A friend was asked to attend a work call at 9.30 PM on a Friday while on vacation with just a day’s notice.
My friend politely declined and reminded the CEO he was on vacation.
The CEO kept this in the back of his mind. A few months later, the CEO expressed his frustration at my friend for failing to show up during that call.
Would my friend have received any upside from this client call? No, only the CEO would.
Did my friend get any equity from all the times he had worked long hours? No. It was expected of him.
Many “leaders” lament that their people (aka ‘assets’) don’t work hard enough. That their priorities seem so different.
They run workshops and give sessions to explain things like vision and corporate objectives.
It seems to me that this time would better spent sitting down and listening instead. To really see and care about what their people want. To understand the world from their perspective.
To recognize that work isn’t always the center of the world for people. That the executive’s upside is not the employee’s upside.
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