Every Life Deserves World Class Care

World Class Care...

Years ago I heard the expression, "You should treat your employees as though they are volunteers."  At first, and even since then, I've appreciated that saying - never quite realizing the inherent contradiction implied.  So, the assumption here is we feel compelled to treat volunteers well - grateful for their service, appreciative of their sacrifice of personal time and resources, and thankful for their dedication to a cause bigger than themselves.  Conversely, the assumed organizational norm is to treat our employees, coworkers, and supervisors as less than volunteer status.  Essentially, since these people are "required" to be at the workplace every day, we view their time as less valuable, their sacrifices are less appreciated, their dedication less worthy, and their contributions less acceptable.  Adding insult to injury, how many of us have worked with people who seem to relish in our failures, our mistakes, and our shortcomings?   Is there any wonder why many currently employed individuals are looking for a new job?! (30% of Your Employees Are Already Looking For A New Job)  The sad but true reality is many workplaces reflect this negative "sibling rivalry" relationship dynamic that results in the "grass is always greener" approach to self-development - a fruitless endeavor leading to a series of disappointing relationships with those who refuse to treat others with the "world class care" required for a harmonious workplace.  That is....

Unless we start to treat others with compassion...

Unless we begin to see others as individual lives who deserve to be treated with care and recognized for the struggles and trials we all endure...

Unless we refuse to fall into the cycle of cold victimization of our co-workers that has become so pervasive in organizational culture...

Unless we begin each conversation with empathy, rather than approaching others with a systematic, uncaring, and cold approach...

Unless we begin to see the heart of the person to understand their struggles, rather than seeking opportunities to create conflict and a direction in which to point a finger...

Unless we begin to ask ourselves how we can positively influence others and their personal situations rather than opportunities to manipulate them for our own personal gain...

Instead of "treating employees as volunteers", we must begin to treat them as the individual hearts, souls, and lives they are.  We must love them as we love ourselves and reflect this level of compassion in every interaction that we have with them.  We must become their voice, become their strength, and become their confidante'.  We Must Lead with a Passion for People.