Monday, December 14, 2015

A History of Broken Promises-October 2015

A History of Broken Promises For the next several months we get to hear the campaign rhetoric from the field of presidential candidates sharing their thoughts on how to make this country better. More often than not their energy is directed to criticizing the current administration and their fellow candidates rather than focusing on the true issues. It may make for great television and news fodder, but I find it hard to believe that whoever is ultimately elected will follow through on their campaign agenda. There has been a history of broken promises over the years that frankly make me cynical. It really is sad that the majority of the people we elect to run our great country can’t put aside their personal agendas and collaborate on issues that benefit us all. I shouldn’t be surprised that this behavior has translated to our corporate world and that some companies operate in the same manner as our elected officials with a lack of integrity and commitment. A close friend of mine worked with a company where a new senior executive team was brought in as self-proclaimed “change agents”, and many of the current executives were deemed unfit to continue in their position. One by one these executives were targeted; and the new executives were directed to orchestrate, or even fabricate, some type of performance problem that required correction and begin a progressive discipline plan to force the current team out of the company. Even more disturbing than the directive to “find something wrong” were the false promises made to this outgoing executive team by their new bosses. Some of the targeted executives knew what was happening and were bold enough to confront their managers. One executive said to her boss, “It’s pretty obvious that the company is changing direction and the new team has determined I’m no longer a good fit. If that’s the case, why don’t we just discuss an exit strategy rather than try to turn this into a disciplinary situation that is embarrassing for both of us and the team.” The boss was completely inexperienced at handling this type of situation and, rather than engaging the executive in a meaningful discussion or deflecting the issue to another time, denied any knowledge of the situation. He then assured the executive that she was in no danger of losing her job and that if there was a problem she would hear it directly from him. She left the meeting skeptical but somewhat reassured by her boss’s promise. Three weeks later, she was called to a meeting with her boss and the HR representative and advised she was being released from the company. After the details of her separation were discussed and she was leaving the meeting she looked at her boss who was staring sheepishly at the floor and said, “It’s been a pleasure working with you, and thanks for keeping me apprised as you promised.” When she and I later spoke about the situation, she told me the thing that bothered her most was not the separation itself but the cowardly manner in which her boss had handled the incident. “I’m angry with him for lying to me,” she said. “But I’m even angrier with myself for believing him.” Most of all she told me she felt sorry for the executives that remained and would have to incur the same type of treatment. True to form the other targeted executives were released and, as is the case so many times, the new team of change agents was replaced within a year after failing to develop the necessary trust and commitment of their team. Fortunately not all companies follow this sad example. I recently worked with a client developing a vision and values statement that the CEO wanted all employees to embrace. His first comment to me was, “I don’t just want plaque material to hang in the lobby but something everyone can understand and put into practice.” I admire this CEO’s dedication to creating a culture of honesty and integrity. He recognized that having a leadership framework for him and his executive team would lead to employee engagement and retention. Engagement studies have long supported that employees want to know both the good and the bad when it comes to the company they work for, but many organizations have adopted the philosophy of hiding or misrepresenting the truth due to unexplainable internal politics and simply poor leadership skills. Two of the values this CEO wanted his company to embrace were courage and integrity, both of which my friend’s former company were sorely lacking. Had the leadership of that company established and emulated similar corporate values I have no doubt that my friend’s situation would have been handled quite differently. While the outcome may have been the same, she would have taken solace in the fact that she was treated with the dignity and respect we all deserve. After one of the recent televised debates the CEO and I joked that perhaps his vision and values statement should be shared with the current field of candidates and that some might take them to heart. “We’d have a better chance at winning the Powerball,” he said, and I know he was probably right. If we can help you in sharing your company’s core values through effective HR practices, give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com.

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