Picture me, dancing around my office, singing, “That’s Ms. Jackson, if you’re nasty.”
Yes, my friends, we’re talking about control. (And, go ahead, play this little ditty while you read on… Ms. Jackson would want it that way.)
This time of year, control feels like the ultimate luxury. Between the wild pace of holiday commitments, year-end deadlines, and the sheer volume of — waves hands expansively — all the things, it’s easy to feel like we’re spinning in every direction.
And yet, whether you are leading a team, leading a community, or leading a family, control is exactly what so many of us are craving. (Trust me, I’ve done the research.)
So, let’s explore how to reclaim control, first in a super grown up way, with research from my Limitless Leader report that you can take to your boss. But, also, with some lessons just for you that I learned from watching that Martha Stewart documentary. Why? Because, it’s a “good thing.” (Get it?)
First, It’s about Being Invested, Not Just Interested
Traditional motivators such as salary and benefits don’t actually inspire anyone to bring their best selves to work. And, they never did.
During 20 years in executive search, I learned that it’s easy to build diverse and robust candidate pools. But it’s not easy to build diverse and robust candidate pools that lead to sticky hires, those who not only make it through recruitment but last through retention as well. Why? Because candidates are interested, but they are not invested.
Starting in January 2019, my company surveyed workers from 74 different countries and what we learned explained much of what has driven worker disengagement, disillusion, and dissatisfaction. More importantly, it pointed to solutions that leaders should consider implementing today.
We think that the pandemic is to blame, but it’s not. Almost every marker of workforce engagement has stayed the same since before the pandemic… except one: control. In fact, 52.1% of all workers say they need more control.
As leaders, it is our responsibility to create environments where employees feel empowered, valued, and in control of their work. By providing flexible work arrangements, autonomy in task management, involvement in decision-making, clear communication, professional development opportunities, and empowering middle management, we can foster a sense of control that drive engagement and performance.
And, as workers, it is our responsibility to start teaching our leaders how to do this if they don’t already get it.
This holiday season, let’s commit to building workplaces that not only achieve organizational goals but also nurture the personal and professional growth of our employees. By doing so, we can create a workforce that is motivated, productive, and ready to take on the challenge of the future.
My full article, The Power of Control: Transforming Employee Engagement In a Post-Pandemic World, was published in Leader to Leader where I go in more depth about six strategies that empower employees to take ownership of their work and ultimately give them what they want, more control.
Second, Let’s Also Hear from the Queen of Control Herself: Martha Stewart
Recently I found myself entranced by the Martha Stewart documentary. I am, you see, a female entrepreneur, well on the other side of what my mother once called the “F*ck You Forties,” and in possession of exceptionally high standards which seem to me to be obvious and, really, table stakes at the barest minimum. So, I have always felt a bit of a kindred spirit with Martha, albeit I have precious little skills in the way of decorating or baking. Still, I have always felt that Martha has gotten a bit of a bad rap for being super demanding.
So, when I saw a thread that read, “Watching the Martha Stewart documentary has made me realize I could stand to be a little more savage,” I knew I had to watch. You can read my blog post here on what I took away from it (in addition, obviously, to being a little more savage.)
But, in short: you cannot ever possibly go after everything you’ve ever wanted if your goals, your metrics, or your time are being held hostage by someone else’s standards.
Because here’s what I know to be true: You can’t be insatiably hungry for someone else’s goals. For, it is in the determination of our own goals, and the control that gives us, where we create the self-determination that brings us our fulfillment.
