It was an energizing morning--5 Grad, not a cloud in the sky, very light wind and the most beautiful sunrise you can imagine... OK, maybe it was bit chilly for fall, but the sunrise was magnificent and put Shelly in a fantastic mood. She felt on top of the world as she entered the office...
Mira stopped by her office, quite in the dumps. Her 86 year old mother had fallen and broken her hip. She was torn about hiring someone from here to support her mother or flying home to be there with her mother and know what was going on firsthand.
They talked for just under 20 minutes. Yet, in those few minutes, Mira realized what was really important to her. She opted to take the 3 week sabbatical from work that Shelly offered to help her mother out now. This would give her time to begin to make some decisions about what she and her mother wanted for the future. This had been a subject she had avoided for too long. Not having a clear picture of what she wanted or her mother wanted, was always on her mind--it was this not knowing that was draining her far more than the circumstances at hand.
Her mother was feisty and independent, but lately had been showing some signs of age. These changes in her mother were not easy for Mira to accept. Mira had young children who needed her home, too. Choosing to be away from either her mother or her children as she felt both needed her was difficult for her. She needed to share her concerns with her mother and learn what her mother wanted. ...and she needed to talk over the situation with her husband and children, too. Once she knew where everyone stood, they could begin to make decisions.
She thanked her boss for her time and advice and left office feeling in control of her life with a long list of action plans forming in her mind. She was ready to move on. She called a video conference with her managers for the next morning. Mira told them what was happening in her life and her decision to take the sabbatical. They talked about current status, shared a few concerns and issues that might arise and how they would address them in her absence. She felt confident that her global team- Human Resources, Finance, Technology, Information Technology -- would be fine. She appreciated their sincerity in their well-wishing. Many of them called during her sabbatical to offer their support
Ben sat at his desk working or reading reports from the field, talking to his team on the phone. He was always busy and, it seemed, to always be stressed and in a hurry. His door was closed; yet, you could hear grumbling or desk pounding every now and then through his door. His was a door that one entered gingerly, never sure what to expect.. Even Mira was reluctant to talk with him. She found that she would rather share her concerns or thoughts with other direct reports than to bother her harried COO.
When he walked into one of the plants everyone looked busy. When his managers turned in their reports they were impeccable. He made sure of it... and constantly looked for there faults and corrected them. Troubleshooting was his strength and sniffing it out before it happened was his specialty. He was a perfectionist and expected the best... and hired the best.
That fact that more ideas for new product development were coming out of the CFO's office then his Had him steaming that morning. His efficiency ratings were fantastic from his Engineering, Production, Marketing and Research staffs. For the life of him, he couldn't understand why New Product development came from the outside?
He hired the best, paid well, took care of his team, fired the losers... Yet, creativity just didn't flow. What was the matter with them? He wondered, could it be the company that changed people? When he hired a manager, they were enthusiastic and full of ideas. Why was it that after several months, they seemed stressed, tired and overwhelmed...their creativity gone. Was it the company or was his selection process poor? There must be some way to select better, more committed, innovative and enthusiastic people. It seemed his whole department and line areas lacked motivation and strangely enough, seemed to catch every cold, virus or flu that came around.
Could it be...the impact of "Emotional Contagion"? "Anger and Resentment are the most contagious of all emotions. If you are near a resentful or angry person, you are more prone to become resentful or angry yourself... Added to this,... (you) are now more easily startled as a result of the outpouring of adrenaline accompanying their anger." (Angry/negative people can be bad for your brain )
If current research is correct, can you imagine what the ripple effect of one negative person in a leading role of an organization might be? Somewhere I read that it takes 10 positive comments to negate one negative one... and negativity is like an infectious disease, destroying trust, openness and creativity.
In what ways can you brighten the day of those around you? Where might you experiment with a little humor in how you see the world, appreciation of yourself and others or curiosity in what is happening and unfolding? What would happen if you notice what makes you angry and take the time (with some support, if needed, to let it go? Can you imagine wearing a warm smile and being curious when you answer the phone or when someone enters even if you know that they are bearing bad news? Ben tried it... the impact was astounding! |
