What’s your job satisfaction rating?
Posted by Martin Harshberger on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 @ 10:04 AM
There has been a lot written about employee engagement and job satisfaction. What you never see discussed is the owner or CEO’s level of satisfaction.
It must be assumed that because he or she is on top of the pile everything is fine. Why wouldn’t they be satisfied?
Having sat in that chair myself for many years burnout, stress, loss of enthusiasm, fatigue, are all very real issues facing the top management team.
Facing the same issues everyday with no quick solutions, and fighting the same fires takes a huge toll on anyone. The top people however have little or no outlet to voice their frustration. Can you imagine a CEO or owner telling an employee, “you think you have it bad listen to all of my problems”? There would probably be a mass exodus.
Running an organization is tough enough when you are charged, enthusiastic, and optimistic. When times are tough the job gets much harder.
The questions is what do you do about it? How do you handle it?
Based on my personal experience and the information I’ve gathered over the years from others in my position, the first step is to acknowledge you have issues. This may sound strange but too many leaders refuse to acknowledge their problems. It’s as if they think if I admit it’s there I need to deal with it, if I ignore it maybe it will go away. It doesn’t go away of course and it adds to the stress level.
The second step after acknowledgement is dealing with the issues effectively. I’m amazed at the commonality of problems I see, as I get involved with various businesses. In many cases the solutions are known, but the decision to execute isn’t made. It’s the devil you know vs. the devil you don’t thought process.
Lastly get help. It’s always easier to get help on your own terms before someone forces you to get it. Too often I’ve seen CEO’s and owners wait until a lender or the board of directors forces help on them and it creates a situation that is difficult for the CEO and the coach. Recognizing you need help is not a sign of failure. It’s a sign of logic and maturity. Today’s businesses and markets are complex, everyone needs help from time to time. Only the wise get it early.
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