By Bud Roth, Roth Consulting Group, LLC
July 31, 2003

“They don’t listen to the people doing the work.”

Let’s take a fresh look at this common occurrence. The workforce that supports the senior leadership team loses respect for management, for being “out of touch”. If we ever listen to workers who feel this way, they often sound like this:

“First of all, we all want to be listened to. We aren’t dumb. We may not be as highly educated (as our top leaders), but we know how the work gets done, and how we can do it better if given the chance. We just want to have some help in developing our ideas. We don’t mind if our ideas can’t be acted upon if we understand why.

It’s important to us that our supervisor, boss, owner or anyone we report to hears what we have to say and helps us evaluate and implement our ideas. We know that sometimes a supervisor doesn’t want to be embarrassed that they didn’t think of something first. Well, all I can say is, there’s something wrong with management above my supervisor and a culture that punishes people for not being as smart as those around them. Other bosses just put us off by giving us all kinds of vague excuses why things won’t work. We don’t respond to this type of management.
We can’t do much to change the culture that isolates people, management and ideas at different levels. Our leaders have to start changing things at their level first. Most of us know how much damage egos can do to a business--“Big egos have small ears.” Management just doesn’t want to hear the noise, or maybe people are too intimidated or scared to tell them the truth. But it starts with the guy or gal who’s leading the company. They create a listening culture or they don’t.
It won’t work any other way. I’ve seen many leaders come and go here. Nothing really changes unless those at the highest levels of the company begin assessing their leadership effectiveness and changing their behaviors...

Why shouldn’t we have the same freedom our leaders have, to improve the process we know so well, such as when we see something wrong in leadership teams or in other departments. (I know what you’re thinking.) They say that they only make changes after careful studies and analysis, blah blah blah.. Well, why not give us a chance? Give us some help and we’ll be excited about thinking of how to improve the work.. We don’t want to hang up our brains when we come to work, but that’s exactly what we do when NO ONE EVER LISTENS TO US.

Y’know, with all of their experience with Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, process improvement and the assorted Kaisan stuff that companies have learned something over the last 20 years. You’d think they would GET that we need to become involved with making improvements and advancing the business. But we’re viewed as too far down the chain, or maybe they don’t think that something works, or maybe they won’t admit they don’t know enough about it. (Ego again!) Maybe they think that stuff’s only for manufacturing companies. Heck, even I know that process improvement works in service, technical and white-collar places.
We don’t really need a formal process to improve things around here. All we need is a way of getting our leaders to listen and help us. We can make significant gains and profits in this company. We can get our work done and have a hand in improving our company.
By the way, I take pride in referring to our company. I want to feel like I belong here and make a difference, just like the leadership on the 14th floor.”

Thanks for listening. It didn’t take long, did it?
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Most leaders know that it’s good business practice to get everyone involved in making progressive improvements in how we conduct our businesses. We also know that we need to listen continuously to our associates and to respond appropriately, to help them implement good ideas. We need to be reminded periodically about this fundamental concept, of listening to the people we really rely upon most, the ones who toil at the “do it” level, and the ones who add value to the enterprise.