Field Notes #8: You Can Get What You Want.... sort of.

The Situation:

Once upon a time there was a large bank that set aggressive sales targets for its employees. It rewarded them for opening new accounts and pressured those who did not. The result was that many employees opened accounts without the customers’ permission.

The bank got what it wanted… kind of.

We may look at this example and see it as part of corporate behavior and greed. And if we work in mission focused organizations, we may see ourselves as immune to this kind of dissonance.  But despite our best intentions, we may also be creating unwanted behavior in the people we supervise through our daily habits and feedback loops.

Feedback loops are the ways we respond to behaviors and behavioral changes, both intentionally and unintentionally that shift behaviors amongst the people we supervise.

An organization will say that they stand for honesty but dissuade difficult conversations in favor of a harmonious workplace. A small social entrepreneurship may say they believe in thinking outside the box but punish those who challenge leadership. We might talk about our belief in diversity but create a culture of conformity where people who are neurodivergent are unable to thrive.

The clearest way to see what you value maybe to examine the patterns in your employees’ behaviors. If they tend to only provide feedback that makes you happy, then maybe you have rewarded people pleasing. If they like to stay quiet during meetings, maybe you have supported obedience rather than creative input.

Employees are constantly watching and learning how to make decisions based on the feedback loops they receive from you.  When you find their behavior creating challenges for you, look for the feedback loop you have created around certain tensions: politeness vs compassion, competition vs cooperation, harmony vs honesty, transparency vs withholding.

Your Turn:

• What do you say you value in employee behavior?

• Is this what you are seeing amongst the people you supervise?

• What feedback loops are you using to clearly outline what you value?

• Where could you make some changes?  

  
  

Thank you for reading.