As I write, bits and pieces come together in interesting ways…
There’s a group of people in business who live to tell others what to do. They rose to power when humans settled down because they were the essential catalyst needed to turn a group of seat-of-their-pants hunter/gathers into an agricultural workforce.
Today we call them executives, managers, etc. We sometimes call them leaders, too, so watch out if you think you’re safe wearing a different label.
Their value system is substantially different than most of their employees. They’re motivated by money, prestige, perks and associated trinkets. Most of their employees want meaning, community, and a few challenging problems to solve.
Unfortunately, most executives are not aware of this chasm in values. This causes big problems.
Time for a story
A short time ago, I watched a company lose more than 50% of their Engineering workforce in an ill considered relocation. All of the key executives were on board—after all, a relocation is the price you pay to move up the corporate ladder. Despite promises and threats, however, most of the employees wouldn’t commit. When pressured, many moved on (see Employee Retention—it’s funny because it’s true).
Are any of you surprised? The executives were! Even today, I’m not sure they understand what went wrong…
- Bandit
P.S. There are reasons that large companies move their top people around. One reason is to ensure that future leaders are familiar with broad aspects of the organization. Another reason—perhaps the main reason—is to ensure that future leaders don’t become part of a local community of employees but instead become part of the community of future leaders (i.e. the company men).
P.P.S. I understand the military does the same thing to weaken loyalty to anything but the military.
Leave a Reply