Well designed physical environments. And well staffed. But filled with team members who are increasingly indifferent to customers and colleagues. Can you hear the ice cracking? Falling into the startling cold water of declining reputation is miserable. Climbing out of a downward spiral exhausting. It is numbingly hard to turn culture around specially after indifference slides downward into resentment or belligerence and true toxicity. Very few groups in this situation rebound.
You can meet every agreed upon standard and still destroy interactions. Indifference to the moment kills commitment. Two examples — distancing yourself just enough so encounters never get to real concerns and a focus on just getting through the day.
I think indifference contributes mightily to this data:
1. 51% of workers rate themselves as disengaged (2015 Gallup Poll)
2.. 70% of employees “hate their job” (2015 Forbes).
Anyone can have a bad day. What we are talking about here is not that.
Humans run on emotions and healthy connections. Technology may move the issue of indifference to colleagues and customers into the background for a while by allowing direct access to experience without much interaction with each other. But, over time indifference will ensure less humanity in how we work and serve each other.
Great teams nourish what matters most. Passion shaped by a shared vision and guided by a few sensible standards helps. But, managers are the linchpin — the connectors between brand promise and the small daily decisions that can add up to a culture of indifference.
Let’s help managers rediscover skills that nourish generous engagement and then reclaim conversations with their colleagues about the heart of service.