Reputation is everything in business. Generally, the business world consists of a network of interrelated conversations. Your company is a microcosm of that network, says Daniel F. Prosser, author of THIRTEENERS: Why Only 13 Percent of Companies Successfully Execute Their Strategy–and How Yours Can Be One of Them.
The conversations that take place between your team members are incredibly important, says Prosser. “Words are far more powerful than most people realize.”
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As a leader, you may make bold, optimistic statements about your company and its future. But what if your employees are engaging in negative conversations? “Bitter complaints, criticisms, and cynical rants full of victim-y-self-pity and anger. All of these conversations create a sense of unconscious disconnection in the workplace and create dis-empowerment among the workforce,†Prosser explains.
“Unfortunately, I’ve learned that the conversations in nearly 90% of companies are limiting, and they undermine and sabotage your company’s performance,”adds Prosser. “Most of these conversations aren’t visible to leaders. Yet they go viral throughout an organization, kill morale, prevent engagement, and slow productivity to a crawl.”
Here, Prosser spotlights 10 performance-killing conversations your employees may be having without your knowledge. This is why your employees can’t, or are unwilling to, execute your company’s strategy.
1. “It’s not our strategy.” If this conversation is continuously taking place in your organization, it may mean that your employees feel they have no say in decisions regarding the direction of your company and have, therefore, disconnected themselves from its future.
You do all the planning and demand a certain result. They do all the work and you get all the credit. Would you be motivated or feel included if you were in their shoes? Prosser instructs: “Ask them for their insights and opinions regarding the path of your company, and how they see themselves fulfilling their roles. Allow people to contribute, ask questions, and even disagree with you. This gives them a way to invest in what they’re working toward and gives real meaning to their work”, he explains.
2. “They don’t appreciate us.” Some leaders think, ‘my employees get a paycheck and that ought to be enough acknowledgment and appreciation.’ Â But your employees may still feel exploited, says Prosser, and from there it’s a short step to becoming actively resentful of management for not recognizing their contribution to the organization’s success.
As a leader, you may not feel comfortable acknowledging or expressing appreciation for an employee,” notes Prosser. Â But get over yourself. “It can cost you big-time not to have that conversation. It costs you nothing to appreciate and acknowledge the contribution of others,” he adds.
3. “They’re always making excuses.” Employees learn from their leaders. When leaders make excuses, Â blame peers and team members, or cite circumstances beyond their control as reasons for failing to deliver, they evoke the same behavior from their employees, says Prosser. This produces a business culture in which strategies, plans, and intentions disappear soon after they are agreed to, and teams quickly fall back into business-as-usual behavior.
4. “No one holds management accountable.” As Prosser points out, “Honestly–how comfortable would you be calling your own boss on the carpet? You’ll have to attack this Execution Virus starting with YOU. No more excuses. It’s time to become publicly accountable for your own results–the good and the bad. You’ll find that your people are much more willing to follow a fallible leader with integrity than a ‘perfect’ leader who constantly passes the buck.”
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5. “Did you hear what (Employee A) said about (Employee B)?” Gossip and communication that degrades others can create a toxic workplace environment. If your employees are experiencing the scorn of another employee, or if management knowingly tolerates gossip about others, then you have employees who will give just enough effort to get by, Prosser says.”Wherever there are secrets or anything that cannot be discussed at any level of an organization, you will find a dysfunctional organization that’s unable to focus on what matters.”
6. “What mission statement? Why should I care?” Have an unannounced conversation with all members of your team. Ask them to tell you the mission or vision statement of your company. If you’re lucky, maybe 5% will be able
to give you a credible answer. As for the rest, you’ll have difficulty getting them to understand the relevance of the company’s mission, much less motivate them to implement it. In order for employees to be effective, says Prosser, they must understand where they fit and how their job impacts overall contribution to the desired outcome.”7. “They treat us like crap.” “Uncivil behavior hits squarely at the bottom line, because those who are on the receiving end nearly always report responding in a negative way,” says Prosser. “Employees who feel that they’re being treated badly will put forth the bare minimum of effort. Their negative attitude will be all too evident to customers. And they’ll probably jump ship at the earliest opportunity. The solution is clear: Treat your employees at every level with civility and respect. Make sure all supervisors do the same. No excuses.”
8. “It’s the same old story.” If grandiose pronouncements for new initiatives or goal challenges are falling on deaf ears, or are received with rolling eyes and sighs of annoyance, it means one thing: Your employees have heard it all before. Prosser says, “No one wants to feel manipulated into thinking that what you’re putting forth is brand new. It rarely is. There are too many options available for good people to stick with leaders who aren’t serious about being authentic.”
9. “Because he’s (or she’s) the boss. That’s why.” A patriarchal and paternalistic culture exists in far too many companies. In this type of business culture there are the haves (who have the answers) and the have-nots (who have no power). “Employees buy into a patriarchal
and paternalistic business culture because it lets them off the hook,” explains Prosser. “They can avoid having to make promises and take action, and they feel that they have ‘permission’ to wait until someone tells them what to do. That creates a dependency on receiving orders from leadership, and those employees can’t execute your strategy because they won’t take responsibility for causing things to happen.”10. “We’ve always done it this way.” Old paradigms, nonexistent “visions,” and limiting, inflexible business models, keep your employees from moving your business forward. “A rigid belief system that creates inflexible boundaries around what is possible for the future makes employees feel stifled. When employees can’t see how or where they can improve their position in life and can’t perceive a future for themselves that doesn’t look and feel a lot like the past, they become apathetic,†says Prosser.  “Employees who haven’t been shown that they can grow, develop, and expand their opportunities within the organization–so that they have a sense of control over their own possible future–will lose interest in what you want,” he adds.
If any of the conversations in this list sound familiar, take them seriously, concludes Prosser. “They are likely the reason your employees are disconnected from you, from your vision, from your mission, from the strategy for your company, and from the needs of your customers. They are the cause of your Execution Virus.”