Who’s Showing Up for Work Today?

I’ll state the obvious: as long as people are involved, life’s not predictable. This platitude applies in all domains—social, spiritual, and business.

It’s not just a matter of rationality or irrationality.  No, I remind you of this because even the most rational employees can behave irrationally at times.  That’s because they bring a different “self” to work every day.  This is what makes the art of leadership so challenging.

I’m reminded of what my parents went through almost every day in getting ready for work.  Both of my parents worked, and they had five children and one car.  So coordinating morning schedules was a challenge, to say the least.  Like clockwork, just as we were ready to leave the house, my ornery baby sister would show up at the door sans clothing because she didn’t want to go to the child care center.  It would send my folks into a controlled rage as they frantically searched for her hidden clothes.  So how do you think my parents showed up for work on those days?

As a supervisor, do you know how your employees are showing up?  Their ability to produce miracles is often dependent on what’s personally going on behind the scenes.  To create a high-performing team, you must take this into account.  It’s not right, it’s not wrong, it just is.

A different me shows up for work every day.  So who’s showing up for work in your organization?