When two companies are in similar dire straits, what enables one leader to turn it around while the other fails?
When stranded on the space station for five months as it spiraled out of control, what role did a forgotten Russian scientist’s research play in saving the life of one of America’s greatest astronauts?
Hope carries the burdens of failure but also of success. Hope carries meaning.According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average twenty-five to thirty-four-year-old puts in 2.9 years before moving on to the next job. This is one-third the time that their parents invest in a job. As one would expect, people in the fifty-five to sixty-four age bracket are more loyal to their current employers, investing 9.6 years, on average, before looking for greener pastures. Commitment has become passé. One wonders, what do people lose first? Interest or hope? And who is responsible for our commitment-phobic culture? According to a wealth of research on employee turnover and job satisfaction, employees often cite a lack of leadership as one of the primary reasons for a premature departure—hence the axiom that “people don’t leave companies; they leave people.” Confusing the issue even further is that most leaders and their followers disagree about what matters in a job. Leigh Branham’s analysis of nearly twenty thousand exit surveys from companies in seventeen industries illustrates that 89 percent of managers believe that retaining good employees is about the money, while 88 percent of employees cite reasons other than pay for leaving. Although leaders and followers typically look for the light at the end of the tunnel together, they often see it through very different lenses. Their divergent opinions about what matters makes the future more difficult to see. And when people cannot see light at the end of the tunnel, they have two options: stop and subsequently get hit by oncoming traffic, or turn around and get the hell out of the tunnel. In the absence of leadership, people are left waffling, spinning their wheels, and ultimately out of control. “Turnover” isn’t the only title on the soundtrack of our age. If entertainment is any indicator, powerlessness is pervasive. Consider this: the best-selling video game of all time is one that allows gamers to create and manage the lives of a simulated family. The Sims (Sim is gamer-speak for “simulated person”) actually lets players “play God.”
***Some of the contents in this Blog have been used from various reference books---Sanjeev***
Hope!!!.... A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.
