.png)
I've always believed that if organisations wanted to address poor management and leadership, they could do it in a heartbeat. How? The magic lies in the customer service industry.
Back in the day, before the era of online reviews, customer service was a real downer. It was all about cold transactions, zero care, no excitement, and some folks were just plain rude.
The power was in the hands of the companies and their employees. With no customer voice and limited competition, poor service and subpar products went unheard, and customers had little power.
Then came the online review platforms, giving the customer service industry a much-needed wake-up call. They pushed us to step up our game, deliver better service, and improve our product quality, all while staying in tune with our pricing strategies. People finally got the memo that they deserved better.
Now, you probably know where I am going with this, right?
So, if we want to tackle the ever-growing issue of poor management and leadership, all it takes is a tiny little feature on Glassdoor – one that lets employees leave reviews about their managers and leaders. These reviews would follow them around wherever they go.
This could be used during the hiring process too. Instead of just taking the word of managers and leaders about how awesome they are, potential employers could slide on over to Glassdoor and make their calls based on employee-generated reviews.
It could also be used by potential employees during the recruitment process to check out the manager or the leader they would be working with. Wouldn't it be amazing?
I'd even add a review section on the company's website, with a full lineup of managers and leaders and their employees' feedback. Now, I know it needs to be kept clean and free from any internal shenanigans, so perhaps we hand the reins to a third party. Because we know how we manipulate and corrupt internal data. We even clean engagement survey data to our liking.
Do you want to fix poor leadership? The solution is right there, and you're already using it when it comes to monitoring customer experience. So, why not lay down the same rules for your internal customers?
Now, you might say, "But what if disgruntled employees start spinning tales?" Well, that's where you show that you care. Investigate it, just like we do with online reviews, and get to the nitty-gritty. That's what it means to show care and intention to your employees.
If you find the review rings true, leave it up – actually, leave them all up. Sure, I get it, sometimes folks can be unreasonable and nasty. In those cases, and if it's not legit, you might consider taking the review down. To minimise foul play, set a limit on how many reviews can be taken down per person each year. And if you keep hearing the same tune about a leader, address the person.
Now, this might need some careful planning, but if you're serious about addressing poor managers and leaders, and if you truly care about your employees' voices, you could make it happen tomorrow.
Are you ready for it?
Name & Shame is the new game. It works.
More stories about management and leadership:
留言