Being All In
Is it too much to ask people to be ‘all-in’ on things that we are passionate about? People are passionate for various reasons and you can’t inflict your passion on anyone else. Just because it matters to me, doesn’t necessarily mean it matters to you. You have to want it. Being all-in typically means being fully committed to or involved in something. But I like how it is used in poker, to bet everything you have. It’s being confident enough about something to give it your all.
When it comes to work, some people go through the motions and basically work to live. Others wholeheartedly relish every moment of their work and live to work. Maybe there is a happen medium, but I would rather work alongside people who are relentlessly optimistic about their company and the impact they make with their work. I want to work with people who are all-in.
Don’t get comfortable
We are born uninhibited and creative. Something happens along the way to make us fearful. We are judged or rejected, or our hearts are broken and the doubt creeps in. We fear exposing ourselves as frauds, and we begin to believe we aren’t good enough. So we may get stuck in a job that doesn’t fulfill us or challenge us because we are too scared to make a change. Life is too short to be stuck doing something for 8+ hours, five days a week or more that doesn’t leave us emotionally energized.
It may mean changing jobs or industries when the one we have seems perfectly fine on the exterior. But if it isn’t right from the inside looking out, who cares what people on the outside think. Even if it means leaving the comfort of a role that is easy, for something that is hard. Or leaving a job that pays a lot, for one that pays less.
Don’t just ask for feedback, act upon it
The ‘great resignation’ is a term batted around these days with some surveys saying as many as 95% of workers are considering changing jobs. That is an immense amount of dissatisfaction or maybe just curiosity about what is out there. Either way, it is enough of a reason for companies to look inward at how they treat their employees, how they compensate them, where they have to work and how they engage them. If companies aren’t asking for and listening to employee feedback and acting upon it, then they deserve to lose their people.
When I hear people say they hate their boss, it begs the question, does everyone ‘hate’ this particular boss? Sometimes it might just be a personality clash or a unique management style or a specific decision they made that created a moment of unhappiness. But disliking our leader all the time for whatever reason is a very unhealthy way to spend our days. So either we need to make a change or we need to get the company to see that they need to make a change.
As a supervisor of many people throughout the years, I would have been horrified to think any of my employees disliked working for me. While it wasn’t a popularity contest, I still wanted them to feel appreciated and cared for. I know there were times they weren’t happy with me and vice versa, but that is to be expected. My goal was to have a workplace where they felt they could come to me and share any concerns or ideas. If the matter was important to them, it needed to be important to me. Making them relevant and important to you says loudly and clearly that the person you lead counts. There is always room for more transparency and engagement so they feel they are a part of something bigger than just what their role contributes.
What does your culture reveal?
If the company culture is built so that it is natural to ask for and readily give feedback, then it won’t feel strange if feedback is requested. While companies can’t act upon every employee's whim or grumble, they can listen and it needs to be noted to see if a trend emerges. Is it a cultural issue or a personnel issue?
If everyone isn’t ‘all-in’ on the culture of a company then there is not a clear message being sent from leadership. Creating an all-in culture means having a lot of transparency and showing people their path in the company for growth. People want to feel they are a part of something and will be less likely to look elsewhere if they see their future with the organization. And when your company lets them know how important they are, they may just bet all of their chips on you.
“There are only two options regarding commitment; you’re either in or you’re out.” ~ Pat Riley, American professional basketball executive, former coach, and player in the NBA
