Countless young people enter the work force with enthusiasm, spirit, and fresh ideas to contribute to the organizations. Then they are gradually beaten down, indoctrinated and finally, become like the other egos, defending and pretending in an effort to survive with minimum damage.
Their inherent potential and talents that could be utilized in growing businesses are wasted. The employees begin looking around for another company or career, either because their family is complaining or because the doctor is ordering a change due to the stress they are experiencing.
What is the energy force or fuel that drives companies? Is it not the energy of its people?
This depletion of energy and creative power goes unrecognized by businesses, as they analyze every other element of their operations to determine how to increase profitability, reduce costs, and increase productivity. It is as though someone is shooting holes in the gas tank and wondering why they are getting poor mileage.
It is time for leaders and managers to become aware they are shooting themselves in the foot when they allow this ego-driven management, which is actually operating from fear, to permeate the business. The costs are estimated to be in the billions in terms of loyalty, retention, corporate memory, retraining, customer service and business potential. Many researchers are finding widespread employee disengagement and which obviously affects productivity, creativity, and profitability.
Lateral violence is a term being used to describe the backbiting, infighting and condescension occurring in workplace relationships. The financial impact goes uncalculated by administrators and leaders. The turnover in hospitals of registered nurses is reported by various studies to be anywhere between 30-60% because of lateral violence. And this is occurring in a profession supposed to be based on compassion!
This high turnover rate of nurses in hospitals is estimated to be costing $22,000-$64,000 per nurse. Other management studies indicate replacing one employee in most industries can cost up to 25-200% of the annual salary. Those expenses impact the bottom line. And yet changing the environment and creating a new, respectful kind of leadership to reduce these costs are rarely considered.
What is needed now is enlightened leadership. When leaders can honor the spirit in those they lead, they will empower people to their full potential. Fear based management is the old model, and businesses that want to be extraordinary have to recognize this truth. Enlightened leaders are a conduit for the energy and synergism needed for teamwork, creativity and productivity.
