More Than a Number...

Dear Corporate Friend,

Are you a manager? If yes, then this article is for you. If not, then do all of us a favor and send it to your friends who are managers. I mean it, please share this with them. Why? Because of the hundred monkey experiment. It’s a very cool story so totally worth reading about it if you don’t know what it is but to quickly summarize: “a new behavior is spread rapidly by unexplained means from one group to all related groups once a critical number of members of one group exhibit the new behavior”.

So, what is this behavior I was about to mention? Allow me to introduce it via a question:

-When was the last time you did something nice for your team?

Or better yet:

-What did you do for your team this week? What about this month?

Genuinely caring for your team. The ingredient that’s missing from so many teams and companies and the topic that I want to dispute today…the lack there of. This missing ingredient that would surely make our corporate cake so tasty. Unfortunately, it’s usually not there. So, the cake ends up tasting like sweet bread…at best.

Since I started to work in the corporate world, I’ve exchanged many managers and, unfortunately, I can’t say that I was very lucky in this particular area. Sure, there were exceptions. I’ve had one or two incredible managers. The kind that just make your day better without trying, just by being themselves. The kind that supports you and understands your needs. You learn and become a better person just by watching them. Gosh…I even passed an exam by asking myself “what would X (respective manager) do in this situation?”. However, these remain, as mentioned, exceptions. The sad reality is that most managers have one purpose: to grow…themselves.

I believe that when you decide to become a manager you should really understand your motivation. Growing doesn’t mean only management roles. There are many other options that, in the process, don’t hurt us all. Because a bad manager will end up hurting their team members. We need to start becoming managers for the right reasons! And that can only be for the team! You have to love working with people. You must want to help others, enjoy seeing them succeed, comfort them when in need…and so much more.

But you have to…genuinely…do these things. Not because “a manager should”, but because you believe that is the right thing to do.

When it comes naturally to you, it will be so easy. So that’s why I asked: “what did you do for your team this week?”. A good manager always cares. Not only in some situations. They constantly and intensely care. They have recurring 1:1’s with every team member. And I’m not talking about status meetings. Guys…a recurring meeting where we talk about work is a status meeting; it’s not a 1:1! Stop confusing these. A 1:1 will focus on how the employee is feeling, what is happening in their life, what do they need, what do they want to discuss, what can we do for them. You need to start to really care about the human behind the employee. Who are they? What are their issues…their fears…their problems but also their latest achievements or motivations.

Without really investing in your team, you will always be surprised when someone resigns. However, if you do, you will always be aware in advance and you will be able to strategically plan so that your process doesn’t experience any down time.

Did this give you something to think about? I sure hope it did. So, start planning in a methodical way (if it doesn’t come naturally and you feel you might forget) the actions you will do for your team. Put it in your calendar! Add that reminder - to do something for your team at least once per week/month. There are so many great ideas you could use. Be creative. Anything will be much appreciated if it’s genuine because we can feel it…we’re not dumb. We can feel when something is fake. Don’t fake things. Do them because you really understand this is the right way. Trust me, you would surely want to be treated the same way by your manager.

Congratulations! Now you’re not a manager anymore, you’re officially a leader.

From my cubicle to yours,

The D.