Page 110 - How to Drive the Bottom Line with People

Built to Serve

do we have to keep this area so clean?” Is this a ques-
tion or a statement? An answer is rarely warranted

because the questions serve no constructive role in
building up an organization.
Isolation continues the slide toward complete dis-

engagement. We all have seen this stage with children
on the playground. When things do not go their way,
they walk away or isolate themselves from everyone
else. If this stage had a slogan it might be, “I’m going
to take my ball and go home.” Worse yet, it might be,

“I’m going to show up every day, but I’m not going to
be present to work every day.” Team members con-
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= sumed with stage three are unhappy about everything.

Stage three life is miserable.
If we are lucky, team members who reach stage
three will eventually move on to stage four and quit,
but, remarkably, people in stage three tend to hang on
forever. It seems odd people so miserable would return

each day and subject themselves to more misery, but
all too often that is precisely what happens.
As leaders, we see the value of having everyone on

the left side of the life-cycle curve—there is progress,
fulfillment, and realization of a vision. So, how does
a leader move people from the right-hand side of the
curve back to the left-hand side of the curve?