Concern for people

I remember a time that I was leaving a large organization to begin working with a small start-up organization that focused in what was a sweet spot for me; meeting facilitation.  I was excited about the change and had given my notice.  One day as I was working out the notice I had given my employer, I entered an elevator and greeted the person with whom I was sharing my ride.  I smiled and said “how are you doing today.”  The response was “not bad for a Tuesday” along with a bit of a shrug.  I smiled at the comment; certainly I had heard that type of comment before; but that evening I couldn’t get it out of my mind.  It may have been said completely in jest and it may have been said simply as a way to avoid any meaningful dialog; but I couldn’t help but wonder if it was a true representation of the person’s feelings about work.  How sad it would be if the basis for the comment was the latter as I inferred from the comment the individual was wishing away five sevenths of their life.  Living for the weekend is not the goal of a satisfied, fully engaged employee.  I was immediately struck by the personal misery that must be felt by this individual every Sunday evening as they contemplated what the next morning would bring.  It wasn’t until later; much later that I thought about the impact that personal misery can have on a team, an organization, a client or a customer.  When you observe people and when you have some idea of what makes them tick, you can’t help but see the connection between personal misery and job performance.  As a leader you are painfully aware of the impact that misery can yield even if you are not aware of the misery itself.  You are aware of it if you have ever lamented the lack of creativity or initiative of your staff.  You are aware of it if you have thought about the lack of accountability that seems to affect your team.  You are aware of it when schedules slip and finger-pointing becomes an aerobic exercise.   You may not be aware that there is anything you can do about it, but you certainly feel the pain.