Myself and a business partner have 3 companies that consist of 10 team members right now. We have ambitious plans and goals for growth but right now we are sorting out and dealing with issues that seem to never go away.
We have been trying very hard all year to create a fun culture and get the right people in place. Last week we had an exciting day with a review of 2011, goals for 2012, catered lunch, and a Christmas party/celebration. The day went really well. We played a lot of games. Everyone seemed to be involved and engaged. I would have rated the day as a 9 out of 10.
I thought we were finishing the year on a good note and all was well. Nope. All of the good things that happened this year and the great end of year was wiped out by one day. You see, we were open on Monday the 26th. In fact, many businesses were open on the 26th. It was a Monday. It was a normal work day. Could we have shut down? Yes, we could have. But in light of everything else going on we did not close. Now we have learned our lesson about communication before and this decision was communicated weeks before. But when Monday rolled around it completely demolished the morale in our company.
I am still struggling to understand the entire situation. We have never denied someone time off when requested within a reasonable amount of time. We have always been flexible with our team members. We have not always but definitely did effectively communicate this decision. But somehow we were in the wrong in the eyes of our team members.
I know we will all move on. I know some have already forgotten it. But as a leader, I feel it is important for me to understand the situation and to figure out how to do it better next time. My goals far exceed my abilities and skills, so I must change for skills and abilities.
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