Case Studies
Okay, enough theory. It's time to see what the three signs might look like when applied.
What follows are a number of examples of how managers in various industries and at all levels might go about making an employee's job more engaging. Some of the illustrations are relatively straightforward and easy to figure out, while others are decidedly unique and require more creativity on the part of a manager. Whatever the case, they are all immensely doable for leaders who have the courage and boldness to be different for the sake of their employees.
Example 1: The Vice President of Marketing
Nancy is the head of marketing at a medium-sized software company. She reports to the CEO and oversees everything from branding and advertising to product marketing and the design of the company's Web site. Why might she be miserable?
Anonymity
There is a decent chance that anonymity is a factor. As is often the case among senior executives, the CEO she reports to has little time or inclination to take a personal interest in the lives of his subordinates, people he sees as needing little supervision and support. He has to remember that senior executives like Nancy have just as much need as line employees do for their manager to know and understand them personally, even if they will rarely come right out and say it. That doesn't mean the CEO should patronize Nancy with questions about her inner child. But it does require him to develop a genuine concern for what is going on in Nancy's life and career. As soft as that may sound, it matters to Nancy, and it will improve her performance.
Irrelevance
Many executives like Nancy eventually lose a sense of meaning in their work. Now that she is earning a comfortable living and has achieved a high degree of success in her career, she often wonders what the larger purpose of her work should be. As her manager, the CEO needs to help her connect personally to the company's mission and its impact on customers, or to give her a sense of how she can influence the lives of her staff and make them more successful and fulfilled in their careers—or both. He also needs to help her understand how she might be making his life or career better by doing a good job.
Immeasurement
This is an area where Nancy may not be lacking too much overall, as most executives have plenty of data and often rely on quantitative analysis to do their jobs. However, it is entirely possible that many of her measurements are disconnected from the meaningful purpose of her job. The CEO should have her monitor the progress she is making with her people, in addition, of course, to measuring the overall impact of her programs.
By the way, Nancy has an administrative assistant named Jenny. . . .
Example 2: The Administrative Assistant
Jenny's responsibilities include scheduling, communication, and general assistance to her boss. She has virtually no interaction with the company's customers, and she spends much of her energy protecting Nancy from people who are constantly demanding her time. Jenny feels underappreciated at times and beaten down by having to be the gatekeeper who says no to so many people every day.
Anonymity
In this case, anonymity is not the likely problem for Jenny, though it could be an issue. To eliminate this, Jenny's manager should take an interest in her as a person, as well as any aspirations she might have. Nancy can make up for Jenny's limited career path options by giving her personal development opportunities, and by nurturing—yes, nurturing—the special one-on-one relationship that is unique for each executive-and-assistant pairing.
Irrelevance
Nancy needs to take the time to remind Jenny how much her work impacts her own ability to serve the company as an executive. She needs to help Jenny realize the influence she has on her career, and how the decisions she makes as an assistant affect her personally as well. Of course, to avoid making Jenny feel like her success is dependent on the mood of the marketing VP, she will need to help her establish a way to measure her effectiveness as objectively as possible.
Immeasurement
The best way to go about establishing a measurable that is relevant is to think about assessing the various ways that Jenny impacts her boss's work life, which in turn helps the company. That might include a weekly review of how much time is set aside for strategic planning and creative thinking, the responsiveness of communication with key constituents within the company, and the avoidance of unnecessary meetings and interruptions.
By the way, Jenny handles Nancy's travel, and often books her in a boutique hotel that caters to businesspeople. . . .
Example 3: The Late-Night Room Service Attendant at a Hotel
Carson is the lone room service attendant during the graveyard shift at a boutique hotel that caters to business travelers. He reports to the daytime restaurant manager, whom he rarely sees, as well as having a dotted-line relationship with the night manager. Carson's job responsibilities include taking orders, preparing food, and delivering it to guests between midnight and six o'clock in the morning. Additionally, he assists the night manager with various clerical tasks and provides limited security and maintenance during late-night hours.
Anonymity
This is a good candidate for being a factor in Carson's lack of engagement, as he has little regular contact with other employees. That is why the daytime restaurant manager will have to go out of his way to get to know Carson, and will need to use alternate means of communication to stay in touch with him over time. He'll also have to work with the night manager to ensure that she develops rapport with Carson and gives him a sense of belonging.
Irrelevance
This is another likely cause of job dissatisfaction. Carson's manager will need to help him understand that on the rare occasions when guests require his services, they will almost always be in a position of unusual, even serious need. In many cases, those guests will have arrived late due to a flight delay or a red-eye trip, or they will be unable to sleep or even feeling ill. The room service attendant will be in a unique position to make a meaningful and lasting impact on that guest's comfort, even more than his colleagues on the day shift.
In addition to the impact that Carson has on guests, he also can make a meaningful difference in the day-to-day life of the night manager, both by providing clerical assistance and by being a source of good company during a potentially lonely time.
Immeasurement
Though Carson may well receive tips and compliments from guests, better measurements are available to his manager. That's not to say he shouldn't track the number of comments submitted by guests who receive exemplary service from Carson. But he could also have Carson measure other things, like the time it takes to turn around orders and requests from guests. He should also check in with the night manager, who is one of Carson's internal customers, about the quality of his work.
By the way, on Saturday mornings when Carson gets off work, he usually does his grocery shopping. . . .
Example 4: The Box Boy at the Grocery Store
Andy is a sixteen-year-old high school student who works at the supermarket on weekends, bagging groceries and helping customers get them to their cars. He reports to the manager of cashiers.
Anonymity
Andy knows that he's somewhere near the bottom of the food chain at the grocery store. Though he has a pretty good relationship with a few of the cashiers, he probably feels like he's not high on the boss's list of priorities. The manager needs to find a way to connect with Andy around something that matters to him. Like football. An occasional conversation about the San Francisco 49ers— or a free football magazine from the newspaper rack—might be a good first step. Eventually, he'll want to develop a more substantive and authentic relationship that will make Andy feel more committed to the store and more enthusiastic about going above and beyond in his job.
Irrelevance
It would be easy for Andy to decide that his job was menial and unimportant, just a way to earn extra money on weekends. His manager needs to help him figure out how to make a difference in the lives of his customers, and perhaps even in the lives of the cashiers. Andy could consider doing something unique to make the check-out experience more fun for customers. That might include giving them a weather report or sports scores, asking a trivia question, or having an inspiring quote for them. Again, if this sounds silly, consider whether it would make the shopping experience better for customers, and the working experience better for Andy. Great managers, and companies, don't let the initial appearance of silliness prevent them from doing what is ultimately meaningful and differentiating.
Immeasurement
This is a challenge in many service jobs like Andy's. What his manager needs to do is help Andy establish a few ways to gauge his day-to-day success. Maybe it's the number of times he makes a customer laugh. Or maybe even the cashiers. Or perhaps it is about reducing the amount of time that customers have to wait before their groceries are ready to go. Or the time it takes him to move customers through the line. Whatever measurement is used, it's important that Andy be able to monitor his own success, and that when he leaves his shift, he knows how he performed that day.
By the way, did I mention that Andy likes football?
Example 5: The Wide Receiver
Michael is the recently acquired star wide receiver for the local professional team. He is twenty-five years old, makes $4.2 million a year, lives in a beautiful home, travels to games in chartered jets, and stays in five-star hotels.
Anonymity
People will be surprised to learn that Michael—like many athletes in his bracket—is miserable in his job. They'll be even more surprised to learn that anonymity is a big part of it. Though Michael is famous and receives attention and adulation from fans and the media alike, he doesn't feel his coach knows or cares about him beyond the football field. When Michael moved to the area after being traded, the coach didn't ask him about his personal life or his transition to a new town. That coach needs to talk to Michael about more than his injuries and his statistics. He needs to understand what Michael's interests are off the field, and what he might want to do when his football career is over. Otherwise, Michael is going to feel like a commodity. A precious one, sure, but a commodity nonetheless.
Irrelevance
Many professional athletes like Michael either lose sight of, or never develop, a sense of how they make a difference in the lives of others. They see themselves as merely playing a game, one with no impact on real life. Michael's coach needs to help him understand that by playing well, he actually makes people happy. There are fans who spend a considerable amount of their disposable income on tickets so they can watch their team, and when that team wins, they are more likely to have a good week. As crazy as that may seem to some people, it's a reality and provides an incentive for Michael to play his best.
And Michael needs to realize that when he plays with determination and competitiveness and sportsmanship—and takes the time to sign an autograph and demonstrate genuine appreciation to fans—those fans are more likely to feel proud of themselves and their community.
Beyond the fans, Michael can also influence the people who work for the team. Everyone from the general manager to the head coach to the equipment assistant to the team receptionist will have greater job security and a sense of accomplishment if their team wins. That impacts their spouses and children in nontrivial ways. If Michael doesn't realize the effect he has on the lives of fans and team employees, he and the team are losing out on a powerful source of motivation.
Immeasurement
This is one area that Michael will probably not be lacking greatly, as wins and losses are a pretty good indicator of success on the field. However, Michael doesn't control the outcome of a game or season, and he will need to look at other measurables for his performance and behavior. Off the field, fan-related events and interaction with employees in the organization might be something he wants to monitor on a regular basis. Whatever the case, Michael needs some way of measuring how he is impacting the people that make his job relevant.
By the way, Michael is remodeling his home. . . .
Example 6: The Construction Foreman
Peter is one of three foremen at a residential construction firm. He has seventeen employees working on three different crews, building and remodeling high-quality homes. Peter is extremely engaged in his work.
Anonymity
This is not a problem for Peter as he has worked at the company for twenty-two years and has a close personal relationship with his boss and colleagues, all of whom he regards as friends. They know Peter and his wife well, and are both interested and involved in his pursuits outside of work.
Irrelevance
Peter's job satisfaction wasn't always high. After a number of years on the job, he began to lose some of his passion for the work he loved when he realized that many of his customers, some of whom were extremely wealthy, didn't fully appreciate what they were getting. His boss had to remind him, again and again at first, that beyond the actual work he was overseeing, he was impacting the lives of the people he managed. Many of those people had not finished high school, or had immigrated to the United States to give their kids a better future, and Peter was going to be one of the most important people to help them in that pursuit. Eventually, Peter came to see that his role as manager and mentor was more meaningful than what he did as a project manager, though the two were inextricably connected.
Immeasurement
Measuring success is not much of an issue for Peter either. Budgets and time lines have always been good metrics, and customers are usually quick to provide information about their levels of satisfaction (though dissatisfaction provokes even quicker input). As for measuring his impact on employees, Peter prides himself on his ability to retain his people, and to watch them buy homes, send their kids to college, and save money for their future. He also has found it immensely gratifying that they seemed to enjoy coming to work.
By the way, Peter's daughter Nancy is vice president of marketing at a medium-sized software company. . . .