[[[Distractions impede effectiveness]]]
We’ve been hearing about the Baby Boom retirement and labor shortage for a number of years and now it's been having an increasing impact on operations.
There were a number of news stories from across the continent this past year: Ontario, California, Pennsylvania, Washington, about agencies that had to make cuts in service because they didn’t have enough operators. I also visited a number of suppliers that said are in a continuous state of hiring because they can’t find the skilled workers.
At the American Public Transportation Association’s Annual Meeting this year, the keynote address was by Dr. Steven L. Robbins and he offered insight on strengthening your team, improving your bottom line.
With a background in cognitive neuroscience, Robbins gave the pragmatic breakdown of how daily life affects the brain — for better, for worse. And while these words on a page can’t do justice to the emotional roller coaster he took everyone on during his presentation, there were so many points that every business can benefit from.
He talked about how it feels when one’s an “insider” or an “outsider” and had people call out what it feels like when you’re the one on the outside. Things such as lonely, isolated, anxious, angry, inefficient and distracted. He reflected, for an athlete, how important is their mental state? If they were walking on to the field feeling those things, everyone would probably agree they wouldn’t be playing to the best of their ability.
When your employees are walking through the door, how do they feel? Whether it’s day shift vs night shift, labor and management, race, facility location, whatever distinctions there may be, distractions impede effectiveness.
There was UCLA research of three people playing a computer game; everyone was included initially. Two of the subjects were told to stop interacting with the other subject, making him an outsider. The functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) of the brain showed two parts lit: the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and ventromedial pre-fontal cortex – the same two parts that light up when someone is in physical pain. Again, distractions impede effectiveness.
Building inclusion into your workplace isn’t about being warm and fuzzy, or political correctness, it’s about building a workplace where people come ready to fully engage and focus on their work, utilize all of their mental resources on innovation and improvement.
Do not underestimate the power of words to tear people down or to lift people up and be more mindful of outsiders in your midst.
