Relief A Little...

Was reading about a global company, that like so many others, is making efforts to insure that their employees in Japan are safe and cared for in this time of terrible tragedy. Good for them, that is what they should do.

It made me wonder. How do they treat their employees in Japan or elsewhere when there is no major disaster? Is it possible they have employees who on a regular basis are disengaged, distrustful of the company, performing below optimal?

It made me think of a company you might not have heard of in Brazil: Semco. Semco is no start-up. They are a South American market leader in industrial equipment and document management solutions. At Semco, you don’t need to wait until you’re old to enjoy your retirement. The idea is that you can take advantage of it once a week, from any age.

The “Retire a Little” project was created based on a life-cycle analysis that showed we have money when we don’t have time to enjoy it, time when we no longer have financial certainty, and the ability to enjoy nature and sports when we no longer have the health to do so.

So along those lines, if you are a leader, perhaps you should think about a "Relief a Little" project for your people. Every day your workers face challenges small and large that may not range to the point of a disaster. They'll almost certainly never make the news...or even get a #hashtag.

Yet, do you handle your people in an empathetic management style that accounts for people...as people? Many, companies (and leaders) would have to say no...unless there is a tsunami or earthquake or nuclear crisis.

Yes, I said Empathy. With a Big E. Too touchy-feely for you?

It shouldn't be.

As Stanford's Dev Patnaik, CEO of Jump Associates says in his outstanding book Wired to Care: How Companies Propser When They Create Widespread Empathy, "The hidden payoff of creating widespread empathy...Growth, not only for organizations, but for the people who work for them."

Patnaik is not a hippie (as far as I know). He's the CEO of a thriving consulting agency that teaches some of the worlds leading innovative companies how to grow and drive profits. That's not touchy-feely.

Another great quote from Patnaik is this: "Open Empathy Organizations avoid the kind of big 'empathy-building events' that leaders love to kick off. It’s far more important to insert empathic information into the workplace on a daily basis."

So, are you a leader?

Relief a Little.

Today.