by Lionesses of Africa Operations Department
“Historically, no known human society has created shared prosperity purely through redistribution. Prosperity comes from creating jobs that pay decent wages. And it is good jobs, not redistribution, that provide people with purpose and meaning in life.” So wrote Daron Acemoglu (here), Professor of Economics at MIT, and co-author of ‘Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty’ (here). Purpose and meaning in life, now there is a deep subject that cannot be answered in a single article, but certainly if we limit it to how we can look to create this environment for our employees and our businesses, then perhaps that would be a start.
We happened to stumble across a jazz masterclass this week held by Peter Long, a globally renown Saxophonist, a member of the Ronnie Scotts ‘All Stars’, (for those who have never been to London, Ronnie Scotts is one of the world’s top Jazz bars - and we were lucky enough to hear the great South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela there many (many) years ago). However, although this masterclass was highly technical and way over our heads, we were struck throughout by how wonderful it always is to watch and listen to a clear expert, so in tune and as one with their subject. Truly a master at work and so happy to share his knowledge of the Tenor Sax with us and (in this case) a brilliant female student for the evening, plus as a bonus, dramatically increase the energy from the other members of the locally made-up band who had clearly struck it lucky to be in that bar that evening.
Within our employees we may also have some who are so passionate about their work that they have gone the extra mile to investigate, learn and are now happy to pass on their knowledge to other employees with energy and humour. These people are far more important than many of us realize. How is it that there are some with the passion and desire to learn, to grow and then reach a stage at which they then feel happy to pass on their knowledge, and energy when so many have been brought up to believe that ‘Knowledge is power’ and therefore this should be kept to themselves (sadly many leave business schools with that Machiavellian misunderstanding). In fact, keeping knowledge to oneself is to truly misunderstand the power of knowledge.
“When Sir Francis Bacon published in his work, Meditationes Sacrae (1597), the saying: "knowledge itself is power", he most likely wanted to transmit the idea that having and sharing knowledge is the cornerstone of reputation and influence, and therefore power; all achievements emanate from this.”, according to this paper ‘Knowledge is Power’ by Prof.Leonard Azamfirei MD, PhD (here). But if we are to bring purpose and meaning to the life within our businesses to our employees (and happy employees it is well known, bring so much more to a business, not only in increased productivity, but also increased reputation amongst the local community and also our customers), is shared knowledge a key to bringing our employees closer and if so where do we start?
The answer is from our leadership and that of our line managers who are the closest and most present ‘touch point’ to our employees. In an FT article entitled ‘A decent boss can make the world of difference at work’ by Sarah O’Connor (here), she investigated what made the most difference to employees at work and what gave them purpose and meaning within their jobs and no surprises (the title might have been a hint), “…one common thread linked many people’s stories about jobs they loved: a decent boss who gave them some autonomy and ‘had their back’.”
Sarah continues: “Research confirms the importance of good line management. One UK study into NHS Trusts found those trusts with good “people management practices”, such as supportive managers, were much more likely to have satisfied staff, lower absence levels and satisfied patients. Research by the [UK] Office for National Statistics has found a statistically significant positive correlation between management practice scores and labour productivity.”
Of course we might find that whilst our employees seem happy, and have a line manager that gets the most out of them through a mixture of trust, energy and support, our employees still get up and leave at 5pm. What happened to the extra hours we used to work when climbing the corporate ladder, regularly putting in 8am to 8pm (if not more) per day?
Is this the term we have heard so much about - ‘quiet quitting’? In a McKinsey interview with Bill Schaninger and Bryan Hancock, Bill points out (here) that: “We’re…seeing an interesting phenomenon where people are being hired and not showing up. Not showing up mentally or emotionally is aligned with the idea of quiet quitting—the idea that people are doing the bare minimum.”
Before we get too excited about ‘quiet quitting’, Sarah from the FT gives us a shot of reality (here): “I would suggest that if your staff turn up every day and do exactly what you ask of them, they aren’t “quiet quitting”, they’re “working”. Some people will always be driven by ambition, enjoyment, perfectionism or insecurity to do more than is asked of them, but if you expect everyone to do that, by definition it isn’t “above and beyond” any more.”
Is it really wrong for someone who we employ (i.e. is not a shareholder bringing reality to their dreams whilst building value through the business to later be taken out in the form of dividends or a PE cheque or an IPO) and to whom we pay a wage, to work 9-5? Put like that, there cannot be many who would argue that they want loads of hours thrown in for free by the employee, yet this is exactly what many expect.
However, there are without doubt some occasions when employees do ‘check out’ and so often line managers are actually to blame. Brian in the McKinsey interview hits the nail on the head: “If managers aren’t there to help inspire, if managers aren’t there to help lead, if managers aren’t there to help follow up, it’s a logical extension that an employee might think, “Is anybody going to notice if I don’t do this for a week? Or two weeks? Or, wow, it was three months until somebody had the conversation with me.”
At some level that’s quiet quitting, but at another level it’s just a failure of management.
He continues: “If you really try to dig into why people are quiet quitting, some of it is that they don’t feel a connection to their job, to what they’re doing, to the broader mission.”
So that is a definition of ‘quiet quitting’ we are far happier with, a loss of faith that anyone in management cares. People can be engaged, happy, fulfilled and highly productive, yet arrive at 9am and leave at 5pm, but if the life of the job has been sucked out by a Dementor-esque line manager, there is a very difficult time ahead for you and your business to drag your employees (and your productivity) back.
But if we expect so much of middle management, perhaps we should be looking at their drive, not just of the employees they lead. Paul Osterman in his book ‘The truth about Middle Managers, Who they are, How they work and Why they matter’ recognizes that so many middle managers “saw no larger purpose in what they were doing.” (here). Well, sorry to say - if they don’t see the purpose, how can they in turn inspire their team? Indeed he also noted through a survey of recent MBA graduates that many held a deeply cynical view of their employers. This “connection to their job, to what they’re doing, to the broader mission.”, is clearly lost.
Yet so much of our success rests with leading our teams to something greater, through our mission to create the vision we have for our businesses. For that to be successful, leadership has to flow from the very top through middle management to team leaders to the teams themselves. If that flow is blocked on its way to productivity in some way, that is not good news for the company’s future.
At the top is where all the Blue Sky thinking is going on, but it’s the managers who translate these dreams into reality. As Paul Osterman states: “…because organizations have become flatter, middle managers are taking on more of a role in terms of making decisions, and are taking on more of a role in terms of communication than they did in the past.” Along with this increased importance, becomes an increased responsibility for the company, this is why their own “connection to their job, to what they’re doing, to the broader mission”, is paramount.
If there is this disconnect with their team, part of the answer will of course lie with training the line manager to recognize and correct their lack of management skills (although often once the trust is broken with the employees it is harder to fix simply through training), but success will be gained though listening (leadership superpower), encouraging their team through showing interest in what they have accomplished (celebrate the small wins) and yes, through the sharing of knowledge to bring their own “connection to their job, to what they’re doing, to the broader mission”, closer.
This is where the difference can be made both for the employee and for the middle management. There is the sharing of knowledge in a classroom setting by a dull professor at the front reading from a book (although we would argue that is not ‘sharing’, but simply dictating), and there is the sharing of knowledge from one passionate about the subject such as Peter Long, who injects energy into the room and carries people with them. In doing so they increase the connection all have with their own roles, to what they are doing within the team and company as a whole, and most importantly, closer to the mission of the company. This is why the knowledge shared often doesn’t even have to do with the specific department or line in question (or Drums, Base or Piano for that matter!), although it should be linked to your business/industry, because it is the sharing of knowledge that drives people closer to each other within the Team and to your mission. Closer indeed we would suggest, to giving your employees a purpose and meaning in life through their work.
Find these passionate knowledgable people within your company and encourage them to share.
Stay safe.