By Karl R. Zimmer
In the previous articles, I revealed and explored a new paradigm of leadership, which I’ve referred to as, “conscious leadership.” The formula for this new paradigm of leadership is represented by the acronym RULE®, which stands for Respect, Understand, Love, and Enjoy. In the last article, I revealed the third element of the formula, Love. In this article, I am revealing the fourth element of RULE® which is, Enjoy.
We all know the word, “Enjoy,” but few might associate that word with work or leadership, which could be one reason for such displeasure some have with work, leaders, and even leading. You and I are going to change all that, though. Thankfully, there are some good examples of work environments in which people enjoy their work, and we all agree that life without joy is not much of a life, so what do we do to bring more smiles to our places of work?
Studies have shown that few people enjoy their work because they make a lot of money or because they get to do whatever they want, whenever they want. Those kinds of perks or benefits lose their luster rather quickly, though many might like to see that for themselves. Kidding aside, what most people find enjoyable and rewarding at work is knowing how their contributions affect the growth and profitability of the organization. If their compensation is tied to that growth, there must also be a clear connection to their contribution, otherwise, it will seem arbitrary, and that tends to be counterproductive, lowering morale and satisfaction. There isn’t enough room here to delve into compensation, but suffice to say that people are smart enough to see if compensation is actually commensurate with contribution. If it isn’t, it will have the opposite of the desired effect.
Several studies published in the Harvard Business Review and elsewhere have shown a direct correlation between employee satisfaction and organization profitability. The reasons cited are simple; happy, satisfied staff are more effective at engaging and satisfying customers, which drives profits. It should come as no surprise that leaders who inspired high performance were paramount to getting the best results.
In the next article, we will see how all elements of RULE® work together to inspire and motivate the highest performance and satisfaction at work. This column is dedicated to sharing experiences, research, and ideas about great leaders. By following along with these articles, you will learn how practicing the formula represented by RULE® can propel you to living a more joyful life as well as leading your organization to greater success.