by:  Diane Benjamin

The INTERNATIONAL City Mangers Association sends an email everyday.  For once they have an article Renner and Hales need to read.

Hales and Renner have mentioned morale is low at the City because employees have trouble balancing work and home life.  (Like everybody doesn’t!)

Hales is the direct supervisor of employees.  The Council doesn’t manage employees, so Hales is to blame, especially when he thinks he is in charge of managing employee’s home and work lives.  Instead of blaming Hales, most of the Council want to blame the only 2 aldermen who ever question spending and new taxes.  How do they spin that one?  Keep watching – they will try!

The title of the article is:

Toxic Talent Management Habits

Was it written with Hales in mind?

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/07/toxic-talent-management-habits/

Excerpt:

2) Confusing employee engagement with happiness: Although employee engagement deserves all the attention in the world, the concept has been hijacked by the self-help industry, who equate it with happiness. However, the main purpose of work is not to make people happy, but productive. And engagement matters precisely because of its connections with productivity, which are twofold: first, engaged employees feel more energized and see work in a more meaningful manner, which makes them more productive; second, when employees are given the opportunity to be productive, they are proud of their achievements, which, in turn, boosts their engagement levels. Notice that happiness can be left out of the equation here. In fact, many employees are engaged and productive without being happy; and it is equally feasible for employees to be happy without being engaged or productive. In short, managers should try to create meaningful challenges for their employees, instead of worrying about their happiness levels

4) Misunderstanding leadership:

. . . As a result, good leadership is rare; and managerial incompetence is the norm.  . .

 

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