World Monitor Magazine WM_Energy_ 2019_web | Page 59

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As someone who fights professionally for caregivers
to be treated better in the workplace (and has written
a book about it), I recognize that her reasoning, though
sadly logical, highlights serious problems in both the
economy and how some businesses are run. Seventy-eight
percent of people live paycheck to paycheck, according to
a CareerBuilder survey. And no one should fear for their
job in a situation like this: Good bosses should welcome
disagreement, not create fear of reprisal.
But there’s another big reason that this employee was
the first to move forward. I had helped her over the
years, from when she began as an entry-level hire. We
had gotten to know each other. I had advocated for her
to get more opportunities. She told me that she liked our
working relationship, and so when the other team leaders
hesitated, she valued it more than any risk associated
with resuming our work.
Her decision summarized something I’ve seen as both as an
employee and a consultant: Building strong relationships
in all directions — with peers, higher-ups, and lower-level
employees — is critical.
Too often, people fail to build relationships with those
who are lower on the career ladder. The strategy+business
columnist Eric McNulty once lamented “executives who
expect employees to be all in for the mission yet treat
them as disposable units.” In the same article, McNulty
also cited entrepreneur Modesta Lilian Mbughuni on
the importance of aspiring leaders “seeing people,” as
well as their ability to have genuine conversations and
demonstrate respect.
Similarly, in the excerpt of his most recent book, also
published on this site, Jon Katzenbach asked a business
leader, “Have you ever really listened to your company’s
people down in the lower levels of the hierarchy? Do you
know what they care about, why they come to work in the
morning?”
Almost all of us know what it’s like to be at the lower
levels of a company and feel — or even literally be —
ignored. I’ll never forget the time when the president of a
large company I worked for leaned on my computer while
I was sitting and trying to work. He was speaking to a
group of fellow executives and didn’t even look down to
acknowledge me. A study (pdf) from professors at the
Building strong
relationships
in all directions
— with peers,
higher-ups, and
lower-level employees
— is critical.
University of Michigan, George Washington University,
and Yale University describes the “indignity” of being in
this position as feeling “invisible.”
Years ago, in trying to make a habit of following the
golden rule, I had laid the groundwork for a positive
relationship with the new interim team leader. Now it was
paying off professionally.
I had already noticed other, smaller ways that strong,
positive relationships with entry-level and inexperienced
colleagues could deliver benefits on a daily basis. For
example, in show meetings during my time reporting at
CNN, interns and some of the newest employees — often
at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder — would come
in with great ideas for segments they wanted me to do.
Or they’d be among the first to express excitement for
ideas I’d pitched, which helped get higher-level producers
interested, which in turn got me green lights to go ahead
with certain interviews and stories.
To be clear, the impetus to build good relationships at
work isn’t, and shouldn’t be, transactional. It’s simply a
matter of being human and building a respectful, positive
environment.
Still, those relationships can make a big difference.
Lower-level employees can turn into some of your most
important and influential allies. And the time you take to
authentically invest in them can pay off in unexpected
ways.
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