Integer Leadership Consulting

Lisa Belkin writes a thoughtful reflection on the key role that CEO’s should play when it comes to “modeling” the importance of valuing life away from the workplace in addition to valuing the importance of work itself. She pinpoints the ongoing dilemma of many a CEO when it comes to walking the talk of taking care of oneself away from work and encouraging others to do the same. To this end, Belkin cites the thoughts of a few others that are worthy of mentioning in my blog today.

Regarding flex schedules, Cathleen Benko makes the point that they can act as a process of “de facto marginalization…making the workers seem like exceptions to the norm, and providing no way for them to dial their schedule backup.”

Regarding how employers treat Gen-X and Gen-Y men, Joan Williams makes the point that these fathers are determined to play a larger role in their children’s lives than their fathers did in theirs. Employers who recognize this will create Gen-X and Gen-Y loyalists who will stay around much longer.

Finally regarding integrating Generation Y into the workplace, Penelope Trunk observes that people should be managed “based on their contribution, not their rank. At some point, the 40 years of experience someone has does not count. At some point, it’s new ideas that count.”

The bottom line in Belkin’s article is to authentically and genuinely create real-time space and recognition for people who take their personal lives as seriously as they do their careers. More than any other figure, it is the CEO who can validate and “bless” this balance.

What CEOs must understand is that they would do well to once again familiarize themselves with McGregor’s concept of Theory X and Theory Y. Those who work in our organizations are not inherently lazy and not to be trusted (though this will always be true of a minuscule few). Rather when people are treated with the deep respect and recognition that they deeply covet (the very thing that feeds esteem and worth), they will continually outperform any and all organizational performance standards….something that Belkin makes clear…yet again.