Where Do You Choose To Be

A fellow HR colleague and I were reminiscing recently about our careers and how the world of human resource management had changed over the years. He began to share his frustrations with me about things he was confronting in his current role. At the end of his rant he said, "But I choose to be here." By "choosing to be there" he was saying that despite all the difficult aspects of the job, including problems with his boss and a lack of support from his peers, the positives outweigh the negatives and "I still like working here. Therefore, it's my decision to stay."

In the course of my work I encounter employees that make the blanket statement, "Employee morale is terrible at this company." More often than not, I have found that their broad perspective that everyone is unhappy or disengaged is inaccurate and more a reflection of their own attitude. In many situations, these self- proclaimed naysayers have had past success in getting management's attention with these statements and, therefore, gain satisfaction when leadership reacts to the comment. They keep coming back in the hope that they can gain some notoriety as the self- proclaimed voice of the people.

In the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson the story centers around two mice named Hem and Haw. The morale of the story is essentially "if you are unhappy with your current situation take action to change things. Don't wait for things around you to change on their own."

I believe every company has a Hem and Haw in their workforce and that no matter how many employee perks and niceties the company offers their outlook will not change. They "choose to be there" because deep down they know that their unhappiness is not attributable to the work environment but by a host of other issues in their personal and professional life. So what is a concerned business owner and leader to do?

We know that happy and contented employees are generally more productive, loyal and dedicated to the success of the company. But how do those companies protect the spirit and enthusiasm of the best employees from being polluted by the Hems and Haws? Quite simply, you don't have to react at all. I've found that our high potential leaders of the future have too much self- assurance in their own skills and abilities to let a few chronic complainers change their attitude. They ignore the Hems and Haws and concentrate their efforts of making things better rather than sitting back and waiting for someone else to change things. They "choose to be there" to make a difference. Hopefully you will too.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Phil