“What if every other aspect of my life is doing well apart from my job? Like, I wake up every morning feeling demotivated, the roles are so monotonous and I cannot see any hope for growth. My colleagues here have been around for more than two decades. We all go to them for guidance; we refer to them as the ‘company knowledge banks’, yet they have not progressed. We all come in looking grumpy. Everyone is always complaining and to be sincere we just come to work because of the salary.” She said

These were sentiments from a training participant. I could see her collegues nodding though they did not want to say much. The conversation followed a discussion on the wheel of life and personal goal setting. In most cases you find people struggling with other aspects of life after putting too much focus on work and career. This was quite an exception. It was even more worrying considering the team was from the Human Resource department. This made me want to hear more;

Me: What do you mean when you say, ‘Everyone is complaining?’

Participant 1: We all walk in and start complaining about work!

Me: Has this always been the case?

Participant 2: Not really, our previous boss was really nice.

Me: (Mental Note) – It’s leadership issue!

Participant 1: We actually still call her and tell her how much we miss her.

Me: What exactly do you guys complain about?

Participant 3: Everything; Training opportunities, promotions, decision making….

Participant 1: We have not attended a training in two years yet I am the one in charge of training. We have a budget but it’s the same people who get approval for training. We had to gang up to get approval for this training. Other people cannot even trust what we say since we are in HR and they know how we are treated. This organization is a mess!

(The room was heating up…)

Me: Does this mean it happens in all departments?

Participant 1: Actually No, I wish I could work in fiancé. They even come to work on Saturdays without complaining and I could do the same if I was working there.

Participant 3: Yeah. Nobody complains in fiancé. Their boss literally lobbies for them. Every person there has to attend a training. Their boss even goes with junior officers to seminars and workshops.

Participant 1: Yeah and I enjoy attending their meetings. Every person gets a chance to chair a meeting; even interns. He tells them to watch and learn because they are next; with time they grow into the roles.

Me: So where do you think the problem is then?

Participant 2: It’s not the company. It’s our department. Our managers operate like a cartel including the HR director. They will take every opportunity if it involves travelling and getting an allowance instead of letting the junior officer in charge travel or attend such forums. Promotions are based on friendships!

This discussion took half of our lunch hour. This was not a leadership class neither was it a goal setting class. It was actually an employee relations and engagement training. Most of the time this training is meant to enable HR practitioners manage the relationships between employer and employees, prevent and resolve problems arising at work. This one however turned the tables. The HR management seems to be the one lacking in employee relations skills. Leadership is lacking; They are not role modelling and they are the source of lack of motivation and employee engagement.

Though growth is a personal responsibility; leaders have a role in nurturing employees. They do not have to directly mentor or coach (though this is their role too) but they need to nurture their team;

1. Talk to each person in the team – Find out how they are doing, what are their areas of interest, what path they would like to take and help them step in the role when an opportunity arises.
2. Increase their autonomy – allow them to solve problems, take up challenging assignment and special projects.
3. Provide training – Expose them to different aspects of work and teach them specific skills that are critical for their growth.
4. Recognize achievements and show appreciation – Thank them and give them honest recognition for their achievements. I know it’s their job, but ask yourself, “would you give even more if you knew you were appreciated?”

Managers must build trust in a team as genuine leaders. One has to be ready to grow as a person and as a professional. They have to inspire and motivate ordinary employees to chart their own paths with the goal of leveraging their success and strengths to achieve company goals. Nurturing is about supporting and encouraging as you push them relentlessly towards the goal. It is giving people the space to grow, experiment new processes, gain new skills and build capacity. It is inspiring others to better themselves so that they can better the organization; because;

“The main reason for leading is to help other people win” Kouzes and Posner