The Physiological Impacts of Bad Management with Mark C. Crowley

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06/20/19 • 47 min

How do you lead well, or love well, when you come from a dysfunctional home? It isn’t easy - but today’s guest on the Love in Action Podcast, Mark C. Crowley, author of Lead From the Heart knows it’s possible - and knows how to make it happen. From Difficult BeginningsMark’s mother passed away when he was young, and his father seemed intent on destroying Mark’s self-esteem and emotional well-being. It’s hard to imagine a parent treating a child this way - but we all know it *does* happen, and the children have to find their own way forward. After his father kicked him out of the family home, Mark had a few dark years, but a powerful drive to prove his father wrong, succeed and make an impact on the world. While in college, Mark noticed how different his peers were in terms of how they seemed prepared for the world in a way that he wasn’t. Mark turned his own experience around, and realized that if he had had more coaching, support, mentoring and love - his life would have been better and easier - so he decided to give those things to the people he was leading as a manager. Science Meets PhilosophyWhen Mark started writing his book, it was to fulfill a personal dream, to articulate his philosophy, and help other managers. And then a friend asked him if he was going to explain how it works, scientifically. This meant that Mark had to dig into the physiological reasons that, leading from the heart, make you an effective manager. So he wrote to world-class cardiologists to find scientific evidence. They all ignored him, until, while having a test run, he met a new doctor who was able to connect him with the professionals he needed to bring the weight of science to his thesis of management. It’s been found that the human heart has intelligence, of a kind - and this is awesome news for the business community. The cardiac surgeon Mark consulted told him that with his book, he’d figured out something that the medical community was just beginning to understand: your biography - what happens to you, affects your biology. As in medicine, in management: more often than not - it's how we feel that makes us decide how to behave at work. It Isn’t Always An Easy Sell Love can be evidenced in a lot of ways: setting expectations, sharing heartfelt feedback, getting to know people as people. You can’t manage people if you don’t know their story. How can you support someone, and give them what they need if you don’t know the realities of their life, their motivations, and their priorities? When so many people absolutely dread going to work in the morning, and we KNOW that lack of recognition and appreciation is a huge cause of that, why do so many managers think they need to be sparing with praise, appreciation and great feedback? It should be constant - a part of the culture. Fear Works - But Not ForeverThe people who work for you don’t want you to be the boss ALL the time. Sometimes you should just have a regular, normal conversation. It’s not a waste of time - it’s where the heart gets its energy. But all too often, managers feel like they have to always be authoritative, and use fear to get things done. The thing is - fear works. It helps people hit numbers and milestones. But what’s the coast? Is it sustainable? What is the COST of using fear to lead, and is it worth it?After graduating, Mark’s son told him that there was “no way in hell I want your career.” And while that sounds like the kid is a jerk - what he was actually saying was that “I’ve seen how you were treated and what it did to you. I want something different.” Younger generations are refusing to live and work in fear. That can only be a good thing - and we should do the same. ResourcesLeadfromtheheart.com | Markccrowley.com

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How to be Happy at Work with Dr. Annie McKee

Being happy at work isn’t something most people expect. But today’s guest, Dr. Annie McKee, believes it’s possible. In fact, she wrote a book on it, called “How to be Happy At Work,” published by Harvard Business Review Press. According to Annie, there are three key factors: hope, purpose, friendship, and in this episode, we dive into how to be happy at work.Why She Wrote the BookAnnie has spent every day after earning her doctorate studying, teaching, and consulting on leadership, although she never intended to write a book on happiness. But then something happened. She and her team helped so many organizations but she could never shake the feeling that something was missing. She Annie and her team went back to the research, reports, and conversations to discover what it was. Regardless of where a person works, they want, beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be happy at work.The Myth About WorkAnnie meets more unhappy people than happy people in her line of work, and to her, it’s unacceptable. So she took a look at why. Annie found that our happiness - or lack thereof - comes from a historic era: the industrial revolution. Bosses then were most concerned with how they could get the most out of every person every day. Annie talks about how this inhumane drive has carried over and how leaders need a new way of thinking.The Definition of Happiness at WorkThe attention on happiness, not just in life, but also in work, has exploded recently. Annie isn’t talking about the hedonistic view of happiness, but rather, what the people she worked with were telling her. Here’s Annie’s take on the definition: a sense of fulfillment as a result of purposeful, meaningful work, a hopeful outlook about the future, and good friends in the workplace. In fact, that’s the framework for her book: hope, purpose, and friendship.The Happiness-Engagement LinkAs you know, employee engagement is low across the board. While there hasn’t been a lot of research on the link between happiness and engagement, there have been many done on engagement and productivity in the workplace. Annie talks about why the link between happiness and engagement leads to greater productivity. She shares some examples of how leaders can build environments that create happiness, and it all comes back to hope, purpose, and friendship. She and Marcel break down each of those. The core of it all is love.Happiness TrapsA lot of people don’t think they SHOULD be happy in the workplace. It’s beliefs like this, paired with outdated management styles, that stand in the way of happiness, and by extension, productivity. Annie reveals other happiness traps, things that prevent us from being happy like bad managers and toxic cultures. But we also set traps for ourselves, and first among those is the ‘overwork’ trap. Annie talks about how to disarm overwork and other traps.Leading Through FearWe’ve made it a point to ask all our guests about the phenomenon of leading through fear and why they think it happens. Annie has a very good idea why: insecurity. It’s an odd thing, she points out, that when people are at the top of their game and the top of their organization, why they’d be insecure. Annie knows the answer to the question: we haven’t been prepared to deal with the grain of insecurity we ALL have.ResourcesWebsite | Annie’s Books | Work is Love Made Visible

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The Building Blocks of Organizational Culture with Jim Harter

Today Marcel Schwantes gets to talk to one of the legends of the Gallup Organization, Jim Harter to discuss Gallup’s new book: It’s the Manager.This was the largest global study in the future of work. Jim shares that the whole world is interested in and talking about where work is going, and what the new workforce is asking about. With this book, they aimed to really identify what it is that people are looking for.The Role of the ManagerManagers’ jobs are extremely complex, and they have much higher stress than the people they manage. They also tend to have less clear expectations than the people they manage. One of the main reasons people join (or leave!) companies is the availability (or lack thereof) of career development. Managers are in the best position to develop people, but that’s not often a clear instruction. Jim shares what managers can do - and how the priority is going to shift from delegation and review to a coaching model that takes into account the specific needs, talents, and interests of team members. The Building Blocks of CultureJim talks about how critical the executive team is, in terms of creating an organizational culture. It starts with the company's goals and becomes a process of determining what you’re aiming for, and how that compares to what you’re doing. It's what creates a reputation over time. Marcel mentions that people are less interested in climbing the corporate ladder - and Jim explains what that means. The opportunity for development and growth also has a huge impact on people’s perception of their pay. Setting clear expectations, and making growth personal to a specific employee makes a huge difference in employee satisfaction. Remote WorkforcesWhether you’re a remote or on-site worker, you have the same basic needs as an employee. Jim discusses how management can ensure remote team members connect to their colleagues on a personal level.The New Critical SkillsJim talks about the data they’ve gathered, which has resulted in 7 expectations or competencies that all employees need to have, all very important in a changing technological environment. People will come to a role with varying levels of ability in each of these - but can all be improved. Jim talks about what they are, and how people should prioritize improving them. Managers can take regular actions and have specific kinds of conversations to make sure their team members are getting the support and the feedback that they need. Building trust is number one. Patterns for EngagementCompanies with great engagement have 4 things in common. Jim tells us what they are, and how organizations make each of them their own. No matter how employee engagement happens, it needs to come from the top, and be consistently deployed throughout the company. Making sure managers are engaged is important as well! Managers need coaching, the way we expect them to coach. A lot of this requires a real focus on coaching managers and helping them to become coaches. Jim explains what that means, and how it can be executed, as well as the potential obstacles that might be in the way. People Leading PeopleJim talks about how important it is to avoid leading through fear. People will perform better and be happier when a more human-focused approach is taken. Being in a developmental state rather than one of fear - every metric improves. Getting people in the habit to think about helping, supporting and collaborating with their colleagues, rather than obeying orders and completing tasks. Knowing your strengths those of your team is the most important thing you can do as a manager.Resources:It’s the Manager

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