leaders: let’s examine our hearts
Today I was on the phone with a friend who said of a company he had recently left: “I heard if you just stopped coming to work but kept filling out your timecard it would be about three months before anyone found out.” Quiet Quitting, surely you are familiar with this workplace phrase. In September, Gallop announced that over 50% of our workforce in North America is quietly quitting.
Quiet quitting happens when distracted leaders fail to prioritize inspiring and caring for their employees. After awhile, uninspired team members may begin doing the bare minimum, and nobody is the wiser. That is wild! And let me repeat it; Gallop estimates this number is higher than 50%! The article by Jim Harrter goes on to provide information on employee engagement. Hunter states: “U.S. employee engagement took another step backward during the second quarter of 2022, with the proportion of engaged workers remaining at 32% but the proportion of actively disengaged increasing to 18%. The ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is now 1.8 to 1, the lowest in almost a decade.”
You can’t eliminate quiet quitting or dramatically improve employee engagement by taking a cookie-cutter approach. These problems are likely deep and systemic issues that have seeped into our workplaces over a long period of time. Working towards resolution requires leaders to take action, but it’s less likely resolved by starting with a spreadsheet of tasks and more likely solved in our hearts.
Before the next person quietly quits or you get more unfavorable marks on your employee experience survey, consider the following:
Examine your heart:
Are you approaching your team with kind asks or demands?
Do you seek to understand challenges or simply expect them to be overcome?
Does the thought of your team members bring you delight or dread?
Are you humble, or do you think you are the smartest one in the room?
Do you find joy in your work, or is it constant drudgery?
Do you consider your work sacred or a means to an end?
Do you truly value your team members or only what they produce?
When it comes to your job, do you remember your why or has it got lost along the way?
Do you consider the job you are doing to be inspiring?
You may do some self-examination and realize that you are leading from a place of emptiness and overload. If you find yourself in this place, give yourself a break; It is a hard time to be in leadership. Take some time off to recharge, even if it’s just one day; focus on caring for your heart and soul. Maybe it’s time for a new schedule, spiritual practice, a leadership coach, or personal therapy.
Then get to work energizing your team by showing them that you care about their heart as well. While not an exhaustive list, here are some tips that can help get you started:
Be transparent. Let the team in on your self-reflection. By being open and honest, you will earn their respect.
Get to know your team. Show the team you care, and they will engage more freely
Seek to understand their challenges and help them overcome them.
Demonstrate kindness in all circumstances.
Recognize that they often know more than you do. Be humble and ask questions.
Tie their work to the mission. Make sure each team member knows they matter to the organization and that they matter to you.
Once you start solving matters of the heart, take your feedback from the team and create that tactical spreadsheet. Follow it up by creating your strategic plan for the employee experience you desire for your organization. Bring your people in on the process. Doing so will encourage buy-in, improve engagement and create ownership over the culture. Remember that creating an inspiring culture is not a one-time activity but an ongoing commitment to listening and partnering with the workforce so that they may engage in their jobs fully and with joy.
Harter, By Jim. “Is Quiet Quitting Real?” Gallup.com, 21 Nov. 2022, www.gallup.com/workplace/398306/quiet-quitting-real.aspx.
