE

These questions come from parts of the Noble Leader Program. The interesting thing about these 3 simple questions is how you answer them. If you are not sincere and truthful to yourself then you will not see the benefit of the questions and may continue to be disillusioned.

If you answer them with your Heart then the results and your decision will be obvious. If you answer them immediately with 3 positive “YES’s” then you should be grateful but if not then the choice and decision will rest with you.

My research finds very few people who can answer each question with a immediate positive response.

Question 1:

Are you proud of the work that you do?

Question 2:

Are you proud of your Boss?

Question 3:

Are you proud of your Company?

These are such simple questions but the impact of them is felt strongly in the workplace today with an increasing lack of engagement by people at all levels.

Beyond Employee Disengagement

WORK DISENGAGEMENT LEADS TO MORAL DISENGAGEMENT LEADING TO MORAL DISINTEGRATION 

It is clear that there is a lot of employee disengagement in the workplace today. This is not only in Australia but seems to be a global trend.

We think it is largely due to the unprecedented pressure placed on organisations and employees to improve performance and financial outcomes with less resources, less money and a declining sense of human value.

Towers Watson, 2010 Global Workforce Survey

reveals the following:

• 69% of employees believe their senior managers do not communicate openly and honestly
• 97% thought their managers did not treat them as key parts of the organisation and no fewer than 60% felt their senior managers treated them as just another organisational asset to be managed.
•  61% of employees in the US feel senior management does not exhibit attitudes and behaviours that reflect they care about the well-being of their employees. (71% of employees for UK)
• Only 47% think their leaders are trustworthy
• Only 42% think their leaders inspire and engage them
• 61% question whether their leaders deal effectively with poor performers
• Only 42% think senior management encourages development of talent

Clearly there is a strong emphasis on Disengagement in the workplace, however this with other factors leads to a far worse problem-Moral Disengagement!~

Moral Disengagement occurs and has occurred in Australia at the highest levels throughout the political spectrum, religion, care of aged population and unemployment to name a few. Why do humans have the ability to rationalise moral disengagement and then to be able to manipulate their actions to suit their purpose. At this level Disengagement becomes Disintegration.

A typical example of this has occurred at the highest levels of Australian politics and it seems unfortunately to have become an acceptable practise: Quotes from our Prime Minister in 2010 and then only 6 months later shows the following level of Moral Disintegration.

 

"There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead."
-- Ms Gillard, August 16, 2010 

"I'm determined to price carbon. History teaches us that the countries and the economies who prosper at times of historic change are those who get in and shape and manage the changes. The time is right and the time is now."
-- Ms Gillard announces her Government's plan for a carbon tax, February 24, 2011

This is not an isolated case of Moral Disengagement but it is one that shows the character not only of the person but also of what we see as rapidly becoming acceptable standards of morality. How can we allow our own complacency to become so disengaged that we now expect corruption and deceit within Government leadership-it is enough that we understand that it is within the corporate world but it now seems to becoming more obvious in the highest levels of politics. So shameful!!

As Employee Disengagement increases in the workplace we can expect increases in Moral Disengagement thus leading rapidly to Moral Social Disintegration.

Suffice to say what is happening around us is the infestation caused by the lack of Noble Virtues and Noble Intentions where self sacrifice has now been replaced by self interest and then acceptably justified.

THE FALLACY OF TRAINING

There are a number of aspects about training that do not seem to add up.

My personal view from many years of experience is that most training does not work. It does not work despite the fact that most training organisations can claim that their specific program will produce results. To be honest in some instances it does but only for the short term. Usually it is a waste of money. Let us look at the reasons why and we begin at the senior leadership of an organisation.

The Leader feels that there is something wrong within the workforce and determines that the staff need some kind of training -let us say it is in the area of improving customer relations and personal efficiency. The Leader then instructs the HR Manager to investigate and recommend a suitable program. The HR Manager then researches to find a suitable program at usually the best price and may even do some elements of confirming testimonials of the training provider and then makes the recommendation to the Leader.

At this stage we could have already developed the first problem which would be potentially a communication problem between the Leader and the HR Manager. HR people are usually not renowned for appropriate decision making. In fact in most organisations the HR Manager is not in a decisive or creative role however in this instance they have made a recommendation based on a level of judgement that may never have been truly tested. Usually they are not leaders, they may be good performers but only within a very restrictive capacity. However the decision is finally made by the Leader and so the training program begins.

The training provider is excellent and produces compelling reasons and methodology to improve customer relations and the personal efficiency of the staff. Results and outcomes of the training are very good and all staff receive a Certificate of Attendance. All is well. The trainer has done a good job, the HR Manager has fulfilled their obligation and we can assume that the Leader has received value for the investment.

However this is often not the case. Superficially all is well but the results are only very short term. Why is this?

The answer lies within the psychology of the individual staff member. People are driven by their habits-both good and bad. Essentially we have all spent many years developing routine ways of dealing with all kinds of situations. As an example take work place change. When confronted with change most people react in a very negative way. Fear of change sets in quickly. We do not like to have our habits and routines threatened.

So we can attend the most brilliant of training programs but the impact on our personal psychology will be limited. The reason why it is limited goes right back to the Leader instructing the HR Manager. People may recognise the need for skills and attitude improvement but this is important and discussion should begin with the Leader and directly to all the staff including the HR Manager.  By placing a HR Manager in the middle only results in a loss of trust by the staff in the Leadership. Considerations may even go to the level of lack of trust by the staff in the HR Manager and the way the reason for the training is communicated.

If it is so important then all communication should be from and with the Leader of the Organisation. If the Leader truly wants to engage all the Staff then they need to be seen as taking this proactive step of encouragement. Once the function has been moved down the line to the HR Manager the level of importance has also been moved down the line in the psychology of everyone involved.

Let us look at the two ends of the spectrum regarding the impact on staff. Assume that I am very effective in what I do and I have truly wonderful customer relationships and I receive the email or the instruction from the HR Manager telling me that I have to attend training to improve what I thought were my perfect skills. My initial reaction is going to be one of disbelief which may then turn into anger to think that I am being treated this way. Should I attend the Program you can be very sure that I will not be supportive and will not really listen - my skeptical attitude will ensure that money has been wasted on me. The other end of the spectrum happens if I know that I am not that good in my job-I feel embarrassed about my mistakes and my nervousness in dealing with our customers. I am always stressed about this and feel quite low in my self esteem. Then I am told that I have to attend this Program. My initial reaction is one of fear-I know that this Program is all about me because I have failed  and now they want me to become totally embarrassed in front of all my work colleagues. What am I to do? My first thought is that on that day I will be sick and unable to attend. Even if I do relent and attend the Program I will be so nervous, so anxious and so stressed that I will remember nothing. It will be the worst days of my life.

This is how it could very well be for many people in such a situation.

The real issue is not to just provide methodology as to how one can improve customer relationships and personal efficiency. There are many text books and videos on this subject and they all represent the "outside-in " approach. The trainer presents and the audience listen and may even be encouraged to participate. The training can last from 1 hour to 3 days but it will be useless unless the mind of the individual attendee is changed in a profound way. This change of mind could take place in the first hour but usually this does not happen-the staff members turn up, appear to be listening and even appear to be participating but in truth they are not. They are sleeping and they do not wish to change their behaviours and habits.

Unless the mind of person is ready to be opened to change then they will consciously and subconsciously fail to accept anything that is being offered. The same rationale applies to a habitual smoker-they know they should not do it-they know it is unhealthy-they know that it may kill them-but still they smoke.

If we want to truly get people to do something different then no amount of conventional "training" will work. It only works when their mind is ready and this only comes when they recognise and understand themselves better. This is where it begins.

The 3 Key Questions

This is a photo from my garden. I spend a lot of time in my garden as I believe that this is the perfect place for reflection.

If we want to truly develop the essential qualities of Noble Leadership then we must devote the time to reflection because it is from this that we can develop Wisdom.

As we all know this is a quality which is in short supply today!!

Within a workplace environment I believe that there are 3 Key Questions that can help us to determine the health of our relationship with our employer-both the individual and the Organisation.

We can also ask of ourselves these 3 Questions to determine our view of our Political leadership. It seems to me that such simple questions can reveal so much.

The first question to ask oneself is this:

Am I proud of the work I do?

The second question to ask oneself is this:

Am I proud of the organisation that employs me?

The last question is this:

Am I proud of my boss or my leader?

We should have a non discriminatory answer to each of these questions. Each answer should only be "yes" or "no". Our responses can be objective if we answer in this fashion but if we start to add more information into our answers such as "I would be proud of my work if only..........." or "I would be proud of my leader if only they would .............."then such answers become very subjective.

Clearly our answers should be a simple "yes" or "no".

Now, if we fail to answer each question with a positive "yes" then we will see that we are becoming disengaged from either our role, our boss or our organisation. If we answer a positive "no" to each question then we have clearly disengaged ourselves from our workplace and the longer that we stay there then the more at risk we become of developing an unhealthy level of stress or anxiety.

Ask yourself these questions and thereby determine your own level of honest integrity regarding your role and your employer.

If you would care to confidentially advise me as to your responses I will be very happy to include the final results in our Workshops.

 Anthony

Consultants for Melbourne and Victoria

CONSULTANTS

The Role:

Noble Leadership Programs and The Neoma Institute are currently looking for Consultants to represent a respected brand, service and product within the Melbourne and Victorian Region.

In conjunction with us you will need to setup appointments for our Principals to attend. We will finalize all arrangements at the appointment and the more proactive the Consultant is the more money will be earned. The role requires the Consultants to simply market our services and to set appointments in and around Victoria – areas can be negotiated depending on your location.

Because of your outstanding customer service, influencing skills and attention to detail you will also benefit from having a referral network from past and current customers.

The Person:

We seek the services of Consultants who are motivated and proactive in securing business. If you possess the following we want to hear from you:

·       Motivated & Proactive

·       Desire to earn good money!

·       Good communication and influencing skills

·       Good at setting appointments

·       Attention to detail

If this sounds like you or would like to find out more please send in your resume and we will contact you for a personal interview.

Please contact us at:

The nobleleader@gmail.com

The 3 Ps of Success

Success and the 3 P's.

Of course these are only words and words will give each of us our own idea of that which someone else is trying to explain or suggest or clarify for us. Even when we read a book we are still internally translating the words on the pages and the combination of a series of those words creates a mental picture unique to each of us. And so it is with these words "Success and the P's".

Much has been written about success and what it means and how to achieve it. After a long time of research and reflection I have come to a conclusion that when we use the words "success" mostly we create a specific image of what others tell us that success looks like. Riches, fame and fortune??

Is that what it is or is it something more lasting? Surely these material objects that represent success are very tangible but not lasting. New cars, bigger homes, bigger TVs, more prestigious titles, promotions etc etc etc-and the list goes on.

But none of this is success which is why I have decided to redefine the meaning but to a different word. A word that creates a different image in our minds. This word is fulfilment. Fulfilment makes us feel a different sense of achievement-a different feeling in so many ways.

So therefore we are now looking at the 3 P's that will give us the true lasting meaning of the word success which is really "fulfilment".

These 3 words are:

Pro-activity-if we are not proactive and move in the right direction towards our goals whatever they may be then nothing will happen. Nothing happens unless we can visualise it first. Absolutely everything comes from visualisation from within.

Persistence-we will find  many obstructions along the way but if we believe in ourselves and our vision and personal mission-our Noble Cause-with only Noble Intent then we can always find our way for we only have to persist.

Patience-with patience all things can be realised. We learn to understand with wisdom that things of value take time to mature. These things of value are our thoughts, our plans and intentions. It is always easy for others to discredit our intentions regardless of how Noble we think we are. With Patience all things come at the right time. If we rush something then we will diminish its value-all things need time to mature until it is ready. This comes from Patience.

Summary:

Consequently we are really looking for "fulfilment" in our lives and we can achieve this by being 'Pro-active" with our intentions and plans-showing Persistence in our attempts and our self belief-and practising Patience to allow the maturity of our Noble Intentions.

All of the above should then be practised with a particular mental attitude and a way of looking and treating oneself. This is the way of Dignity. Treat ourselves with dignity and always treat others with even greater dignity.

This is the Way to True Fulfilment.

What did I learn today?

What did I learn today? Tonight I had the opportunity to enjoy a beautiful evening with some equally beautiful friends and in the course of the evening I started to reflect on something that was taught to me many years ago by my father. At the end of the school day my family would all sit around the dinner table and my father would ask me- "so what did you learn today?". Usually my face would be a blank and this would of course reflect my mind. I could remember nothing! I would say "I don't know' and then my father would ask me "how could that be-you were only there a few hours ago and yet you cannot remember anything that you did in the whole day-was there anything really important that you discovered?"- Another blank stare from me with the answer -" I don't know!

Eventually I came to understand that I had to remember things during my school day so when asked at the end of the day this question I would have something to answer. I could not just make it up because it had to be the truth and if it was a lie then I know that he would know and that would become even worse. So I had to remember.

As I became older I discovered the real value in this question and today in some of our Programs we feature the personal exercise called "What did I learn yesterday?". We remind people that at the end of each day we should all find time to reflect on the most important learning of that day. Reflect on it and think about it. Because as we continue doing this we start to learn more about our self and we can see that this is not only a part of our own self development but also self awareness and from this greater emerging self understanding we find wisdom.

When you practise this exercise you will then start to see a few benefits on the path to wisdom.

Firstly we begin to understand ourselves better
Secondly we learn that by understanding ourselves better we can then understand others better
Thirdly we learn that regardless of how different we all look we all basically are the same-we share the same deep doubts and uncertainties within life. By understanding ourselves better in turn we can see how all things and all people fit together.

In doing this exercise on a regular basis we therefore commence the development of self wisdom and this is one of the key elements of being a Noble Leader. Learn about yourself by asking this question:

"What did I learn today?"

After this very pleasant evening I returned to my home and went for a walk and in so doing I began to reflect on this question and this is what I discovered:

"Let me tell you about Sasha-he is always happy -very happy-happy to be with me-happy to be with others-happy to meet new people -happy to go walking and happy to go for a drive in the car. When he is busy doing things that he sees as important then he is very focused but still happy-when he is hungry he eats and when he is tired then he sleeps-when he wants just to sit then he just sits. He knows the value of drinking plenty of water each day and also the benefits of a long walk each day. He is very health conscious.

He is always very welcoming to all guests -he truly greets them and makes them all feel special as if they are the only person in the room. When they leave he always makes them feel that their presence has truly made his day. He loves everybody unconditionally-he is not prejudiced at all. At the start of each day he runs to me and greets me like we have not seen each other for such a long time. I love Sasha very much and although he seems also to love everyone else I do hope that he loves me the most.

Sasha is my dog and so I can ask myself "What did I learn today".

Sasha taught me the value of being happy regardless of the circumstances. He taught me just to be myself and to be spontaneous. He reminded me of the importance and benefits of the simple things in life. He is indeed a Noble Dog and in his way a wonderful Noble Leader.