As I was reading in the Book of Proverbs, I was struck by one of the proverbs that I believe contains a significant lesson in leadership.
"A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops." Proverbs 28:3
(My interpretation: A manager who deals too harshly with employees damages the results that could have been achieved.)
Boundaries...Who Needs Them?
We do!
Members of your organization need to know what's expected of them, and they need to be held accountable for achieving the results for which they are responsible.
In fact, in 25 years of Gallup research (Buckingham and Coffman, "First Break All the Rules"), one of the twelve questions that most strongly predicted employee retention, productivity, customer service, and profitability was, "Do I know what's expected of me at work?"
Knowing not only the boundaries of work expectations but also the boundaries of authority to carry out those expectations can give both security and freedom to your team members. Knowing the "playing field"...what's in, what's out...is a major factor in creating a high- performing team.
It also gives security to know that when appropriate boundaries are not honored, there are reasonable consequences to those choices. That's the way the world works.
When Boundaries Become Barriers
However, taken to the extreme...
- managing can become micro-managing;
- maintaining order can become compulsive perfectionism;
- unrealistically high expectations can become burdensome emotivators of good people;
- employees that are given accountability without authority to accomplish the intended results will stay in perpetual frustration;
- managers that are quick to criticize and slow to praise find themselves with more and more to criticize.
High performance is nearly impossible under all of these conditions.
Boundaries, unrealistically set and harshly enforced, become barriers to progress.
Ask A Farmer
In the proverb I shared with you, there's a very interesting metaphor... "like a driving rain that leaves no crops."
We all know that water is essential to growing good crops, like order and discipline are to a well-functioning organization. However, the implication here is that you can definitely get too much of a good thing.
To understand this concept better, I called my Uncle Wilbur, my mother's 81-year-old twin brother who made his living farming until he retired only a few years ago. Unlike his twin sister who has Alzheimer's, he's sharper than I am (not a huge feat!) and has a wealth of information and wisdom to share. Here's what he told me.
When there's too much rain, it drowns out the growing plants. In addition, the grass and weeds begin to flourish, choking out the potential crop.
(Have you noticed that when employees are under such tight controls they feel they can't breathe, or when they feel that they aren't going to be able to do anything right in their manager's eyes, negative attitudes and behaviors begin to grow in abundance?)
I then asked Uncle Wilbur about "driving rains".
"The driving rains tear down the crop. The plants stick to the ground, and dirt washes over the top of them. They can't stand back up, and the crop is ruined."
Sounds like a demoralized field of plants on which the farmer depends for his success and profitability.
Hmmm...
I Can Hear Some Of You Now
"But you don't know our employees. If you don't stay on them, they'd just let the whole operation go to pot. Somebody's gotta keep things in order around here."
I agree with you, in part.
It's important for the operation to stay on track and productive. But I challenge you to examine your methods. Years of research have confirmed our experience with organizations worldwide: To bring out the best in your organization, you must bring out the best in your people. You do that by expecting the best, noticing the best, and celebrating the best in each person.
In looking at the other 11 questions that Gallup found to be the best predictors of productivity, retention, customer service, and profitability, can you find evidence that a harsh, authoritarian approach to leadership gets the lasting results you want? No, they are about a positive approach to the development (not management) of your people.
- At work, do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?
- In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for good work?
- Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
- Is there someone at work who encourages my development?
- At work, do my opinions seem to count?
- Does the mission/purpose of my company make me feel like my work is important?
- Are my co-workers committed to doing quality work?
- Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
- Do I have a best friend at work?
- In the last six months, have I talked with someone about my progress?
- At work, have I had opportunities to learn and grow?
As a leader of people...should you be clear in your expectations? Definitely. Should you have realistically high goals and standards? Absolutely. Is the consistency of disciplined performance something your organization needs? Certainly it is. But remember...people perform best when they feel valued in the process. What will you do today to recognize and praise accomplishments, develop team members, and create the kind of environment where people take personal pride in performing at their best?
