Win at work with “essence” and “empathy”

I recently visited a large, publicly traded electric utility that was an outlier in the world of labor relations – it doesn’t experience formal grievances, despite a long history of union representation and a large, unionized workforce.

As a labor relations professional, I always say that grievance activity is not a “bad” thing – it gives us an organized and predictable way of sorting out our problems.  And it is the quid pro quo for no-strike, no-lockout clauses in contracts. But it was intriguing and different to see a complete absence of formal grievances at such a large, organized company.

Sometimes I see this in very small companies, because the vibe is more “family” than corporate and the small employee population lends itself to mostly informal problem-solving. 

But I haven’t seen this dynamic in large utility companies, and I wondered what was different here.

The Human Resources team said they work hard with the union to build and extend trust, and they almost always work out any contractual issues informally and without the need for a formal grievance.  The HR Manager, a long-term employee there, has never had to handle a formal grievance!

But the real “aha” moment came when the company’s president addressed our training session one afternoon with his message on his “two E’s,” essence and empathy.

He led out with a question and an answer.  “With all the assets this company has, which are the most important?  It’s you guys – our people,” he said.

“Sure,” I can hear you say as you read this.  “All high-level company leaders say the same thing.”  That is true, I will acknowledge that.  But it sounded different, fresh, impassioned and real with this guy in the room.  I believed it.  So did those employees in attendance.

In a rapid-fire, heart-felt and intense 10-minute presentation to the group, he led out with “the essence,” which was the heart of what their company was all about. 

In over 40 years of HR experience, the “essence” description was new to me.  I can’t do it justice – his presentation was a “you had to be there” kind of thing in its intensity, sincerity and message – but it boiled down to a vivid description of the extreme importance of their jobs and their company. 

He stressed that every single person must have and use their product.  He rattled off a huge but still not comprehensive list of examples where our very existence depends on the company’s delivery of electricity, so ubiquitous in its nature that virtually every facet of life is influenced by it.  From the time you wake up and flip the light switch, electricity powers the lives of the people.  And he said their electricity is delivered with an average cost to the consumer of $5 per day – an incredible value and less expensive than my daily coffee habit. 

His audience sat, genuinely rapt, soaking in the company’s importance – their importance as employees.  It was palpable, honest and real.

In a world where maybe 20 to 30% of employees are “engaged,” proud of their companies and their roles in it, I was watching 100% engagement in that room – fueled by their company president’s genuine fervor in describing “the essence” of who they are.

Then he moved into empathy.  “Know everything about your employees and co-workers, including their kids, their dogs and animals, their interests, their likes and dislikes, and be able to put yourself in their shoes,” he said, again with passion and feeling.  He said the employees must have empathy for everyone, and that everyone matters – especially those who can do nothing for you – because real leaders and engaged employees value everyone.  When we care about everyone, we all work in harmony together for everyone’s benefit. 

He delivered the old saying often attributed to speaker and author John C. Maxwell, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”

By the time he wrapped up his talk and left the room, I had a better understanding of how this large utility company could operate without much formal grievance activity. 

Employee engagement requires that employees feel that their jobs are important, the company is important, and most of all that they are individually and uniquely important and valued.  When employees are engaged and empathetic, they work in an atmosphere of mutual trust and respect that promotes fast, efficient and effective work for the good of everyone. 

In their company and union relationship, they have “task conflict,” where they work hard on their problems together, without “relationship conflict,” where peoples’ dislikes for each other grind a company’s machinery to a halt in a malaise of complaints and arguments driven by distrust and dislikes.  Their contract negotiations typically take just days to reach an agreement – not months or years, like many organizations.

I witnessed leadership that day at the highest level, presented to first-line and mid-level managers who were soaking it up and learning from it. 

And the purpose of his visit to this group?  It was to thank the employees for being in MARC class and using MARC’s teachings and toolkit to advance the company’s goals and culture. 

I was reminded of the empathy piece of leadership again this morning as I listened to local sports radio and former Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost recounted how the great Atlanta manager Bobby Cox, who just passed away, always greeted and talked with everyone at the ballpark from the groundskeepers, cleaning staff and vendors to the newest temporary employees, calling everyone by name.  He said Bobby made people’s day by acknowledging them and engaging them in conversation.  He made them feel important parts of the Atlanta Brave’s organization. 

As I go about my work, I am going to try to lean more into this “essence” and “empathy” path.

What is the essence of your company and its work?  And how do you and your employees go about creating and maintaining that essence?  Are you guided by empathy and understanding, or zero-sum competition and distrust with union leaders, peers or others? 

Are your employees engaged?  Or are they just collecting a check and barely (or not) meeting standards and expectations?

Join the MARC client base, and let’s discuss these things together.  We can help.  Call or email MARC VP Gary Kleckner at (insert contact info) to see what MARC can do for your organization.