2008 Essay Prize – win $2000 and CAMLA membership
The Communications and Media Law Association is holding an essay competition in 2008. CAMLA is one of the leading organisations in Australia bringing together people with an interest in media and telecommunications law. Our membership includes all major Australian media and telecommunications companies as well as relevant government bodies and leading law firms. For more information see www.camla.org.au

1. moral principles, teachings, or conduct
2. the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand b: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group : esprit de corps
3. the level of individual psychological well-being based on such factors as a sense of purpose and confidence in the future

The second definition is the one that I am presently thinking of, “the mental and emotional condition (as of enthusiasm, confidence, or loyalty) of an individual or group with regard to the function or tasks at hand b: a sense of common purpose with respect to a group.”

Part of the trouble with morale is that it is often seen as ‘reward’, an achievement that is given when the company is doing well. In one company staff morale is directly tied to work, and bonus’, so that for the organization, it can say that morale is high when the targets are met and the managers do not get any negative feedback in the 360′s feedback.

Which brings me to the central point of this, I suppose, which is that very few managers are good leaders or good communicators. While there are many lists as to the qualities of a lead I will just add these few:

1. Consistency
2. Integrity, principles, sincerity, ethics
3. Respect, trust
4. Sacrifice (servant)
5. Humility, diplomacy
6. Flexibility
7. Responsibility
8. Accountability
9. Passion, enthusiasm
10. Confidence, decisiveness, competence
11. Vision
12. Clarity, focus
13. Execution
14. Communication (speaking and listening)
15. Wisdom

Bill Gates, in the Sunday Times, has this to say about what makes a ‘good’ manager;

1. Choose a field thoughtfully. Make it one you enjoy.
2. Hire carefully and be willing to fire.
3. Create a productive environment.
4. Define success. Make it clear to your employees what constitutes success and how they should measure their achievements. Goals must be realistic.
5. To be a good manager, you have to like people and be good at communicating.
6. Develop your people to do their jobs better than you can. Transfer your skills to them.
7. Build morale. Make it clear there’s plenty of goodwill to go around and that it’s not just you or some hotshot manager who’s going to look good if things go well. Give people a sense of the importance of what they’re working on – its importance to the company, its importance to customers;
8. Take on projects yourself.
9. Don’t make the same decision twice.
10. Let people know whom to please.

The last one is interesting as it seems to relate to the pecking order, and to what is colloquially called brown-nosing, but maybe I am reading to much into this. As far as I am concerned a good manager should have the qualities of a good leader with the added qualities of most of what Gates describes above. But have a look at Gates’ number seven above, “Give people a sense of the importance of what they’re working on – its importance to the company, its importance to customers.” This is the part that the organization, and the manager should highlight to build morale, a sense of worth.

While it is true that staff in an organization have something to do with morale, as in their being aware of their effect on others, their willingness to share with others, their enthusiasm for their ‘job’, where they are in the pecking order, and whether they think they are valued. I think this lies at the heart of morale, whether the individuals in the organization feel that they, and what they do, are valued, not just by their peers but by their manager, and by the organization itself. I found the following on a blog titled Morale in the Workplace,

Morale is all to do with recognition. Recognition that a person is valuable. Recognition is achieved through management. Management is achieved by communicating, delegating and managing. Communication is achieved by keeping everyone aware, offering a feeling of support and empathizing with everyone the problems they are experiencing.

If morale is low then the organization should look to the culture and climate of the organization, then at the managers, and management styles, then at the team building that is incorporated into the culture, then at the individuals in the organization to see if they are valued, if they are recognized, if the work they are doing is important or is drudge. Of course, the other thing is to see if they themselves feel that they are worthy members of the organization.

I will leave you with “one man’s struggle to cope with the soul-sapping, will-to-live draining, life-force mugging, morale crushing experiences of work.”

cheers. Ken

The best way to do this is to ask a series of questions, and then when they have their questionnaire these questions need to be turned into statements. What I have suggested is that questions such as. “Do you think that email is the best channel for communication in this company?” could be changed to a statement like “Email is the best channel for this company”, agree or disagree.

The way that we communicate within an organisation tells a lot about the style of leadership, as much as it does about communication flow. Getting people, students and others, to recognise this is part of why this course is running.

Cheers, Ken.