#412 The importance of rituals in Leadership, Recruiting, HR

The importance of rituals in Leadership, Recruiting, HR

an article by Niels Brabandt

Rituals have great significance.

It wasn't just this weekend, when the Pope's funeral took place that this became unambiguously clear. Rituals can be found in both private and professional life. While the significance of these should generally be clear, it is often difficult to deal with them in the everyday life of organisations. Employees often speak of lip service, ignorance or direct misbehaviour. Understanding rituals in their various dimensions is crucial, especially as they play a decisive role in leadership, recruiting and HR.

Business Cases

All the cases mentioned here happened in real life.

Imagine you work for a company. During a very stressful project period, you learn of a death in your family. You ask HR for special leave and are told it will be refused. In the written refusal, the reason given is the degree of kinship. An uncle is not a reason for special leave; only your own children, parents, and partners are acceptable.

In another case, a person applies for a vacant position. They are invited to a second round of interviews, and an appointment is made. Now, the applicant says their child is starting school that very day, so they ask for a new date. The company refuses. Please organise this yourself and set your priorities was the message. The applicant then did this by sending a rejection to the organisation and leaving a comprehensive negative review of the application process on Glassdoor.

The third case involved participation in an international conference, which was the workforce's biggest and most motivating event of the year. The best employees were always allowed to fly to the USA. One year, the manager, a local executive, excluded a female employee. The reason given, which was only communicated to others, was that this employee had corrected the manager several times in the last meeting in front of customers, and the manager did not want such people there — arbitrariness, ego, pride.

Meaning

Rituals have meaning on several levels. The factual level is the one most frequently cited by managers. Of course, no one can legally force you to grant special leave in the event of death. Even in the case of interviews or conferences, the person is not entitled to a new date or attendance. Legally, this is certainly difficult or even impossible to contest. In addition to the purely factual level, you must pay particular attention to the emotional aspect. Trust is based, especially in the long term, on emotional trust (see Prof Tsedal Neeley, Harvard University). At crucial moments in a difficult situation, employees can see whether the manager lives by their values or whether, in case of doubt, they are acting for their own benefit or the organisation's benefit. This so-called moment of truth immediately affects emotional trust in the medium and long term. It can temporarily or permanently cause massive damage, which will be recognised with corresponding countermeasures in the future.

An equally important aspect is the personal level. Your management's behaviour will be reflected in the social environment, both online and offline. There will quickly be a lack of recommendations, people will advise against applying to you as an employer, and there will be references to which aspects of job adverts and descriptions do not correspond to reality. Talent shortages, labour shortages, and the pressure to pay significantly better will be immediate consequences, in addition to increased fluctuation, lower motivation, higher sickness rates and the associated costs, including recruiting and HR.

Always consider the factual, emotional and personal level of rituals in order to make a good decision.

You can learn more about these cases and how you can act better in this week's videocast and podcast; see the links below.

Implementation

To begin with, you need to create awareness of the various aspects. Not every manager can be aware of the dimensions mentioned; the different leader's reality of life does not allow this. Approaches to accomplish this awareness can range from coaching, mentoring and training to speaking events and mastermind groups. Managers must be made aware of the importance of ritual situations.

Self-referential leadership, in particular, should be avoided. Here, managers repeatedly refer to themselves and emphasise that you cannot achieve the same success if you do not behave in the same way. On the one side, not everyone wants to reach the same professional position as you. Even that basic assumption is wrong. On the other hand, if the experience you are referring to is also 20, 30 or more years old, this advice is almost certainly no longer current. In addition, factors such as ego or the desire for self-promotion should not play a role in good leadership.

There must be zero tolerance for violations of this awareness. Otherwise, employees will quickly realise when rules apply to employees but not managers. Sustainable, excellent leadership lives this awareness in everyday working life and enjoys the comprehensive benefits that arise from it.

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More on this topic in this week's podcast: Videocast / Apple Podcasts / Spotify

Transcript available with the Videocast.

Is excellent leadership important to you?

Let's have a chat: NB@NB-Networks.com

Contact: Niels Brabandt on LinkedIn

Website: www.NB-Networks.biz

Niels Brabandt is an expert in sustainable leadership with more than 20 years of experience in practice and science.

Niels Brabandt: Professional Training, Speaking, Coaching, Consulting, Mentoring, Project & Interim Management. Event host, MC, moderator.